There are few moments in life more dreadful than meeting a blind date and knowing immediately you’d rather spend the next year with Netflix and boxed wine than the next minute with this dud. But, since you were raised to have manners, you stay for one drink. (Side note: never commit to a meal for the first date. Parks, museums, or anything that involve wandering are out of the question, in case you need to make a quick exit. A bar is always the best bet for a first date, or a coffee shop if you don’t drink alcohol.) But never feel obligated to stick around just because he’s nice. Hey, my time is precious. I’m a freelancer.
So after the longest drink of your life, during which you strain your brain for questions to ask, how do you leave without seeming like a b*tch? Well, sometimes you can’t, and that’s OK. The best protocol is to just be direct. “Thank you for meeting with me, but I should be getting home now.” Simple. You don’t need to give any reasons if you don’t want to. If he presses, then be honest. He’s literally asking for it after all. “I had a nice time, but I don’t think we’d be a good match.” No need to get into specifics. If he still persists, then you can throw social graces out the window and start ignoring him. The silver lining there is that he’ll have confirmed your instinct to leave.
