My best friend Mia swore her boyfriend’s friend Eric was a “nice, dependable guy” and begged me to let her set us up. Against my better judgment, I agreed.
Eric was charming from the jump: thoughtful texts, full sentences, zero creep vibes. He picked a cute Italian place, showed up early with roses, pulled out my chair, paid the bill while declaring “a man always pays on the first date,” and even gave me a little engraved keychain. Old-school, but sweet. I actually thought, “Huh, maybe Mia was right.”
Next morning? I wake up to an email titled “Invoice – Date 1 Expenses.”
Flowers: $35 Dinner (my half): $68 Keychain: $22 “Time & emotional labor”: $150 Total due: $275
With a note that non-payment would be “discussed with Chris” (Mia’s boyfriend) if I didn’t Venmo him immediately.
I thought it was a prank until I saw the itemized PDF.
I forwarded it to Mia. Her exact response: “He’s actually insane. Block and delete.”
Mia and Chris sent him a counter-invoice for “emotional damages” and “wasting everyone’s time.” Eric lost it—went full victim mode, then rage-texts, then “you modern women don’t appreciate chivalry” essays.
We all blocked him. Mia and Chris dropped him as a friend that same week.
Moral of the story: if a guy treats “paying for dinner” like a down payment on your gratitude (or more), run. That’s not generosity; that’s a transaction with an unhinged terms-of-service agreement.
I never paid the invoice… but I did pay very close attention to every red flag after that. 🚩
