I saw my ex at McDonald's and we talked, but he said we can only be friends, then kissed me and held me, and now I'm confused about his mixed signals.

If a guy who has your number isn't calling you, the answer is usually simple: he doesn't want to. Not that he can't, not that he's scared, not that he lost his phone. He's choosing not to. You're asking for a yes or no. Here it is: yes, it's probably over. Here's the thing most women don't want to hear: men know exactly what they want. When a man is interested, you don't have to wonder. He makes it clear. He calls, he texts, he shows up. Silence is an answer. The strongest one there is. Neal knows your number exists. He knows he could call. He isn't. That's not confusion on his part. That's information. Could there be some rare exception? Maybe he's in a coma or on a classified mission. Statistically unlikely. The most straightforward explanation is that he's moved on and hasn't had the spine to say it directly. Stop waiting for a call that isn't coming. Stop looking for meaning in his silence. There is none. He just doesn't want to talk to you. Let yourself be angry about it for a day, then close that chapter. Your time is worth more than waiting for a man who already checked out.

If a guy who has your number isn't calling you, the answer is usually simple: he doesn't want to. Not that he can't, not that he's scared, not that he lost his phone. He's choosing not to. You're asking for a yes or no. Here it is: yes, it's probably over. Here's the thing most women don't want to hear: men know exactly what they want. When a man is interested, you don't have to wonder. He makes it clear. He calls, he texts, he shows up. Silence is an answer. The strongest one there is. Neal knows your number exists. He knows he could call. He isn't. That's not confusion on his part. That's information. Could there be some rare exception? Maybe he's in a coma or on a classified mission. Statistically unlikely. The most straightforward explanation is that he's moved on and hasn't had the spine to say it directly. Stop waiting for a call that isn't coming. Stop looking for meaning in his silence. There is none. He just doesn't want to talk to you. Let yourself be angry about it for a day, then close that chapter. Your time is worth more than waiting for a man who already checked out.

You're standing at the edge of something vulnerable, asking the question that scares you most. That takes real courage. Here's what I want you to hold onto: you've already built something with this person that mattered enough to bring you both to the idea of doing it again. That's not nothing. That's everything, actually. The fear isn't that he doesn't want the wedding. The fear is that you're more invested in this chapter than he is. And that's a conversation worth having — not from a place of accusation, but from one of genuine curiosity. "What would this ceremony mean to you?" Because here's the thing: people show up differently for different things. Some of us freeze around the symbol but are all in on the substance. The only way to know which camp he's in is to ask, and to trust his answer enough to have the real conversation underneath it. You're not asking for a party. You're asking if he cherishes what you've rebuilt. That's a fair question. Give yourself — and him — the grace to answer it honestly.

You're standing at the edge of something vulnerable, asking the question that scares you most. That takes real courage. Here's what I want you to hold onto: you've already built something with this person that mattered enough to bring you both to the idea of doing it again. That's not nothing. That's everything, actually. The fear isn't that he doesn't want the wedding. The fear is that you're more invested in this chapter than he is. And that's a conversation worth having — not from a place of accusation, but from one of genuine curiosity. "What would this ceremony mean to you?" Because here's the thing: people show up differently for different things. Some of us freeze around the symbol but are all in on the substance. The only way to know which camp he's in is to ask, and to trust his answer enough to have the real conversation underneath it. You're not asking for a party. You're asking if he cherishes what you've rebuilt. That's a fair question. Give yourself — and him — the grace to answer it honestly.

I hear how much this waiting is eating at you. That ache of not knowing, checking your phone, wondering if he's looking at your pictures the way you're looking at his — it's exhausting and it hurts. I'm not going to pretend I know what he's thinking or when he'll reach out, because the truth is, I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that you're spending your precious energy on someone who isn't spending theirs on you right now. And that matters. You matter. The real question isn't when he'll come back — it's how long you're willing to keep living in this waiting room of your own life. Look at your pictures. Look at yourself in those photos. That person deserves someone who shows up, not someone you have to wonder about. I'm not saying it's easy, but honey, don't shrink your world down to waiting for him. Expand it. Fill it with things that don't leave you guessing.

I hear how much this waiting is eating at you. That ache of not knowing, checking your phone, wondering if he's looking at your pictures the way you're looking at his — it's exhausting and it hurts. I'm not going to pretend I know what he's thinking or when he'll reach out, because the truth is, I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that you're spending your precious energy on someone who isn't spending theirs on you right now. And that matters. You matter. The real question isn't when he'll come back — it's how long you're willing to keep living in this waiting room of your own life. Look at your pictures. Look at yourself in those photos. That person deserves someone who shows up, not someone you have to wonder about. I'm not saying it's easy, but honey, don't shrink your world down to waiting for him. Expand it. Fill it with things that don't leave you guessing.