How do you avoid being “just friends” and turn it into something more?

Continuing my previous story (you can read this link for more context), here’s the short version:

He cancelled our second date and clearly said that we should just be friends. At that point, I assumed things were completely over and that he didn’t want to stay in touch anymore.

But today, he suddenly texted me: “What are you eating today, bro?”

It feels like he’s trying to reopen the connection, maybe even lightly flirting. Still, I didn’t want to come on too strong, so I just replied casually and kept things polite with a few back-and-forth messages.

Now I’m honestly confused:

• How do I avoid falling back into the “just friends” zone?
• What’s the right way to text or respond to lead to meeting again?
• And ideally, how could this turn into something more serious, like what he initially hinted at?

Would really appreciate any advice or similar experiences 🙏