When Eric insisted on paying for our first date, I thought I had met a true gentleman. He arrived with a bouquet of roses, a sweet little gift, and charming conversation that seemed to flow effortlessly. Every romantic comedy clich\u00e9 was unfolding before my eyes. I could already hear my best friend, Mia, smugly telling me, \u201cI told you so.\u201d She had set this up, after all.<\/p>\n
Mia was undeterred. \u201cBecause I know you better than anyone! And besides, Chris vouches for him too. They\u2019ve been friends for ages.\u201d<\/p>\n
That gave me pause. Chris, Mia\u2019s boyfriend, was a great judge of character. He wasn\u2019t the type to hype someone up unless he really meant it. If he thought Eric was decent, then maybe I should give this a chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d I sighed. \u201cShow me a picture at least.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seconds later, my phone pinged. I opened the message, scanning the image with curiosity. Eric was clean-cut, well-dressed, and had a warm smile. Not bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d I admitted. \u201cHe\u2019s cute.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia squealed in triumph. \u201cText him! Set it up! You won\u2019t regret it.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, after a few casual texts, I agreed to meet Eric for dinner at a new Italian restaurant by the river\u2014fancy, but not intimidatingly so. The kind of place where first dates could go either way: romantic success or awkward disaster.<\/p>\n
I arrived five minutes early, standing near the entrance while nervously checking my reflection in my phone camera. That\u2019s when I spotted him. My pulse quickened a little. He looked just as he did in his picture\u2014attractive in a polished, business-casual way. But what I hadn\u2019t expected was the bouquet of roses in his hand<\/p>\n
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