People Share Their First Date Horror Stories

The message is short and confident: let’s meet today in the park. The timing is what does the real work. It’s 10 p.m., no context, no follow-up, just an invitation that immediately raises every internal alarm.

Nothing bad technically happens — and that’s the point. Sometimes the nightmare is hypothetical. The date never occurs because the risk assessment finishes instantly. No explanation is needed, no counteroffer required. Some decisions are made quietly, based purely on instinct, and this one ends before it ever begins.