Gina Heslop
I unlocked my phone, still groggy from sleep, and tapped on the notification. The message was short:
“Good morning, Kelly. Hope you slept well! Here’s something for you.”
Below his text was an attachment. Confused but curious, I opened it. My eyes widened in disbelief.
It was a detailed breakdown of our dinner bill. Every item we had ordered was listed, with my share neatly calculated at the bottom.
Total: $87.50.
Underneath, Eric had added: “You can send it via Venmo or PayPal. Thanks!”
For a second, I thought it had to be a joke. Maybe this was his strange way of teasing me. But the more I stared at the message, the clearer it became—he was serious.
I felt a rush of emotions—shock, disbelief, and even a bit of amusement. The same guy who had shown up with flowers, a gift, and impeccable manners was now sending me an invoice for our date.
I took a deep breath, trying to decide how to respond. A part of me wanted to call Mia and laugh about it, but another part felt… insulted.
If he had wanted to split the bill, why insist so firmly on paying? Why make such a big deal about a “man always paying” only to send me a receipt the next morning?
I typed a response carefully:
“Hey, Eric. I really appreciate last night, but I’m a little surprised by this message. If you had wanted to split the bill, I would have been happy to. But since you insisted on paying, this feels a bit unexpected.”
His reply came quickly.
“It’s just fair, don’t you think? I covered it upfront, but I believe in equal responsibility. Hope you understand!”
I stared at my phone, shaking my head. I wasn’t upset about the money—I could easily pay for my share. It was the principle. The whole situation felt calculated, as if he had staged an act of generosity only to retract it later.
I debated for a moment, then sent him exactly $87.50.
Then, without another word, I blocked his number.
