Let them see you smile
Flirting lives in your face. A smile, a raised eyebrow, the way you laugh at a joke: that's how someone tells teasing from serious. Cover that up and a perfectly nice remark can land flat. The mask post makes the point for masks, and it carries over to sunglasses indoors, a scarf pulled up on a cold night or a phone held in front of your face. Anything that hides your expression makes you harder to read.
The post is fair about the upside: at a first meeting, a mask can draw attention to your eyes. The trouble starts once you're talking, and its fix is easy. Move somewhere you can both be seen, such as a sunny table or a spot outside. In winter, a window seat in a café does the same job.
Text strips out even more. Tone disappears, and a joke can read as a brush-off. When a chat is going well, swap a voice note or have a quick call before you meet, because two minutes of hearing someone laugh tells you more than a week of messages. If a call feels like a big step, ask first; either answer tells you something.
Say what you want, then keep checking in
The clearest hookups start with one plain sentence. Say what you're after before you meet, in a message: a single night, an ongoing arrangement or no fixed plan yet. "I'm looking for something casual" is clear without being cold, and if the answer's different you've saved each other an evening. Your profile can say it for you, and our profile tips show how to word it.
In person, the talking doesn't stop when the clothes come off. A quiet "is this good?" takes two seconds and keeps the night easy. Watch the face as well as listening for the answer: if someone goes still or goes quiet, stop and ask. Listening is the other half of it. Ask, then let the answer finish, because people tell you what they like when you leave them the room. The first hookup guide has more on keeping the conversation alive once things heat up.
Afterwards, send a short, kind message whether you want a repeat or not. Silence is a message too, and rarely the one you meant. For more on talking to people face to face, see hooking up and hooking up outside.