LONDON -- The dating scene in Britain's capital can be a minefield of strange and awkward encounters, and no one knows this better than dating blogger Lauren Crouch.
Crouch set up her blog, No Bad Dates, Just Good Stories, to document her various experiences of London's dating scene after the relationship she was in ended -- but her recent encounter with one impressively stingy individual may be the strangest so far.
"So my first foray back in to dating and it lasts a total of 32 minutes and ends with the most alarming text message I've ever received," wrote Lauren on her blog.
It all started when Lauren met her date at a tube station in London. She said she knew a nice independent coffee shop nearby, but her date said "nah", suggesting they go to Costa Coffee instead to save crossing the road.
Things went downhill from there. After a quick coffee the man asked if he could cook Lauren dinner and told her about an Ocado delivery of fresh veg and fish he was expecting. When it became clear that Lauren wasn't keen, the man dashed off to collect his delivery.
Aside from his odd behaviour, though, Lauren told Mashable the man seemed pretty mature and intelligent at first. "He was in his early 30's and seemed to come across as knowing what he wants in life," she said. "I did find it a bit odd when he invited me to dinner after just one coffee, and then left right after because he had to collect the Ocado delivery."
That same evening, he sent her this text.
Hate having to send these messages and always worry I'll sound mean/like a twat #dating #singlelife #datingadvice pic.twitter.com/wtlNCIX6Ep— BadDatesGoodStories (@Crouchi) November 11, 2015
She turned the date down, but he was persistent.
@Crouchi agghhh pic.twitter.com/LXQm7dI8xj— BadDatesGoodStories (@Crouchi) November 11, 2015
Then this happened.
I might offer to donate £3 for the coffee to a charity of his choice as a chance for him to regain some humanity pic.twitter.com/0sWC28O4m2— BadDatesGoodStories (@Crouchi) November 11, 2015
And Lauren had this perfect response.
@SadiaOfficial @MyPlaceOrYours_ @joshbythesea @probablygeorge @AhhGeeProd @LaceyWaters @MetroUK @AVagabond_ did it pic.twitter.com/L2O94IfO9x— BadDatesGoodStories (@Crouchi) November 12, 2015
As if things couldn't get more awkward, her date then sent back this.
@SadiaOfficial @MyPlaceOrYours_ @joshbythesea @probablygeorge @AhhGeeProd @LaceyWaters @MetroUK @AVagabond_ Oh GOD pic.twitter.com/u3RkcDxfb3— BadDatesGoodStories (@Crouchi) November 12, 2015
"Yes you do decide yourself what to do with your money, and last night you decided to spend it on a coffee," Lauren wrote on her blog. "I don’t come with a money back guarantee. Dates aren’t commodities."
Lauren told Mashable that she's not easily offended, and found the whole thing funny.
"I had offered to pay for my coffee at the time, and he'd insisted," she explained. "I always pay my way on dates. It's lucky I hadn't accepted his offer of dinner otherwise he would have expected me to pay his grocery bill. Or half the electricity for the time I'd been in the house."
She didn't respond to her date's last message, and she said he hasn't contacted her since.
"It'd be pretty hard to as I blocked his number and removed him from my Tinder matches," she said. "I'm not sure he'd have much to say for himself!"