There is a difference between a late reply and a message sent because sleep has not won yet. It usually carries something slightly unnecessary: a photo of the cocktail napkin with no explanation, a correction to his story, a “you were wrong about that song” sent at 12:43.

Friends notice the tone before either dater does. At brunch, somebody will glance over when she says, “It was nothing,” then tuck the screen away too quickly. The message has no grand declaration inside it; that is why it feels believable. Nobody sends a pointless correction after midnight when the evening has truly left her head.

His best move is to answer the specific thing she sent, then leave enough space for tomorrow. Turning a midnight nudge into a five-paragraph confession is how a good late-date rhythm gets flattened.