How to respond to someone who wants to meet up?

The gap between "we should hang out" and "are you free Thursday?" tells you a lot. The first is often a pleasant way of saying the conversation is going well without committing. The second means someone has thought about a time and wants to see you. Notice whether they mentioned a day, a place, or a specific activity. Notice whether they referenced something you said earlier, which usually signals real attention. If the invite is loose, your job is to make it concrete without pushing. Suggesting one option is enough. If it's already specific, you can just say yes and add your own detail, like which bar you'd prefer or whether you'd rather get food.

Also pay attention to what they're offering with the invite. Someone who says they want to meet and then names the thing they're into (a film, a walk, a particular place) is showing you the kind of time they want to spend. Matching that tends to land better than inventing your own plan from scratch.

Your answer should roughly match the tone of the invite. If they wrote casually and briefly, a short casual reply fits. If they put real thought into it, a slightly warmer answer shows you noticed. Three kinds of reply tend to work. A direct yes with one concrete option, which keeps things moving and shows you're not hedging. A soft yes that asks what they had in mind, which works when they were vague and you'd like them to commit first. And a playful yes that references something from earlier in the chat, which signals you were paying attention. A good draft in any of these shapes is short, names a time or a place or asks a question that can be answered in one line, and leaves out apologies, qualifiers, and long explanations of why you're excited. If you find yourself adding more than two sentences of enthusiasm, cut it.

Once you've replied, the ball is in their court and that's fine. Give it a reasonable window before you check in again. For most people texting, a day or so is normal, and anything under a few hours is just timing. If a plan was made and they go quiet the day before, a light check-in is reasonable, something that confirms without asking for an explanation. If you've sent one follow-up and still get nothing, one more short message is a fair last try. Something like confirming the time or asking whether it still works for them is enough. After that, stop. A plan that has to be chased three times is telling you where it stands. Don't write a message about how you feel, and don't send a guilt-tinged reply. Let the silence be an answer and move on.