Mixed signals are a signal. Usually the answer is “not enough.”

Ambiguity is information rather than an absence of it. When somebody is sure, their behavior turns boring and consistent, and you are not sitting up at midnight analyzing a two word reply. All that decoding is work you are doing in place of them, and the effort feels like closeness while being the opposite. It does not make them a villain, it usually just means they are somewhere else.

Ask once, in plain language, then take the answer at face value. If it comes back vague, treat the vagueness as the reply, and put your attention on people whose interest needs no interpretation.