Girl at Work

Maybe she really has an appointment ...

Hi all,
So theres this girl at work who i fancy a lot, she seems lovely & is 100% my type. We work in different departments so we very rarely see each other but we do follow each other on insta. With most things i back myself but with her I just don’t and i’m very cautious of making an awkward situation for when we do see her.
I replied to one of her stories and we got talking normally for a bit before it naturally stopped. Last night i asked if she wanted to come to this hospitality event with me this week which we got through work so made sense and was easy to ask without being awkward and was asking for a date without sounding datey as such. She replied fairly late saying ‘heyy sorry just seen this, what time does it start?’ - i told her the details etc and woke up to a message saying ‘ahh gutted, i have an appointment at this time so can’t go but thank you for thinking of me’. Is this a polite rejection and a hint to stop trying or do you think i could have a shot & maybe worth replying to that with a suggestion of doing something another time?

Not doubting that but could also be a polite way to reject me which is why I’m reluctant to reply again

I'm leaning towards a polite rejection on this one... I'll explain:-.

Normally, when they can't make an appointment because they're "busy", then I'd say that's a polite rejection. However, they normally don't go into much detail with what they're busy with. The exception to this is if they tell you what they're busy with AND when they expect to be free. For example, "I've got a major project deadline at the end of this week, but I should be free over the weekend, or sometime next week".

The fact that she's told you she's got an appointment, is somewhat positive... but did she tell you what the appointment was about, and who with? Did she suggest an alternative time when you could meet? If the answers to the two questions are "No", then I would take it as red it was a polite rejection, as you said. Assume that until she perhaps shows real signs of interest in the future.

I'm leaning towards a polite rejection on this one... I'll explain:-.
Normally, when they can't make an appointment because they're "busy", then I'd say that's a polite rejection. However, they normally don't go into much detail with what they're busy with. The exception to this is if they tell you what they're busy with AND when they expect to be free. For example, "I've got a major project deadline at the end of this week, but I should be free over the weekend, or sometime next week".
The fact that she's told you she's got an appointment, is somewhat positive... but did she tell you what the appointment was about, and who with? Did she suggest an alternative time when you could meet? If the answers to the two questions are "No", then I would take it as red it was a polite rejection, as you said. Assume that until she perhaps shows real signs of interest in the future.

Agree with all of this. "I'm busy on that particular day" with no suggestion of a reschedule is generally not a good sign.

her reply did say what she was doing tbf but just didn’t mention above. she didn’t suggest when she was free which is what worries but at the same time i was asking her to go to a specific event so not sure if she would say anything like that.
I’ve messaged her anyway to see if she wants to do something another time. I think i know the answer (if i get a reply) but would rather know for sure than what if

Not doubting that but could also be a polite way to reject me which is why I’m reluctant to reply again

Fair play.
Just leave it at that, so the ball is in her court. If she doesn't suggest anything, then you know your answer.