I could feel the warmth disappearing from the evening.
“I don’t know,” I said. “You planned all of this. You said it was special. I assumed dinner was your treat.”
He stared at me for several seconds.
Then he nodded.
Not angrily.
Almost thoughtfully.
That reaction bothered me more than an argument would have.
“Okay,” he said.
He took out his card and paid the entire bill.
I thought the awkwardness would pass once we left.
Instead, he stood up.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
Then he walked away.
Several minutes passed.
I checked my phone.
Nothing.
I assumed he had gone to the restroom.
Five minutes became ten.
Finally, I asked our server whether she had seen him.
Her face immediately changed.
That was when I knew something was wrong.
“He actually left,” she said quietly.
I laughed because the alternative was believing her.
“What do you mean, left?”
