The First Time Dating Terrified Me

And now I’m scared there’s more like him.

I’m rarely shocked these days. It’s a byproduct of keeping my expectations of people pretty damn low. Standards high, expectations low. But, this week I got a shocker.

I have become exceptionally picky in choosing potential dates to talk to online. I rarely go on a dating app and, even then, only swipe or contact someone who actually seems like I might want to spend more than 14 minutes with them. Quality guys. This means actually connecting with someone rarely happens. I haven’t had a date in weeks. I don’t waste my time.

I had been talking to a guy who seemed pretty solid. Nice. Handsome. Wears an actual wristwatch. Has a Masters Degree. Sent me a picture of his well-decorated Christmas tree. Likes wine tasting. Excellent sentence structure. Responsive.

I texted him to say hello the day after Christmas and to see how his holiday was. We talked about getting together.

Then he invited me to come over. To his house. To meet him. For the first time. Scratch that… He insisted I do it.

Now, that is a hard pass. Hard. Pass. To make matters worse, when he told me where he lived (because why would I not come?) it was 50…