She Ordered a $150 Lobster on Our First Date—Then Said I Had to Pay. The Restaurant’s Reaction Said It All

At 32, I figured I’d learned enough about dating to avoid the obvious traps.

I wasn’t new to relationships. I’d done the “talking stage,” the slow fade-outs, the awkward breakups that don’t even feel like breakups. After my last relationship ended, I slipped into a routine that looked fine from the outside—work, takeout, the same comfort shows, and fewer calls from friends who were busy building their own lives.

My sister, Erin, finally got tired of watching me coast.

“You’re not a hermit,” she told me, shoving my phone into my hand. “Download the dating apps. You’ll survive.”