I forwarded the message to Mia, and her boyfriend Chris couldn’t believe it either. His solution? Send Eric a “service invoice” in return — listing charges like “introducing you to a gorgeous woman” (payment: permanent block on all platforms) and “not exposing you online” (payment: gratitude). Eric’s angry texts rolled in after that, but I blocked him before he could say more.

The whole ordeal taught me a simple dating rule: if someone insists on paying, make sure they don’t expect repayment in ways that don’t belong in a relationship. The keychain he gave me? I kept it — not as a keepsake of romance, but as a souvenir from the strangest date I’ll ever have.