I'll make it short as I can., but I need advice.

I've gone out with this lady 3 times.
Half the times she answers text and (to me) she seems interested in me.

However...

In between those 3 dates. This is what happened:

I would text her short things (nothing beta).
She answered half of them and then didn't answer again. I didn't text back.
She would then text me out of nowhere (few days later) "Hey, you wanna have breakfast tomorrow?"
I would keep her hanging purposefully (she would text me "???" "You there?") and answer the next day by agreeing.

So we finished a date a few days ago but this pattern is repeating itself.
I don't want to keep texting her and playing this ritual. I think I'm in the position to ask her out now (since I think she is reasonably interested in me) BUT I don't want to. There's a few of my reasons. She was great though.

Regardless, here is my question to you:

My best guess (based on this pattern) is she'll text me again out of nowhere for another setup/date/hangout/whatever, and I want to decline. What would be an alpha/aloof way of declining? Not answering?

_________________
Lead
Independent
Vigorous
Eccentric

I think one word sums it up.

Why would you decline, shes interested.
If you genuinly got something better to do, do it.
Have you even k-closed her?
Pull the trigger already, thats alpha, you shouldve done it on your first date, thats alpha. you get what you want, you want her, so there is no way of saying you dont want to meet up and be alpha.

You don't punish a girl for showing interest in you, you show interest back.
Edit: If you really don't want to meet her again, just say sorry, there is no chemistry. no reason for you to be alpha when you never see her again.

I wouldn't read too much into it, she could be busy or whatever and not answer the texts or she could just not like texting. If she wants to hang out with you, good sign! Go for it if you're into her.