Confusion about whether you just had a date or were hanging out isn’t out of the ordinary.

Whether you are attracted to this guy isn’t in question.

And you thought that his attraction for you wasn’t in question either.

He has flirted with you in the past through compliments and teasing.

Furthermore, he has talked about the future and his desire to settle down with a woman and have a family one day.

All of this left you feeling encouraged about meeting with him.

Notwithstanding, the days leading up to the meeting confounded you.

First of all, he barely communicated with you.

When he did, the conversations didn’t last that long.

The buildup to the day of the meeting was so lackluster, you weren’t sure whether it would happen at all.

To such an extent, you were the one who had to confirm whether it was still happening.

The day of the meeting has since happened, and you are just as confused as you were on the days leading up to it.

Was it a date or just hanging out?

When the buildup to the day of the meeting is lackluster, it’s usually a sign that it wasn’t a date.

This means he wasn’t enthusiastic about maintaining the momentum between you on the days leading up to the meeting.

Rather, he set a day for the meeting and seemingly went into a foxhole.

Usually, a man with this lackadaisical an approach to a meeting is prioritizing other women in his dating life.

You aren’t his first choice.

He is talking to other women he has prioritized over you and is using this time to find a date with one or more of them so as not to have to go to the meeting he has planned with you.

This is where the bulk of his enthusiasm and energy was directed during the days leading up to the meeting.

He was unsuccessful in setting up a real date with one or more of these preferred women.

Due to this, he reluctantly showed up to the meeting with you.

What was his motivation for showing up?

To keep you on his radar.

Without better dating options, he doesn’t want to completely kick you to the curb.

By meeting with you, he keeps you interested and wondering about the next date.

The activity itself didn’t take that much out of him.

It wasn’t out of his comfort zone.

All you did was tag along to participate in an activity he does all the time in his leisure time, such as watching a local sports game at the sports bar.

This is just him hanging out with you, keeping you in his orbit, in case he keeps failing to convince a girl he has prioritized over you to go out with him on a real date.

What is a real date?

There is a buildup to the day of the meeting that is filled with consistent communication.

Whenever he communicates, there is palpable excitement in him as he contemplates the impending date.

He continues to ask questions of you, learning more of what makes you who you are.

As the day of the meeting gets closer, he is the one who confirms it with you rather than you having to do it.

The meeting itself is something out of his usual weekend wheelhouse.

He invites you to a café, restaurant, ice cream shop, lounge, bowling alley, museum, farmer’s market, miniature golf venue, petting zoo, etc., that he isn’t all that familiar with.

This way, you both get to have a shared experience in a place you both get to discover.