Needing some perspective here.
I (f25) haven’t talked to my ex (m25) in two years — we agreed to take space at the time. We both really struggled to get over the relationship and when I moved back to the town he lived in, it was way too much for us, plus he works in a very customer-facing popular place. I’ve gone there occasionally in the two years and we have very clearly been ignoring each other. About three weeks ago, suddenly/randomly, we started interacting very minimally (but a lot more than we had been) with eye contact, a smile, wave, greeting, him taking my order.
About a week after that started, I lost my keys, and as fate would have it, he was sitting nearby, watching me search. Eventually (and desperately), I approached him to ask if he’d seen them, making that the first time we’ve really talked after a very cold two years. He said he had noticed I had lost them and had been looking near him. He walked with me over to my car and started looking for them there, saying how shitty it was that I lost them, just being very warm and helpful. He said he’d keep an eye out and let me know if he found them.
About a week after that, I was at the place he works at. I placed my order and sat down. He called me up shortly after to ask if I wanted X kind of milk in my drink (this is my usual preference.) I was confused because that’s usually written on the cup. After he finished, he explained that the milk preference wasn’t on the cup and he “figured I didn’t want whole milk,” which is true.
I know these are both small gestures, but after two years of total silence, they feel maybe a bit more loaded? I haven’t reciprocated in any way other than being polite during the interactions. I don’t know if I should or how.
And now I’m wondering: is he trying to see if I’ll reciprocate? Or is he just being nice?
I’m nervous about overstepping boundaries, but I also feel like maybe I should acknowledge him in some way — maybe a short, appreciative text. Im moving soon, so I’m thinking about whether to finally break the silence before then.
Would you break no contact in a situation like this, or wait for him to make a more obvious move?
TL;DR: Ex and I haven’t talked in 2 years. Lately, he’s been friendlier (helped me look for lost keys, remembered my milk preference). I haven’t reciprocated much. Moving soon — should I text him to acknowledge it, or wait to see if he does more?