Before texting was a possibility, a woman’s only way to make sure she received a man’s call was very simple: wait by the phone. Then the answering machine hit the market, and women could pick up messages later, or even remotely—no more being tied to the phone, painfully awaiting its ring. Now, mobile networks have made us all alarmingly accessible.
Generally speaking, Rules Girls never call men. If she misses his call, she will only return it if he leaves a message and asks for plans. She makes no excuses, trying to convince herself that it’s okay to call even if she is lost and knows that he’s familiar with the area. Better to drive around lost than call him when he is busy or doesn’t want to talk. The Rules taught us that not calling makes him want you more, not less; any interaction flows better when he initiates contact.
Aside from making him want you more, the most important reason not to call him is that he will know that you like him. Never let on that you like a man—especially in the beginning. He will lose interest and begin to take you for granted.
But how do you act when he contacts you? Do you give a different response when he calls than when he texts? If so, how can you text and still play hard-to-get? It can be hard to maintain the proper balance between being elusive and being accessible. Is it even possible to text and still be the woman of mystery and intrigue? Does it really matter how you communicate with Mr. Handsome, so long as he asks you out?
There are a lot of different theories. Married women assure their single girlfriends that their husbands texted them while they dated and there’s no need to listen to that game-playing, old-fashioned advice. Then again, your grandmother might say that texting is a lazy way for a man to communicate with you and it will kill any relationship before it has a chance to get off the ground. Many people believe texting is fine, because men hate to talk on the phone.
Ultimately, it comes down to one question: will texting with Mr. Handsome lead to a long-lasting relationship and marriage? Or is it the kiss of death?