He Insisted on Paying the Bill — I Should’ve Seen the Red Flag

When Eric showed up to our first date with roses and a monogrammed gift, I thought I’d hit the jackpot. He was charming, thoughtful, and the perfect gentleman — even insisting on paying the bill with a firm, “A man pays on the first date.” I figured, why argue?

The next morning, I woke up to a text from him. I expected a sweet message. Instead, I got an invoice. Yes — an actual, itemized invoice titled “Date Night – Amount Due.” It included charges like:
Bouquet of Roses: 1 hug, Custom Gift: 1 coffee date, Dinner & Tip: A guaranteed second date, Polite Conversation:

/A compliment about his looks, At the bottom, it read: “Failure to comply may result in collection — via Chris.” (Chris being our mutual friend and the poor guy who vouched for him.) I was stunned. So was Mia, my best friend, who’d set us up. She showed the invoice to Chris, who was horrified — and inspired.