How do I make him respond to my texts?

Start by looking at what he sent before the gap. If his last message was a tired one, a work vent, or a short answer to something you asked, the silence is usually just the day moving on. He may have meant it as a natural stopping point and never thought of it as a question. If his last message was a question you did not answer well, or a joke you took too seriously, the quiet may be him waiting to see what you do next.

Check the length and energy of his messages across the whole thread too. Someone who usually writes two lines and then goes quiet for a day is not suddenly losing interest because he went quiet for a day. Someone who used to write full paragraphs and now sends one word is giving you a clearer signal. Your job is to read the pattern, not to decode one gap.

Do not treat your own anxiety as data. A long pause feels like a rejection, but most pauses are logistics, sleep and other people.

Three shapes usually work here. The first is a light question about his day that is specific enough to answer quickly, such as asking what the wiped-out part was. The second is a detail you add that he can build on, a small story from your own day that invites a reaction. The third is a small plan or a choice he can answer with one word.

You can tell a draft is working if it contains one thing to respond to and nothing else pulling his attention. The question is clear, the story has an opening, the plan has two options. It should leave out apologies for the gap, any summary of how you feel, and a second question tacked onto the end. Keep it shorter than his message if he writes short, and match the rhythm of his texts rather than writing a block that demands a long reply.

The move is to lower the cost of answering. A reply that takes him ten seconds to read and two to answer is far more likely to get a response than one that asks him to think hard about what to say back.

If he replies within a few hours, match his pace and keep the thread going. If he does not reply, give it until the next day before you send anything more. Sending a second text within an hour reads as pressure, and it usually makes the next reply less likely, not more.

If the first follow-up gets no answer, you can send one more, shorter, with a different hook, a day or two later. Something light and easy with no question about the gap. After that, stop. Two unanswered attempts after a conversation that was going well is a clear enough answer. Keep your own plans, let the thread sit, and do not check your phone for a reply.

If he comes back warm after a week of silence, you can answer him without bringing up the gap. If he comes back cold or apologetic in a way that closes the door, that is also an answer you can use.