7 Texting Narcissists Red Flags

Sign 6: They Only Text When They Want Something.

Maybe it’s a ride home from the bar. Or a ride from the bus station. Or maybe it’s the good old-fashioned booty call. It’s always when they need something. You become their Uber driver, their babysitter, their therapist. And you run to help them, thinking it means something. But the truth is: it’s transactional.

You don’t hear from them for days—and then suddenly, when they want something, the texts come flying in. And they’re sweet, flirty, and complimentary. That’s love bombing. It’s manipulation. And once you engage, here comes the request:

“Can you come pick me up?”
“Can you do this for me?”
“Can you send me something?”

This is a pattern. It’s not random. And it’s not love. If someone routinely ignores you, doesn’t ask about you, doesn’t reply to your messages, and then suddenly becomes charming when they want something—that’s a red flag.

And if you’ve been abandoned or mistreated before—especially by narcissistic people—you might doubt yourself when you see these patterns. But you must trust what you see.

Sign 7: They Only Send One-Word Responses.

You’re trying to engage in conversation. You ask a question: “Hey! Do you have plans this weekend?” And they reply: “Yes.” What does that even mean?

You’re dating. You’re trying to build a connection. And their entire response is just “Yes”? This is confusing. It’s emotionally stingy. And yes—it can be passive-aggressive. Even basic kindness would sound like: “Yeah, I do! My friends and I are going hiking. How about you?”

But when they give you nothing—just “yes” or “no”—and they don’t ask anything in return? That tells you everything you need to know. They’re not interested. Or they don’t know how to communicate. Either way, it’s not your job to fix them. You deserve more than one-word replies.

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