Hi,

pretty straightforward situation i am in, hope people with some experience can help.

I met a girl in Germany (we'll call her Lori) very briefly (MAX 10 mins talking) we exchanged details and when i got back to my country we started texting a lot, its been about 5 months now and we talk almost every day. She compliments me (e.g "your hair is so nice") sends hearts and kisses whenever we say goodnight through text which is awesome but heres the big enchilada... she sent me a birthday message which i will recreate EXACTLY

"haaaapppppppppyyyyy birthday ____! hope you have a greaaaaat day today <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 love you. I would give you a really cute hug right now but i cant :("

Ok so she said she loves me, great however this is where my confusion comes in. I also speak to her friend, they arent super close but still good friends. She said my name came up one day and one of the other people in the room said "who's that? sound's like boy trouble" cause i texted her but Lori replied "no no, we're just good friends" so a little confusing. On top of that, she's quite friendly with everyone, she send's hearts through text frequently and im wondering if theres also a culture difference on top of that.

Ive also joked with her sexually, but she responds either laughing or appalled e.g I joked with her about her masturbating and that she had a big dildo hidden under her bed she responded "OMG NO NO" "hahaha"

LASTLY, i disappeared from social media and didnt text her for a month, it was pretty mutual but then her friend told me after she was searching me online to try and find me so she could contact me, just thought that might add an extra layer to the situation.

Q: How can i indirectly find out if she likes me as more than a friend through text?

Anyway, sounds like high school dummy stuff to be thinking about but i appreciate any insight.