He is keeping tabs on you.
Although you never heard from him after the date you had with him, he hasn’t completely written you off.
In other words, he has you in his back burner, in case he doesn’t find what he is looking for on the dating app.
In watching your Instagram stories, he monitors what you are doing in your life.
This is his way of keeping himself in the loop, tracking your life.
No doubt, in your mind, it feels weird that he is watching your Instagram stories when he is the one who chose to ghost you after the date you had with him.
This is how he keeps track of your life without having to call, text or take you out on dates.
It is a time and cost effective route to keep a girl on the back burner.
Should he ever feel the need to come back into your life, he knows exactly where you are at in life.
He knows whether you have met a new guy, gotten married, had a nervous breakdown, etc.
Guys are always thinking about their dating options.
They want to know that there is an avenue for them with a woman they have been out with in the past, in the event they are unable to find their ideal woman.
As long as he is watching your Instagram stories, he could easily pop back into your life during a dry dating spell where he is having a hard time landing a date with a more desirable woman on the dating app.
In addition to this, he watches your Instagram stories to keep himself inside your mind.
He knows that you see him watching your Instagram stories.
As long as he is watching your Instagram stories, you are at the other end, questioning why he is.
He ghosted you after the date.
He never called or texted you again, nor asked you out on another date.
Why on earth is he now watching your Instagram stories?
As long as you persist in wondering why he is doing this, he remains in your mind.
This is how he keeps himself in your thoughts.
When a guy is constantly in your thoughts, you are less likely to move on from him that quickly.
Unfortunately, in this scenario, he is eating his cake and having it too.
He ghosted you because of lukewarm romantic interest in you, but he doesn’t want you to forget about him.
In watching your Instagram stories, he gets to rent an imaginary plot of land in your mind for the foreseeable future.
Should he feel the need to come back to you during a dry spell in his dating life, he believes that you would entertain it, as long as he stays in your thoughts.
It is not an accident that the guy that ghosted you is watching your Instagram stories.
Many women read this as a sign of interest, but it is just his way of keeping you on his back burner in case he is forced to come back.
Even if he were to come back, you would remain a lesser choice.
As soon as a woman of superior desirability comes along on the dating app, he will ditch you.
Not good.
Best not to let this guy rent space in your mind.