I feel so stupid for even asking this, but my older brother’s uni roommate was heavily flirting with me in my DMs for three straight weeks and now he just stopped replying entirely. I literally can’t stop checking his active status every four minutes, re-reading our chats to see what I messed up. Did I completely embarrass myself or was I just an idiot for believing him?

Deep breath and put the phone in another room: You didn't ruin a single thing, except maybe your own screen time stats. Here is the unvarnished truth about uni roommates in the DMs of younger siblings: it’s the ultimate zero-effort ego boost. He had a boring Tuesday, you’re cool and gave him great banter, and he soaked up the validation like a dry sponge. When life got busy—or a midterm hit, or another distraction walked into his kitchen—he drifted away because he never invested real stakes in the first place. That’s not a reflection of your worth; it’s a reflection of his emotional laziness. Your immediate mission is cold turkey. Do not send a "hey, everything okay?" text. Instead, hit the mute button on his stories and posts today so his face stops hijacking your dopamine every four minutes. When your brother mentions him, you shrug and move on. Someone who treats your attention like an on-off switch doesn't deserve front-row seats in your head.