When my best friend Mia set me up with Eric, she swore he was a “total gentleman.” At first, he seemed perfect—roses,

a custom keychain with my initial, and charm for days. Over dinner, he insisted on paying, saying,

“A man pays on the first date,” with a confident smile. I left thinking it was the best first date I’d ever had.

The next morning, I expected a sweet follow-up text. Instead, I got a professionally formatted invoice—charges for the bouquet (“hug”), keychain

(“coffee date”), and dinner (“holding hands next time”). It ended with a threat: “Failure to comply may result in Chris hearing about it.” He wasn’t joking.

Shocked, I sent the invoice to Mia, who quickly looped in her boyfriend Chris—Eric’s long-time friend.

Chris clapped back with a fake invoice of his own: a “service charge” for sitting with me and a threat of public embarrassment.

Eric freaked, sending angry texts, claiming I missed out on a “great guy.” I sent a thumbs-up emoji and blocked him.

Mia apologized through laughter. I wasn’t even mad. Eric revealed himself early, and I dodged a walking red flag—with a hilarious story to tell for years.