How to handle a girl who plays hard to get?

The first thing to read is the shape of her replies, not just their content. A single word after a long message from you usually means she is busy, tired, or unsure what to add. Replies that are late but warm are a different signal from replies that are cold and flat. Pay attention to whether she ever starts a topic herself. If she never asks you anything, she is probably keeping her interest low on purpose, which is a choice about pacing, not necessarily about you.

A useful check is whether she still engages with specifics when she does reply. If she answers a detail you mentioned, even briefly, she is paying attention. If she replies to the whole message with vague agreement, she is giving you less to work with. Neither pattern tells you she is out, but together they tell you how much effort she is willing to put in right now, and that tells you how much effort to put in back.

There are roughly two kinds of reply that fit this situation. The first is a light reply that answers what she said and adds one small piece of your day or a question she can answer in a sentence. Its job is to keep things warm without asking for anything. You can tell a draft is this kind when it has one concrete detail and one easy opening, and it leaves out any comment on her silence or her interest.

The second kind is a plan. It names something specific, a place, a day window, an activity, and asks her to pick from a small set. Its job is to move from texting toward meeting while giving her a low-cost way to say yes or no. A draft fits this kind when it offers her a choice rather than asking if she is free. It should leave out apologies for asking, long justifications, and any mention of how long it has been since she replied.

Timing does a lot of the work here. Reply within the same window she used, not faster, so you don't look like you are waiting on her. If she took a day, a reply later that day is fine. If she has gone quiet for several days, wait longer before you send anything, and send one message only. A single, easy message after a real gap reads as normal life. Two or three in a row read as pressure.

If you send a message and get no answer, let it sit for about a week before trying again, and only if you have a new reason to write, like something you saw that made you think of her. If that also goes unanswered, stop. Silence after two real attempts is a clear answer, and continuing to message turns a passing interest into something she has to manage.