I get in contact with a lot of local women via Instagram. I’m decent looking with a really good physique and my friends are all into photography so I have great photos. I work at a gym and occasionally girls from the gym will follow me out of the blue. I usually just follow them back and don’t really pursue making anything out of it, and just continue to be polite at the gym.

Just recently this gorgeous girl checked in to the gym to work out, and I noticed she hadn’t been in for a while so I asked if she was just taking a little break from the gym or working out at a different time, and we had a good brief interaction. Then on the way out she was friendly with a big smile. I thought it was just regular politeness but a few days later I noticed she followed me on Instagram out of nowhere, without having ever told her my name.

I haven’t followed her back yet, because I’m not sure if I should message her right away or just follow back and wait to talk in person the next time I see her. I want to message her now over Instagram since idk when I’m going to see her again, and she took the move of seeking me out and following me, but the same thing happened before with a different girl and the vibe went sour after we began to dryly chat on ig/ snap. I’ve heard that texting is just for making plans, but that seems silly if a girl goes out of her way to “approach” me online. When something like this happens, is it reasonable to try to chat over dm or is it better to wait for the next chance encounter?