What to do if he gets distant after you mentioned exclusivity

Look at what changed. If he was warm and quick before you asked, and now his replies are short, late, or skip the questions you asked, the exclusivity question landed as a decision he hasn't made yet. Sometimes that means he isn't interested in a label. Sometimes he's seeing other people and doesn't want to say so. Sometimes he just needs a few days, and he hopes the topic fades on its own.

You can't tell which from the silence alone, and guessing is how people end up writing paragraphs. Notice whether he still asks you things, suggests plans, and seems more like himself when the topic is off the table. Those details tell you more than how many hours he waited.

Your job is to make the answer cheap to give. Name what you noticed in one short sentence, stated as a fact and not a complaint. Then restate what you want in plain terms so he isn't guessing. Finish with a single question he can answer in a word or two.

Don't ask for a reason behind the silence, and don't ask him to prove he's still interested. Skip the hypotheticals about what happens if he says no, because that turns a simple answer into a negotiation. You already said you want exclusivity. You don't need to say it again with more force. You need him to tell you where he is.

Wait about two to three days before sending anything, unless the chat was mid-conversation and he simply dropped it. That gap is long enough that your message doesn't read as a reaction to his silence, and short enough that you aren't three weeks into guessing. Send one follow-up, lighter in tone than the first message, with a question he can answer without thinking.

If that also gets nothing, or he sends something vague like 'we'll see', stop raising it. Hold off on texting for the rest of the week and let him come back to you, or not. If he replies warmly after a gap, don't reopen the exclusivity question right away. Pick one clear next step and see whether he takes it.