I'm not her type but she likes me

When someone says they weren't going to like you but do, the most useful thing to read is what she reacted to. Look at the last few messages. Did she laugh at something specific? Did she push back on you? Did she ask a follow-up? Those are the things she's responding to. A compliment like "you're funnier than I expected" tells you the gap between her expectation and your actual presence is working in your favour, and that the gap is where her attention is. She isn't telling you she's changed her standards. She's telling you one thing about you hit harder than her filter predicted.

The risk is that the preference she named is still in her head. She may be half-expecting you to confirm or fail the type, so anything that feels like you're trying to become that type will make her less sure of what she likes. Read her interest as specific and situational, not as a verdict on who you are.

The first kind is a light, slightly self-aware reply. It accepts the compliment without arguing with the premise. It names the thing she noticed, makes a small joke at your own expense about the swipe, and hands the conversation back to her. Its job is to show you're comfortable being liked by someone who wasn't planning on it. You can tell a draft is this kind because it's short, it doesn't ask about her type, and it doesn't try to win the point. Leave out any attempt to prove you're good enough.

The second kind is a question that moves toward something concrete about her, not about dating preferences. It picks up one specific thing she said earlier and asks what's behind it. Its job is to get her talking about herself, which gives you more to work with and shifts the focus away from the comparison. A draft is this kind when the question could be asked of anyone and the answer tells you something real about her life. Skip any question that starts with what she usually likes or what she's looking for.

Send your reply during the same part of her day she usually messages, not in the middle of the night when you're overthinking it. If she tends to message at lunchtime or after work, that's your window. Replying much faster than she does can look eager, and replying much slower can read as losing interest, so match her rhythm roughly rather than trying to be precise about it.

If she doesn't reply within a day or two, send one short follow-up that adds something new rather than repeating the first message. If that also goes unanswered, let it drop. Her silence after a couple of tries is information, and chasing past that point turns a warm moment into an awkward one. Stop when the conversation has clearly ended, not when you're tempted to send one more.