What does it mean when a guy asks for your number but never texts you?

A single unanswered gap after a number request is ambiguous. What matters is the shape of the silence. If he has not texted within a day or two, the most likely reading is that he is busy, unsure how to start, or has lost interest in the flow of the moment. If it has been a week or more and he has not reached out, he has probably moved on, even if he still thinks you seemed nice. Look at what he said when you parted. Did he name a specific plan, a day, or a thing you were going to do? A guy who said he would text about a particular event and then vanished is different from one who said generally that he would be in touch. Vague promises tend to evaporate. Concrete ones usually show up, even late.

Also look at how he talked to you in the conversation itself. Did he ask follow-up questions, remember small details, and make you laugh? A guy who was engaged in person but went quiet afterward is often just bad at starting conversations over text. A guy who was flat or distracted in person and then went quiet is telling you something more direct.

Once you decide to reach out, the goal is to give him something light and specific that refers to the actual conversation. Good messages in this situation tend to share one of three shapes. One is a callback: a short reference to a real detail he mentioned, followed by a simple question about it. The second is a concrete, low-stakes plan that uses the thing you both already know about, so he only has to say yes or pick a time. The third is a playful note that makes him feel the earlier chat was fun without asking him to justify anything. In each case, your draft is working when it is short, leaves him room to answer, and does not reveal that you have been checking your phone. Leave out apologies for texting, explanations of why you are reaching out, and anything that asks him to account for the gap. If your message could be sent to any guy you met, it is too generic. If it needs an explanation of what happened, it is too heavy.

Timing affects how your message reads. A casual text sent in the early afternoon or early evening looks like someone going about their day. A message sent late at night, or a string of messages landing in the same hour, makes it look like you were waiting by the phone, which tends to make him pull back. Send one message, then leave it. If he answers within a reasonable window, match his pace and keep the conversation moving toward the plan you proposed. If he does not answer, wait a few days before anything else, and let that gap do its work. A second message after a long silence works only if it is noticeably different from the first, such as a new detail or a real plan with a date. Repeating the same type of text tells him nothing new. If you have sent one thoughtful message and waited a week with no reply, stop. He has answered your question. Put the energy into people who are answering you.