When Eric insisted on paying for our first date, I thought I’d met a true gentleman.
Roses, a sweet gift, charming conversation — he was checking all the boxes.
When he texted me the next day, I expected a cute follow-up, but my stomach dropped when I read his message.
My best friend, Mia, meant well when she offered to set me up on a date, but her skills as a matchmaker were completely untested.
“He’s super nice, Kelly! Total gentleman. You’ll love him,” Mia insisted over the phone while I rummaged through my closet.
“You’ve never set me up before,” I reminded her.
“What makes you think you know my type?”
“Because I know you better than anyone,” she replied confidently. “Plus, Chris vouches for him too. They’ve been friends for ages.”
That gave me pause.
Chris, Mia’s boyfriend, was a pretty good judge of character. If he thought this Eric guy was decent, maybe there was hope.
“Fine,” I sighed. “Show me a picture at least.”
A moment later, my phone pinged with an incoming message.
The guy in the photo wasn’t bad looking: clean-cut, well-dressed, with a warm smile that reached his eyes.
“Okay, he’s cute,” I admitted.
“Told you!” Mia squealed.
“Text him and set it up. You won’t regret it, I promise.”
After a few casual texts, I agreed to meet Eric for dinner at a new Italian place with a great view of the river. Nothing too fancy, but nice enough for a first date.
I arrived five minutes early and waited near the entrance, like we’d agreed.
I was nervously checking my appearance with my phone camera when I spotted him approaching the restaurant.
My pulse quickened a little. The photo hadn’t lied — he was attractive in that clean-cut, business-casual way, and he carried himself with confidence.
What I hadn’t expected was the bouquet of roses in his hand.
Not cheap grocery store flowers, but an actual professional arrangement tied with a ribbon.
“You must be Kelly,” he said, flashing that same warm smile from his photo. “These are for you.”
“Wow, thank you,” I replied, genuinely surprised as I accepted them.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Figured I’d start the night off right,” he said, handing me the flowers.
But that wasn’t all.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small gift box tied with a cyan bow.
“What’s this?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
“Just a little something. Open it,” he encouraged.
Inside was a sleek silver keychain with the letter “K” engraved on it. It was tasteful and personalized, something that required thought.
“Something just for you,” he said smoothly.
“I asked Mia what you might like.”
I was honestly impressed. Flowers and a thoughtful gift on a first date? This man was clearly making a statement.
Either he was seriously interested, or he was the king of first impressions.
“This is really nice of you,” I said, genuinely touched. “Thank you.”
Eric continued his gentlemanly routine without missing a beat. He opened the door, pulled out my chair, and maintained steady eye contact throughout our conversation.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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