10 Unmistakable Signs Your Ex Wants You Back

If your ex does these things, they want you back.

A woman with curly hair wearing a tan hat and beige cardigan stands in the foreground, facing away. In the blurred background, a man holding a bouquet of flowers waves at her. They appear to be outside, with buildings and sunlight visible in the distance.

You think your ex might want you back.

But you can’t be sure.

Exes are tricky territory when it comes to your thoughts and feelings.

If you’ve noticed them displaying quite a few of the following signs, and something in your gut tells you that it’s true, then that’s a good indication that they are interested in rekindling things.

1. They’re in contact.

Whilst some people seem to manage to split up and immediately become the best of friends, that’s the exception and not the rule.

It’s normal for two people that have broken up to have no contact with each other for quite a significant period, even if they do then manage to strike up a friendship later on.

In fact, if you’re trying to get over each other, it’s normally the healthiest thing.

So, if you never stopped having contact with one another, it might be a sign that they’ve never gotten over your relationship.

After all, if you’ve still been seeing each other in person or messaging, you simply haven’t had a chance to forget one another.

On the other hand, it could be that you did cut contact, but now they’ve got back in touch.

Something’s telling you that they haven’t reached out just because they’ve decided that the time is right for the two of you to be friends.

Beware of interpreting all kinds of contact the wrong way, though.

Not all texting is made equal. If they’re texting you late at night or keeping things banal, it might be that they’re feeling lonely or killing time until someone else comes along.

If they’re asking how your grandfather is or whether you got that promotion and sharing updates about their life, that’s a better sign that they’re trying to genuinely reconnect.

2. They find random excuses to contact you.

A man with dreadlocks and glasses, dressed in a blue blazer, sits outdoors against a wall with a coffee cup in one hand, while looking intently at his phone in the other hand.

They want to talk to you. But they’re struggling to find excuses to make contact.

So, you’re getting weird text messages asking what that place you went to that one time was called or for tips on the best pizza places.

Your reaction to these messages can tell you a lot about how you feel about your ex. Try to put your finger on whether your overwhelming feeling is one of happiness or annoyance or something in between.

3. They’ve been asking about you.

Four men are standing together outdoors by a fence, near a basketball court. One man is holding a basketball, and they appear to be engaged in friendly conversation. The weather is sunny with a clear blue sky. They are all dressed in casual athletic wear.

If you have mutual friends, they might have been asking them about how you are, what you’re up to, and if you’re seeing anyone.

They’re curious about what’s going on in your life, but their pride won’t allow them to ask you.

4. They show a little too much interest in your love life.

A woman with red hair wearing a red polka dot dress rests her head on her hand, looking tired or stressed, while sitting on a beige couch in front of an open laptop on a wooden table. A coral-colored pillow is in the background.

In my experience, when I’ve met up with exes for a catch-up, we haven’t spent much time discussing new love interests.

We’ve spent the time reminiscing about the old days and catching up on big life events, and whilst we’ve always been honest about our new relationships, we haven’t felt the need to find out details about them. Because it just gets a bit weird.

But if they’re asking you lots of questions about the new man or woman in your life and probing for details, it might be that they want to figure out how you feel about your love interest so that they can establish whether or not they have a chance with you.

5. They make it clear that they’re single, or not.

A woman with long brown hair wearing a wide-brimmed hat, white sunglasses, and a light denim jacket blows a kiss towards the camera. She holds several shopping bags and stands in front of a mustard yellow textured wall.

They tell you, sometimes without being asked, that they’re single, to avoid upsetting you and let you know that they’re still available.

On the other hand, they might do the exact opposite, especially if they’re in denial about their feelings.

They might try to make you jealous by telling you that they’ve moved on to see if you react.

6. They seem jealous.

A young woman with long dark hair stands outdoors with her arms crossed, looking to the side. She is wearing a white top with lace sleeves. A man, slightly out of focus, stands in the background wearing a light-colored shirt, smiling gently. Greenery surrounds them.

Even whilst they’re trying to casually probe about your dating life, you can’t help noticing the telltale signs of jealousy.

You can tell that they’re not genuinely happy that you’re moving on and are trying to suppress pangs of jealousy.

If they see you talking to another guy or girl, they seem to get a bit angry or annoyed.

7. They acknowledge their role in what went wrong.

A man and woman sit at a table in a brightly lit cafe, engaged in conversation. The man, wearing a brown coat and scarf, holds a coffee cup. The woman, with a long braid and in a white jacket, listens attentively. Yellow chairs are visible in the foreground.

If they admit to you that they can recognize the things they did wrong that led to the relationship ending, that might be because they don’t want things to be acrimonious between you.

It could be because they don’t want any hard feelings between you, but it could also mean that they’ve got one eye on a future where the two of you get back together.

They know that for that to happen, the two of you need to have made peace.

8. They still have things at yours.

A woman stands in front of a window, holding a plaid shirt and a pile of clothes. She wears a beige cardigan, gray shirt, and red pants. She appears to be looking out the window thoughtfully. The room behind her is minimally furnished with a bed, lamp, and shelves.

If they’ve never quite gotten around to coming over and picking up that jumper and book, it might be that they want an excuse to keep a thread of contact between you.

They want an excuse to be able to contact you, and they don’t want to draw a solid line under the relationship.

9. They’re touchy-feely.

A young woman with long brown hair hugs a man with short brown hair in an outdoor setting. She is smiling broadly and wearing a brown jacket, while the man is dressed in a dark-colored jacket. The background is blurred, suggesting a busy street scene.

When you see them, they’re not trying to be all over you, but they’re still finding subtle ways to make physical contact, like brushing their hand against yours.

If they weren’t interested, they’d be making sure to make that clear by ensuring there was no physical contact between you at all.

10. They drunk call.

A man sitting at a wooden table, wearing a light blue shirt and a loosened dark blue tie, holds a smartphone to his ear with a serious expression. His other hand is resting on the table, holding a glass of brown liquid, possibly whiskey. The background is dimly lit.

Whilst they might be able to control their impulse to contact you when they’re sober, they tend to get in touch when they’ve had a few drinks and are feeling a little bit braver.