When my best friend Mia set me up on a blind date, I didn’t know what to expect. To my surprise, Eric arrived with a bouquet of roses and a small, thoughtful gift — a keychain with my initial. During dinner, he was polite, attentive, and easy to talk to. When the check came, I offered to split it, but he insisted on paying. I went home smiling, certain the night had gone perfectly.

The next morning, I woke to a message from Eric and expected something sweet. Instead, he sent a playful “invoice” — itemizing the flowers, gift, and even opening the car door as “date services,” complete with funny “charges” like compliments and a guaranteed second date. Though clearly meant as a joke, parts of it felt oddly serious, leaving me unsure how to react.

I forwarded it to Mia, who was equally baffled. She showed it to her boyfriend, Chris, who happened to know Eric. To lighten things up, Chris made a parody “invoice” in return, joking about “introducing you to a wonderful person” and “proving that kindness has fine print.” When Eric saw it, he seemed embarrassed. I simply replied with a polite thumbs-up and decided to leave it there.

Later, Mia called, laughing and apologizing, saying it had become a story we’d laugh about for years. I kept the keychain — not as a memory of the date itself, but as a souvenir from a quirky moment in modern dating. In the end, I realized that even the kindest gestures can get misread, and that honesty and simplicity are always the best way to start something new.