Flirting up a storm online is one thing but when you’re on a real-life first date, the stakes are higher. A well-orchestrated text (read: a message that you spent two hours crafting) or a cute emoji won’t save you here—your date is either going spectacularly well or it’s a bonafide disaster zone. So while you might think your little rendezvous going great,  but is it really?

Conversation is really easy

If there’s a genuine connection then the banter will be quite effortless and you won’t have to sit there racking your brain for something – anything! – to chat about. If you’ve managed to go beyond talking about the weather and what you do for a living and have gotten into more interesting non-small talk territory then you’re in with a good chance for a follow-up.

You can have a laugh together

Being able to laugh on a first date shows that you’re both on the same wavelength. Even better if you both ended up with an inside joke by the end of your date.

They ask a lot of questions about you

If the conversation was monologue than dialogue, they’re probably not interested in getting to know you. However, if they kept asking you questions, it’s a sign that they’re definitely keen on you.

They’re paying attention

If you made a passing reference to your mum’s great aunt’s best friend’s dog and they remember it later it shows that your date is engaged and paying attention. These days we all have the attention span of a toddler so remembering the small details means a lot.

You’ve forgotten about your phone

Given we’re all pretty much surgically attached to our phones if hanging out with someone is so awesome that you’ve both forgotten to check what the 546 people you follow on Instagram are up to then it’s a sure sign that you’re onto a good thing.

There’s a reference made to the future

We’re not talking babies and a ring but talk of meeting up again.  If there are signs of an activity post-first date then you can bet they’re definitely keen.

Your date goes into overtime

So you agreed to meet for coffee but then it turned into dinner, which turned into grabbing drinks till the wee hours of the morning at your fave I-only-take-people-I-think-are-cool-here dive bar then you can bet that your date is going really well. People tend to make a quick getaway when they’re not feeling it. The fact that you’re both still there is a massive green light for date two.

You use every opportunity to get tactile

Whether it was playfully swatting their shoulder when they made a joke, sitting as close as possible or straight up having a make-out session of epic proportions if you were both wanting to get up close and personal it shows there’s definite chemistry.

You get a follow-up text

If you received an “I had a great time” text pretty much right after you said goodbye then it’s a good sign that you’ll make it to round two—someone that happy after hanging out with you that they felt the need to tell you right away means you really should look for your next date outfit…

Words by Tania Gomez