I definitely understand “Sorry I can’t make it I’m busy” as a placeholder for “No,” and I would understand no further response after something dismissive like that.
I don’t understand not even a dismissive response.
Have you ruled out the possibility that the people who stopped talking to you were trying to feed you different kinds of placeholders? Not everyone resorts to the same clichés, and subtle hints can get too subtle easily.
I definitely understand “Sorry I can’t make it I’m busy” as a placeholder for “No,” and I would understand no further response after something dismissive like that.
I don’t understand not even a dismissive response.
Have you ruled out the possibility that the people who stopped talking to you were trying to feed you different kinds of placeholders? Not everyone resorts to the same clichés, and subtle hints can get too subtle easily.
Unless you think “:) see you tomorrow” is a subtle hint, yes, I have ruled that out in many cases.