When my best friend Mia told me she wanted to set me up with her boyfriend’s friend, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Blind dates aren’t usually my thing. But Mia was persistent. “You’ll love him,” she said. “He’s polite, smart, and stable — a total gentleman.”
Against my instincts, I agreed. His name was Eric, and from the first message, he seemed promising — confident without being pushy, the kind of guy who actually used full sentences and asked thoughtful questions. After a week of chatting, he suggested dinner at a cozy Italian restaurant downtown.
The evening started perfectly. Eric showed up early with a bouquet of roses and a charming smile. He pulled out my chair, complimented my dress, and even brought a small gift — a personalized keychain with my initial engraved on it. He was attentive, funny, and refreshingly normal. I thought, maybe Mia was right this time.
When the bill arrived, I reached for my purse, but Eric waved me off. “A man pays on the first date,” he said smoothly. It was a little old-fashioned, but I wasn’t about to argue. He walked me to my car, waited until I drove off, and everything felt so effortless. I texted Mia on the way home: You might actually be right about this one.
The next morning, I woke up smiling — until I saw an email from Eric titled “Invoice for Last Night.”
At first, I thought it was a joke. But when I opened it, my jaw dropped. It was a real, itemized invoice — professional layout and all — listing “charges” from our date:
Dinner: $120, covered in full.
Flowers: “Requires reciprocation (one hug).”
Keychain: “Repayable via coffee date.”
Emotional labor: “Holding hands next time to express appreciation.”
And at the bottom, in bold letters:
“Failure to comply may result in Chris hearing about it.”
Susan Boyle Is So Skinny Now & Looks Gorgeous
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Chris — as in Mia’s boyfriend. Eric’s friend.
I was speechless. He had actually turned a date into a financial statement — complete with emotional “fees” and threats. I forwarded the email to Mia, who immediately replied: Oh my god. He’s insane. Don’t answer him.
But Mia didn’t stop there. She told Chris, who decided to give Eric a taste of his own medicine. That afternoon, he sent Eric a mock invoice from “Karma & Co.” — charging him for:
“Sitting at the same table as someone out of your league.”
At the bottom, it read: “Failure to comply will result in permanent reputation damage.”
Eric lost it. He sent a flurry of messages:
“You’re overreacting.”
“It was supposed to be funny.”
“You just can’t take a joke.”
And finally: “You missed out on a great guy.”
I just replied with a thumbs-up emoji and blocked him.
Later, Mia called me, still laughing. “I swear, I had no idea he was that unhinged,” she said. I wasn’t even mad. If anything, I was relieved. Eric’s “invoice” wasn’t just weird — it was revealing. It showed exactly who he was before I had a chance to fall for the act.
Looking back, it’s almost funny. The night started like a rom-com and ended like a red flag tutorial. Eric thought he was being clever, but all he did was prove that kindness shouldn’t come with strings — or receipts.
So now, when people ask about my worst date ever, I don’t even hesitate.
“The one who sent me an invoice,” I say.
It always gets a laugh, but I make sure to add, “And he really thought I’d pay.”
In a way, I did pay — just not in the way he expected. I paid attention.
