I feel like I'm at a fork in the road with a girl who I've become quite close with over the past 3-4 years and some advice would go a long way into helping me choose a path.

Some background - I've known this girl since I was very young (10y/o?) but we were never really close or friendly. We coincidentally ended up in the same class at university about 4 years ago and our friendship has grown ever since. Unfortunately I was a very different person when it came to women 4 years ago and I took every possible opportunity to land myself in a pretty solid friend zone.

This is where things get a bit tricky; this girl is 22 and never been in a relationship or even kissed before. She seems to have a very conservative view on sexuality and while she talks the talk (for example she has no problem telling me how horny she is etc) she is very withdrawn when it comes to walking the walk. For example last weekend I attended a music festival with her and while I have no problems dancing closely with her friends etc, she seems to distance herself every time I tried to get closer. I don't think she does it intentionally but she seems to have a natural defense against escalating in any regard. Any tips on how to crack this safe?

Further info: We text eachother very, very often. I'd even say there's hardly a day where we don't text eachother for whatever reason. I've considered giving her a bit of a cold shoulder in order for her to realise how much she depends on our relationship but she is currently going through a tough time with her mother being unwell so not sure if that's the right thing to do.

Have any of you been in a similar situation that can help guide me?

Many thanks for your help in advance and apologies for the long read!