The Man Who Sent Me an Invoice for Love: I Thought It Was the Perfect First Date Until I Opened His Message the Next Morning
I thought I had finally met a gentleman.
After three years of disappointing dates, awkward conversations, and men who seemed more interested in their phones than the person sitting across from them, I had almost given up on dating altogether.
Then my best friend, Melissa, introduced me to Daniel.
“Trust me,” she said. “He’s different.”
And for one wonderful evening, I believed her.
Daniel arrived at my apartment carrying a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Not an inexpensive bunch grabbed at the last minute, but carefully arranged flowers wrapped in elegant paper.
“You look beautiful,” he said when I opened the door.
I blushed.
He opened the car door for me, complimented my dress, and took me to a lovely Italian restaurant downtown.
Throughout dinner, he was attentive without being overwhelming.
He asked about my work, remembered little details from our conversations, and laughed at my terrible jokes.
When the waiter brought the check, I reached for my wallet.
Daniel immediately shook his head.
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh, I don’t mind splitting it,” I said.
He smiled and placed his card on the table.
“A man pays on the first date.”
I appreciated the gesture, although I would have been perfectly happy paying for my own meal.
After dinner, he walked me to my door.
“I had a wonderful time,” he said.
“So did I.”
He kissed my cheek and left.
I went upstairs smiling.
For the first time in months, I called Melissa with good news.
“You were right,” I told her. “He’s wonderful.”
I had absolutely no idea what was waiting for me the next morning.
The Message That Changed Everything
At 8:17 a.m., my phone vibrated.
A message from Daniel.
I smiled before opening it.
I expected something sweet.
Maybe Good morning, beautiful.
Maybe I can’t wait to see you again.
Instead, the message began:
“Good morning, Rebecca. I had a great time last night. Since we’re both adults, I believe in transparency and fairness.”
I frowned.
Then I noticed an attachment.
A PDF document.
The filename was:
Rebecca_First_Date_Invoice.pdf
I stared at the screen.
Surely this was a joke.
I opened it.
At the top, in bold letters, were the words:
DATE EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT — INVOICE #001
Underneath was an itemized list.
Description
Amount
Red roses
$48.00
Dinner for two
$126.00
Parking
$18.00
Fuel and transportation
$22.00
