pulse check directive | inner circle no. 3
the pulse check protocol
there’s a moment that confuses people.
you’ve gone quiet.
you’ve detached.
you’ve stopped watching his stories.
you’re finally stable.
and then:
“hey stranger.”
or
“been thinking about you.”
or a like on a photo from six months ago.
it feels random.
it isn’t.
this is not romance.
this is a pulse check.
a pulse check is a low-effort re-entry attempt.
it is not reconciliation.
it is not remorse.
it is not accountability.
it is a temperature read.
he doesn’t want you back.
he wants to know he could get you back.
that’s the difference.
and that difference changes how you respond.
most people mistake this moment for destiny.
“maybe he misses me.”
“maybe he’s changed.”
“maybe he realized.”
no.
if he had realized, he would lead with ownership.
a pulse check avoids ownership.
it is deliberately ambiguous.
never specific.
never accountable.
never vulnerable.
it tests warmth before investing.
if you respond warmly → he escalates.
if you respond cold → he retreats.
if you don’t respond → he feels the loss of leverage.
that’s the entire mechanism.
and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.