He likes you. He likes you enough to double tap on his phone whenever he sees a pretty picture of you. He likes you enough to leave a flirty comment about how good you look, so that you remember that he’s attracted to you. He likes you enough to boost your confidence over an app.

But he clearly doesn’t like you enough, because he keeps sending the same mixed signals. He constantly makes you question what the hell he’s doing. He’s never straightforward enough for you to figure out what he’s thinking. You always have to guess. To play games.

But, really, the answer you’ve been looking for is simple.

He ignores your texts, but will pay close attention to any photo you post, because he cares about your body more than your personality.

He leaves your messages unanswered, but leaves comments all over your Instagram feed, because he wants you to remember that he exists. He wants to stay on your mind without staying in your life.

He keeps liking your pictures, because it’s a low-key way to bring attention to himself. Because it doesn’t take any actual effort on his part. Because he knows that it’ll have you thinking about him all day long, even though he only thought about you for the two seconds it took to click the heart button.

He doesn’t care about you enough to send a text and see how you’re doing, to ask if you’re free later that day, because he doesn’t want to be your boyfriend. He just wants to be your ego boost, so that you’ll be his. He wants to know that you’re there, that you’re interested, that you would date him if he ever asked.

But he isn’t going to ask. He’s going to keep ‘interacting’ with you over the internet without ever facing you in reality.

And that shouldn’t be okay with you.

You shouldn’t chase after someone that only likes you online. Someone that is comfortable going weeks without texting you — but will jump at the chance to compliment you when he sees a pretty picture and is reminded of your beauty.

You deserve more than that. More than a guy that’s so shallow. More than a guy that expects you to be flattered by a like, but thinks you’re overreacting when you get mad about all of his unanswered texts.

If he keeps liking your pictures, even though he still hasn’t responded to the ten messages you sent him, unfollow him. Block him. Delete him.

Or just enjoy the extra like and stop trying to decipher his actions, to analyze his extremely mixed signals, because now you know why he’s doing what he does.

Now you know that you deserve better than him.