My best friend Mia meant well setting me up on a date, even if her matchmaking skills were untested. \u201cYou\u2019ll love him,\u201d she insisted about Eric, a friend of her boyfriend, Chris.<\/p>\n
Curious, I agreed after seeing his photo and texting a bit. Our dinner date started great\u2014Eric brought roses, a thoughtful engraved keychain, and was the perfect gentleman. He paid for dinner, opened doors, asked insightful questions\u2014it honestly felt like one of the best first dates I\u2019d ever had.<\/p>\n
Then the next morning, I got an unexpected message: an invoice<\/em>. A real, detailed breakdown of what he \u201cprovided\u201d and what I \u201cowed\u201d in return\u2014hugs, compliments, selfies, even a second date. At the bottom: Payment expected in full. No refunds.<\/em><\/p>\n Shocked, I sent it to Mia, who immediately showed Chris. He was floored. To get back at Eric, Chris made a parody invoice charging him<\/em> for “wasting my time” and “convincing me he was normal.”<\/p>\n Eric didn\u2019t take it well. His texts ranged from defensive to petty. I just blocked him.<\/p>\n Mia apologized, but I wasn\u2019t mad\u2014if anything, we now had a legendary story to tell for years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"