I (male, early 20s) work with a woman who is a bit older than me and from a different religion. A while back, there was definitely mutual interest and attraction. The vibe felt strong lots of eye contact, lingering looks, playful teasing, she initiated most of them.

Recently though, her behavior has changed. She still replies to texts, initiates occasionally when she feels im pulling back and keeps conversations going, but there’s no actual initiative to meet or go out. She has flaked multiple times when I tried to plan something casual like coffee( As at first I thought things aren't going anywhere as I was not persuing enough or not being intentional). Sometimes she gives friendly banter, other times she takes hours to reply(8-24hrs), almost like she wants to keep me around but not get closer.

It feels like she’s keeping me at arm’s length. Not fully rejecting, but not moving forward either. I’m wondering if she lost interest, is giving attention elsewhere, or if she’s deliberately creating distance because she thinks something serious isn’t possible between us due to age or religion. I also have a feeling she might have felt that Im serious as I reacted like ignoring her partially in person as she flaked etc. Now even she kind of started ignoring me. To keep the connection alive I texted again casually and just kept it there.

I don’t want to be overly available or come across as needy, but I also don’t want to play games or misread the situation.

Has anyone gone through something similar? Should I back off completely, communicate directly, or just stay casual and let her come to me? Is there hope? Any advice is appreciated