Talking stage not progressing

Look at what she is actually doing. If her replies are getting shorter and she has stopped asking you anything back, that is a signal, even if she still seems friendly. A person who is interested tends to ask a question at least some of the time, or add a detail you can pick up. A person who is polite but cooling tends to answer exactly what you asked and nothing more.

Also check who is carrying the thread. If you are always the one starting conversations, asking the questions, and keeping things going, the talking stage has become one-sided even if the messages look fine on screen. That imbalance is information. It does not mean she is uninterested, but it does mean the current pace is not enough to build anything on, and waiting longer will not change it.

When a conversation stalls, the next message should do one of two jobs. Either it makes a specific, small offer that is easy to say yes or no to, or it brings up something real about her that you actually remember and want to know more about. Both give her something to respond to beyond a generic pleasantry.

The first kind is a concrete proposal with a time or place attached, kept light enough that declining is easy. It should be short and not oversold. The second kind is a callback to something she said earlier, followed by a single question that asks for a detail rather than a summary. A draft is working when she would have to pick something, not just agree with a general mood. A draft is failing when she could reply with one word and nothing would change. Leave out apologies for being slow, long justifications, and any message that is really asking whether she still likes you.

Timing matters more than most people think. Messages sent late at night read as either lonely or as a request for something, and they often get a lukewarm reply in the morning. Sending in the early afternoon or early evening, when you would plausibly be texting anyone, keeps the tone neutral.

Give a real gap before you follow up, usually a day or two if the last exchange ended naturally, longer if it ended on a question she did not answer. One follow-up is reasonable. If that gets nothing, let it sit. Two unanswered follow-ups is an answer. If she does reply after a gap, match her pace rather than rushing to make up the lost time. Stop when the conversation has gone quiet on both sides for more than a couple of weeks, or when the only messages are coming from you. At that point the talking stage has ended, even if neither of you said so.