I’m at a point in my life when all my friends are either in serious relationships or married but I’m still single. I’m not even in the talking stage. It sucks being single when all your friends are in relationships. Everyone posts couple goals pictures of their bae in a nice restaurant and you’re just at home cuddling with your pillow.
This pressure made me so desperate to go on a date that I did something I thought I would never do. I started talking to men online. Someone had suggested it but I thought I was too good for online dating. I thought that online dating was for people in their 40s who simply couldn’t hit it off with anyone in person.
“It’s an easy way to get a date especially if you’re beautiful. You’ll have men worshipping you in no time.” My friend said.
“What about the creepy guys people complain about?”
“Just take your time before you reply to anyone.”
Barely a few hours after creating an account, I started swiping and getting matches. However, none of the people really caught my attention. I logged off and went about my business then checked my phone later to find more messages.
“How do you even find the right match here?” I asked myself as I read through the messages.
I read one last message from a guy called Henry who had super-liked me. He seemed like the most normal out of everyone who had messaged me so I decided to entertain him. Additionally, he was a bit closer to my age which was a plus.
I kept an open mind and things went well. I learnt a lot about him and found out we had a lot in common. We had been talking for a few weeks but it felt like I had known him for years. Still, I felt a bit strange meeting a man online. I was worried that he was simply saying the right things to impress me. I needed to know his true personality in person.
“What’s your favourite restaurant?” I asked.
“I like the food at Brew Bistro.”
“Me too. We should go there soon.”
“How about this weekend?”
“Okay. I’ll be free.”
That was another strange coincidence since Brew was one of my favourite joints as well. It started to feel like the stars had aligned perfectly and I had finally met my person. At that point, I didn’t care whether I had met him online or in person. After all, I had met a lot of guys in person and they turned out to be the worst.
The week couldn’t have moved slower. I kept thinking about how the date would go. Would he be a gentleman? Would he be funny? Do I need to carry my makeup? I kept replaying these questions in my head. I wanted to call him every time I thought about him but had to play it cool.
He called me on Friday to remind me of our date. Of course, I hadn’t forgotten. It was all I thought about that whole week. He even offered to pick me up.
When we got to the restaurant, he started acting funny. We had barely settled down when he got up to go to the bathroom. He kept getting up and leaving after every few minutes. I thought that maybe he was having stomach issues so I didn’t ask to avoid embarrassing him.
As I enjoyed my food, the waiter approached me and stood very close to me. I thought it was strange but didn’t think much of it.
“You know he’s at another table with another woman.” He finally said.
I nearly choked on my food. After swallowing the food, I looked up at the waiter to make sure that he wasn’t lying to me. I thought that Henry had told him to come and play a joke on me to see how I would react. However, the waiter was not laughing. He actually looked concerned.
“Yes, I know.” I lied to avoid embarrassing myself further.
After the waiter left, I got up to go and see for myself whether Henry had brought someone else to the restaurant. I was still hoping that it was a joke but when I saw him holding the other woman’s hand, it finally sunk in.
I tried to stay calm and went back to the table. Without wasting any more time, I paid for my meal and asked the waiter to pack the rest of the food including his meal.
“He’ll pay for his own food but pack it up,” I said.
The waiter felt so bad for me that he almost refused to take my money. However, I insisted and even gave him a tip for telling me what was going on. I managed to leave the restaurant without Henry noticing. As I waited for my Uber, the waiter came outside and started hitting on me. I was flattered but I was too distracted by the events of that night to entertain him.
All I could think of at that moment was getting home. It took Henry 30 minutes to call me. I decided to pick up just to hear what he would say.
“Where are you?”
“I went home.”
“Why?”
“You brought another woman to the restaurant while I was on a date with you. Who does that?”
“It’s not what it looks like. She’s my ex. She insisted on coming to the restaurant.”
“Why were you holding her hand?”
“I was trying to get her to leave. She can be a little bit much.”
“I can’t deal with such issues. Don’t call me again.”
Nothing would have prepared me for such an experience, especially since Henry seemed nice. I later found out that the guy found my social media accounts and had been following me using a fake account since the day we started talking. He knew everything to say because he knew exactly what I liked.
I have been so hesitant about going on dates since that day. However, I’ve learnt my lesson and that was the last time I went out with a guy I met online. I haven’t been successful in finding love yet but at least, I haven’t had such an embarrassing experience again.
Check out
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The Singlehood Series: She Asked Me Out On A Date So She Could Spy On Her Husband
My Blind Date Turned Out To Be A Guy I Had Ghosted
I Went On A Date With My Instagram Stalker Without Knowing It
I Met A Guy At A Funeral Who Turned Out To Be A Stalker
My Date Almost Got Into An Accident Because He Was A Terrible Driver
The Perfect Gentleman Turned Out To Be A Rude Freeloading Guest
