i take my loyalties very seriously, that's not to say it's the easiest thing to earn.
my appreciation is generally guileless, so i can seem capricious considering my mood may change from day to day, but that doesnt mean i dont operate on the basis of deeper feelings. it's just that very few, if any, people are given access to those and they are very slow to change. once i am loyal to someone, that wouldnt change unless they betrayed me so badly it undid every reason i had to be loyal to them in the first place... not likely. even if they did, i doubt i would retaliate, because even the reasons i was once loyal to them for cant be forgotten, at the very least they deserve to be left alone if we are to no longer know each other.
for example... i might meet someone new that i find likable and respond to them positively, while at the same time i might be grumpy with a close friend or family member because they have irritated me for some reason. that doesnt mean that they would get much more out of me than a bit of conversation, or that im not deeply concerned with the well-being of people i care about. my true feelings will be reflected in my consistent actions. they can be described (with difficulty) but most of the day my words and my behavior is a reflection of the present environment and circumstances, not a representation of what is valuable to me were my boundaries in that matter tested.
it's confusing because, like yourself, people are inclined to question where our [seemingly enigmatic] feelings lie, but the real question is whether you have the clemency to handle our intensity and the patience to earn the trust it takes to get past the walls we put up. the laid-back and adventuresome attitude might seem attractive, but you have to understand that that is only the tip of the iceberg if this type seems elusive and skeptical of your affection... for me, it is not a fear of commitment, but a rite of passage for those who wish to mean something to me. with people, indifference is often used as a defense mechanism, conversely if they ever express their deeper emotions about you (or at least attempt to) that's a very good sign they trust you.