When my good friend Mia suggested that I meet one of her boyfriend’s acquaintances, I felt a familiar wave of hesitation. Blind dates have never been something I naturally enjoy.

However, Mia was incredibly persuasive, making a strong case for the match. “You’ll love him,” she promised with certainty. “He’s polite, smart, stable — a total gentleman.” Given her enthusiasm and trust in her judgment, I decided to set aside my usual reservations and agree to the meeting.

The man’s name was Eric, and our communication started with a week of text messages. His initial messages were impressive. He came across as confident and self-assured, but not in a pushy or arrogant way. He was the kind of person who took the time to write out complete sentences and would engage with my thoughts by asking thoughtful questions instead of simply sending generic, short replies. This engaging online exchange convinced me to finally move forward, and he suggested we have dinner at a very well-regarded Italian restaurant downtown.