How to properly flirt over text?

When she answers a joke with a short line that's still a bit cheeky, she's usually giving you a chance to keep going, not closing the door. The goat line is a good example. She didn't say much, but she named you as the one who gets her, which is a small step toward something personal. That's worth reading as warmth.

Cold replies look different. They're flat, they don't match your energy, they ignore the thing you were playful about, or they ask a logistical question with no tone to it. Pay attention to whether she tried to be funny back. If she did, she's in the game. If she just acknowledged the message, she may be busy or just not that into texting, and you should match her length instead of pushing.

The strongest flirty messages are built out of something concrete from the conversation or her profile. A detail she mentioned, a phrase she used, a picture she posted. That tells her you were paying attention, which is more attractive than generic charm. It also means you don't have to invent something clever from nothing.

What you want to avoid is generic lines that could be sent to anyone. Those don't carry any signal. A reply that picks up her word and plays with it, with a bit of teasing or a light question attached, does more work with less effort. Keep the tease small and warm, so she can match it easily.

Timing does a lot of the flirting for you. If she replies within a few hours, you can reply within a similar window and the rhythm feels natural. If she takes a day, don't answer in five minutes with a message that signals you've been staring at your phone. Match her pace roughly and let the conversation breathe.

If you send something and get no answer, wait a day or two before a single light follow-up that doesn't reference the silence. Something that shows the conversation still interests you, with no guilt or pressure. If that also gets nothing, let it go. Two unanswered messages in a row is a clear enough answer, and sending a third only makes you look needy.