Lauren Crouch, a young London woman, decided to dip her toes back in the dating pool a few years back. So, when she was matched up with a seemingly fitting Tinder date, she agreed to meet him for a cup of coffee.
Lauren explained what happened with her date — and "the most alarming text message I've ever received" — on her blog, No Bad Dates, Just Good Stories.
The date was going smoothly. After 25 minutes of casual conversation, Lauren's date asked her if she would be interested in going back to his place for a home-cooked dinner.
Lauren said no; she was honest, and told him she wasn't comfortable going to a stranger's house. The pair parted ways after their 30-minute date.
Later that night, he texted Lauren and asked if she wanted to see him again. Again, Lauren was honest and said she wasn't sure they had chemistry.
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That's where the conversation took a bizarre and concerning turn…
[H/T: Lauren Crouch/No Bad Dates, Just Good Stories]
"So my first foray back in to dating and it lasts a total of 32 minutes and ends with the most alarming text message I’ve ever received. We meet at the tube station after he declined my suggestion to meet at a pub, and he asks if we can go for a coffee as he’s not drinking."
It was going OK at first. But after not quite a half an hour, the dynamic changed. "After 25 minutes of 'normal' conversation we have the following exchange."
Him: “Have you had dinner yet?"
Me: "No I came straight from work."
Him: "What would you say if I offered to cook you dinner?"
Me: "Ermmm…right now?
Him: "I only ask because I’ve got an Ocado delivery coming tonight."
Me: "I’d have to say no. I couldn’t possibly go back to the home of someone I’ve literally just met, sorry."
Him (talking over me): "lots of nice fresh vegetables and good fish."
Him: "OK well I’d better go. Need to be home for the delivery."
Me: "…."
Well, there are have certainly been worse exchanges, right? No harm done. "So we walk back to the station, say our goodbye’s…"
But then things took a turn for the worse. He couldn't just take the rejection. He had to have the last word.
"…then this happens."
Seriously, dude? I mean, you could've ended this date with a bit of class.
"Yes you do decide yourself what to do with your money, and last night you decided to spend it on a coffee."
He was clearly not getting the point. I mean, if you don't have the money for a cup of coffee, maybe stay home?
"I don't come with a money back guarantee. Dates aren't commodities."
She tried to school him but it didn't seem to work. He just kept getting angrier. How dare she not pay him back for that coffee!?
"I actually felt angry, because as you’ll know if you read this blog often, I am a massively big believer in women always offering to pay for dates."
Lauren's blog post went massively viral. Because… of course. People couldn't believe he had the audacity to ask for him coffee money back. And by the next day she had received some interesting messages from other women in her area.
After checking and comparing stories, Lauren and another disappointed dater realized there was a strong chance they'd both been on a date with the same man. Oh. Boy. Dude, seriously. Learn a lesson or just stay home.
Here is the other woman's account:
“We met at Tottenham Hale station, we walked passed his flat (I didn’t know he lived there) and he asked if I’d like to “come up for a drink” I said no, lets go to the pub.
We had one drink and then 45 mins after first meeting, he said, “I don’t believe in long first dates, shall we go?”
“So as we left, he went in for a kiss and I pushed him off and said goodbye.
He seemed intelligent and he intrigued me, so I agreed to meet again, but his messages became a bit pushy, he kept asking to see me the next night “to show off his cooking skills” just as he’d said to you, and something just didn’t sit right, so in the end I thought it best not to go, and sent him the polite messages (above)."
“Now I want to make it clear that I’m not suggesting that this man has done, or will do anything illegal or dangerous, there’s still the chance he’s just this bloke who’s a bit over sensitive and we were unlucky enough to catch him on bad days.
In saying that, If any man or woman ever feels as though they are being threatened by someone they have dated, then do get in touch with the police.
Lastly, dating isn’t all that bad, there are some fabulous singletons out there. Trust me I’m one of them."
What do you think of Lauren's public response? Let us know, and please SHARE her words about the dangers of dating with your friends on Facebook!
