10 Dating Stories That Started Like Rom-Coms but Ended Like Horror Movies

Some dates start out feeling like scenes from a rom-com: effortless conversation, instant chemistry, that rare thought of “finally, this might be it.” But as these stories show, first impressions can be dangerously misleading. What begins with charm and laughter can unravel fast and sometimes the red flags only appear once it’s already too late.

• Talked to him for two weeks before we went out and no red flags, so we ended up going out to dinner. I said I hadn’t been out in a while because I was trying to save money for a washer and dryer. He told me instead of saving for that, I should save for a cosmetic procedure.
  I didn’t even know how to reply, so he followed up with, “My sister and mom both had enhancements and were really happy with the results.” This was all before the waitress even brought our drinks. I just got up and left. © Unknown user / Reddit

• She brought her toddler (nbd, I have kids too, I get it). She wanted to shop for an outfit for her kid because she was doing a Christmas card family portrait later that week. Bit uncomfortable, but hanging out shopping? Sure, why not.
  Then she started holding up clothes to me because I was “about the same size” as her ex and he was going to be in the portrait too even though he’s her ex because you know...the kid... and then asked if I would try things on so she’d know how they would look...on her ex...
  I walked off to “find the fitting room” but found my car instead and was very glad we drove separately and I wasn’t leaving her stranded. © Unknown author / Reddit

• Girl waited about 6 mins before asking how much I earned. When I asked why that was relevant, she said she had no intention of working, once married, and so she wasn’t going to waste her time with someone earning less than X amount (I forgot the amount she gave, but I remember it being very high, and nowhere close to what I was earning at the time).
  I said I didn’t think this was going to work then, and she sighed and said I was another broke guy who thought I could get girls when I wasn’t prepared to support them. I noped out of there. © Enough-Ad3818 / Reddit

• He was sweet. Almost too sweet. Always checking on me. Always asking if I ate, if I slept enough, if I was feeling okay. I thought it was cute at first.
  Then I got a cold, nothing serious. He insisted on staying over to take care of me. Brought medicine, made tea, and kept checking my temperature every hour. I told him I was fine. He said, “You don’t know what’s best for you right now.”
  I woke up at 2am. He was sitting on the edge of the bed. Just staring at me. I asked what he was doing. He said, “I was making sure you were still breathing.” I laughed nervously. He didn’t.
  The next morning, I found out he called my boss and told her I’d be out for a week. I hadn’t asked him to. I told him that was weird. He said, “You need rest. I know what you need better than you do.”
  I ended it that day. He cried. Then he sent me a spreadsheet. Three months of data.
  My sleep patterns. My eating habits. My menstrual cycle. All tracked. Last line said: “I just wanted to take care of you forever.” I slept with my lights on for a month.

• I include that I’m allergic to cats at the top of my dating profiles. Lots of women don’t include that they have a cat on their profile, ignore that I specifically say I’m allergic, and I find out about the cat later in person.
  The most notable example was nearly a year ago where a woman said she had this cafe she really wanted to go to while we were making plans for a first date and gave me the address. I figured there’s nowhere in the city I would have a problem going so I arrived at the location for the date without checking out the cafe’s details in advance.
  It was a cat cafe. I turned around and left and unmatched. A few hours later I was banned from Bumble. © Negat1veGG / Reddit

• We dated for almost a year. He told me early on he wasn’t on social media. Said he hated the drama. I respected that. He was private. I liked that about him.
  Then one night, a girl messaged me on Instagram. “Are you dating Mike?” I said yes. She sent a screenshot. Then another. Then another.
  He wasn’t just on social media. He had a wife. Two kids. A whole life I knew nothing about.
  I confronted him. He didn’t apologize. He just said, “You weren’t supposed to find out this way.” Like there was a right way to find out. I blocked him on everything.
  A week later, his wife messaged me. She thanked me for telling her. Turns out I wasn’t the first. I was the fourth.

• He fit perfectly into my life. My friends loved him, my mom loved him, even my dog loved him. He cooked dinner, remembered little details, and always showed up when he said he would. I kept thinking, this is what healthy feels like.
  One night we were sitting on the couch when he casually asked for my phone to “check something.” I hesitated, not even for a reason, it just felt wrong. His smile vanished instantly. He asked why I was acting suspicious and what I was hiding.
  We didn’t break up that night. But after that, I noticed how often he asked who I was texting, where I’d been, why I took so long. I realized his kindness only existed when he felt in control. I ended things a week later and he told everyone I was “emotionally unstable.”

• My ex-boyfriend insisted on paying for everything early on. Dinners, trips, little surprises. He said it made him happy, and I believed him. It felt nice not to worry for once.
  During our first real argument, he calmly listed everything he’d paid for and said he thought I’d be more grateful. When I talked about leaving, he reminded me my name wasn’t on the lease. That was when the rom-com ended and survival mode kicked in.

• I went on a Tinder date. He seemed nice, the conversation was easy, nothing felt off at first. But about every 30 minutes, his phone would buzz. He’d pause, check it, then smile to himself.
  I ignored it until the third date, when I finally asked what it was. He leaned in and said, “It’s a reminder. So I don’t waste time without realizing.”
  I asked what he meant. He shrugged and said he sets alerts during dates to check if the person still feels “worth the effort.” If not, he mentally checks out. I paid my half, wished him luck, and left.
  His phone buzzed again as I walked away.

• Met a guy in his 30s. The first date felt like a dream. He was charming, thoughtful, said all the right things. I remember thinking, finally, this one feels easy.
  During our second date, he went to the bathroom and left his jacket on the chair. Something small was sticking out of the pocket. I pulled it without thinking.
  It was a baby teether. Clearly used. My stomach dropped. He’d talked about his life in detail, travel, work, freedom but never once mentioned a child. Not even vaguely.
  I didn’t wait for him to come back. I grabbed my bag and walked straight out. I blocked his number before I reached the corner.

Not every story that starts wrong stays that way, but these clearly did. Dating can expose the darkest sides of people just as easily as the best, and sometimes walking away is the safest ending. If you need a reminder that relationships can take a better turn, this one offers a very different perspective:
10 Blended Families Who Prove Second Chances Work