She lets him catch her looking, then acts like he is the bold one
The bold part is not always the look. Sometimes it is letting him catch it.
She glances away slowly, not fast enough to erase what happened. Then she makes him carry the awkward part. If he walks over, she may lift an eyebrow like he started the whole thing. She may smile at her friend, as if this sudden approach was his idea from the beginning.
That little reversal protects her. He has proof, but not quite enough proof to feel lazy about it. He still has to decide.
The strongest signal still makes him do some work
The clearest signals usually leave one thing unfinished. She repeats the pass, holds the look, moves closer, delays goodbye. But she does not spell out the whole route.
That is where a lot of men freeze. They want the sign to arrive like a notification, clean and impossible to misread. In real rooms, it is messier. A friend interrupts. A drink arrives. Someone checks the group chat. The opening is there, then it starts shrinking.
She is giving him enough to notice. After that, he has to read the room, take the risk, and cross the distance before the night moves on.
