That Special Thumb One

This guy I've gone out with only contacts me late at night via text (just looking to text, not for a booty call). I work early, and I'm always about to go to sleep when he texts, but because he so rarely contacts me, I always respond (and usually fall asleep while texting). I've told him repeatedly I'd like to talk during daylight hours and given him my work number. How do I get him to call during the day instead of playing Textmaster Flash until midnight?

--Eye Bags

There's a reason he won't contact you during daylight hours, and it isn't because he's a vampire and that's when he lies in his coffin watching Judge Judy on his iPad. You've actually been setting the time for your texting sessions. Nothing says "How dare you text me at 11 p.m.?!" like spending 20 minutes texting with a guy who just has. Think about what you're telling him: All he has to do is make a bell ring, and you'll roll over and start texting. (Are you looking to be somebody's girlfriend or Pavlov's dog?) The fact that a guy "rarely" contacts you is all the more reason to avoid texting him back pronto. It's absence, not unlimited text messaging, that makes the heart grow fonder. If you want a guy to respect your boundaries, show him that you have them. When he texts you too late, wait till the next morning and send him a single text telling him you go to bed early and asking him to call you during the day. If he can't swing that, let him call the sort of woman who'll pick up the phone for a man at any hour -- whispering sweet nothings like "Thank you for choosing 24-hour roadside assistance. This is Erica. Do you need a jump or a tow?"