What does it mean when he says he sees a future with me?

A man saying he sees a future with you is almost always describing how he feels right now, and how he feels is shaped by the last few dates, what he has been through before you, and how safe he feels with you. The word future is doing a lot of work. It usually means he enjoys your company and imagines more of it, not that he has a plan. Pay attention to the rest of the message. If he also mentions a specific next date, asks about your week, or talks about you in concrete terms, he is leaning in with real interest. If the future line stands alone and his other messages are thin, the feeling may be running ahead of his actual investment. Neither reading is a verdict on you. Both tell you what he is offering right now, which is the thing you need to respond to.

A reply that receives it warmly says you feel something similar in plain words, without raising the stakes. Its job is to show he was heard and that the feeling is mutual, and you can tell the draft is this kind because it stays in the present tense and mentions how you feel about him, not where you will be. A reply that asks what he meant gives him room to say more and lets you learn whether he means a relationship or a feeling. Its job is curiosity, and it should leave out any assumption about what the answer is. A reply that gently keeps the pace puts a little air into the moment by saying you are enjoying getting to know him and want to see where things go. Its job is to keep the door open without closing it, and it should leave out any reference to the future itself. Each of these fits a different read of him, and you should choose by what his other messages suggest rather than by what you hope he meant.

After a message like this, the next few days tell you more than the message did. Answer the same day if you can, because a delayed reply to a warm line reads as hesitation even when you were only busy. If he replies with more warmth, you can let the conversation drift toward planning the next date, which is a concrete way of matching his feeling without making promises. If he goes quiet for a couple of days after you respond, do not chase with a second message about the future. One unanswered follow up is fine, and a short check in about plans is enough. If he stays silent beyond that, or only responds to logistics with no warmth, it is reasonable to stop investing emotionally and let the thread fade. Two weeks of cooling interest after a big statement is information you can act on.