When my brother Marcus insisted he knew “the perfect guy” for me, I was skeptical. His previous setup had been a spoon collector who wore socks with sandals. Still, Marcus promised Andy was polite, intelligent, and mysteriously single, so I agreed to one date just to stop the questions about my love life.

Andy surprised me. He arrived with wildflowers, opened doors, made me laugh, and genuinely listened when I spoke. He seemed thoughtful and respectful, and when he offered to drive me home, I decided to trust him. He waited until I entered my building before driving away. That night, I smiled at myself in the mirror and thought maybe Marcus had finally gotten one right.

The next morning, at exactly 7:13, my phone buzzed. It was a PayPal request from Andy for **$37.25**. I assumed it was a mistake, but the invoice listed gas, parking, car depreciation, and even a “cleaning fee” for puddle splash marks. I stared at it for several seconds before laughing. Apparently, my romantic evening had come with an itemized bill.

I sent him $50 with the note: **“$13 tip for opening the doors. Cheers.”** Then I blocked him. Marcus was horrified but also couldn’t stop laughing. Later, he discovered Andy had been telling his pickleball friends about our “rom-com” date and presenting himself as a perfect gentleman. Marcus shared the screenshots, and the group immediately started laughing.

A few weeks later, another woman posted a TikTok showing an almost identical invoice from a date with Andy. I sent it to Marcus and laughed all over again. I never found my perfect guy that night, but I found a great story and learned an important lesson: **when someone sends you a bill for romance, always remember to tip yourself by walking away.**