The Best Thing to Say (or Text) After a Bad First Date
The other night, I went on a bad date.
I hesitate to call it a bad date because there was nothing specifically awful about it — he showed up on time, asked the right questions, and slipped his hand into mine at the end of the night without making it awkward.
Really, it wasn’t a bad date — it was an okay date.
Just okay.
There was no spark, no connection, and throughout the entire night, there was an odd gut feeling about the guy that I just couldn’t pinpoint. It felt like I was drinking a cup of lukewarm coffee — I could tolerate it and maybe even enjoy it if I really tried, but I wasn’t going to order it off the menu.
Part of my uneasiness may have had to do with the circumstances behind the situation. My date was a guy from one of my classes who’d asked me out once before. Still raw and nursing my emotional wounds from a recent break-up, I’d declined his offer.
A couple of months later, I encountered him again and we spent an hour or so talking. He asked if I was seeing anyone and his eyes lit up when he found out I wasn’t. Even though I could already feel the lack of a spark, I felt obligated to give him a chance.
