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My brother’s latest matchmaking attempt turned into a nightmare when his friend, Stewart, took me on a date that ended with us stuck at a high-end restaurant facing an unpaid bill. As the situation spiraled and the manager threatened to involve the police, I couldn\u2019t help but question just how much trouble Adam had gotten me into\u2014and how on earth we were going to get out of it.\n A few weeks ago, Adam introduced me to his friend, Stewart. He assured me Stewart was a stand-up guy\u2014someone with a steady job, his own house, and a nice car.\n I was intrigued and decided to give it a chance. Stewart picked me up one evening, and we headed to an incredibly fancy restaurant. It was the kind of place I\u2019d never imagined myself going to. Even the coffee on the menu was outrageously priced\u2014around $100 a cup!\n After glancing at the menu, I told him honestly that I couldn\u2019t afford to eat there. Stewart smiled and reassured me. \u201cI\u2019ve got this. Please don\u2019t hurt my feelings by saying no,\u201d he said warmly. Flattered and reluctant to argue, I accepted his offer.\n We placed our orders, and the evening seemed to unfold effortlessly. Stewart was charming, witty, and full of intriguing stories. Our conversation flowed, covering all sorts of topics, and I found myself genuinely enjoying his company.\n But then came the bill. Stewart pulled out his card confidently, handing it to the waitress with a grin. I excused myself to use the bathroom, but when I returned, everything had taken a shocking turn. Even now, it feels like a blurry nightmare.\n \u201cIs everything okay now?\u201d I asked, keeping my voice calm despite the knot forming in my stomach.\n Stewart turned to me, his face taut with frustration. \u201cThey\u2019re saying my card isn\u2019t working. Can you believe this?\u201d\n I hesitated, unsure how to respond. \u201cMaybe we should just\u2026 leave quietly?\u201d I suggested, lowering my voice.\n \u201cWhat? Walk out without paying? Are you serious? The security guard will stop us in no time,\u201d he said, glancing nervously toward the entrance.\n Before either of us could decide on a plan, the manager appeared. \u201cSir, we need to settle the payment. Do you have another card or method of payment?\u201d he asked, his tone polite but firm.\n Stewart turned to me, his eyes pleading. I shook my head. \u201cI can\u2019t help you,\u201d I whispered.\n He sighed, rubbing his forehead. \u201cFine. We\u2019ll figure something out,\u201d he muttered under his breath, though his earlier confidence was nowhere to be found.\n Just when I thought things couldn\u2019t get worse, the security guard approached, his imposing figure casting a shadow over our table. Stewart\u2019s frustration boiled over.\n \u201cI told you there\u2019s an issue with my card! Call my bank if you don\u2019t believe me!\u201d Stewart snapped, his voice growing louder with each word.\n \u201cSir, if you can\u2019t resolve this, we\u2019ll have to involve law enforcement,\u201d the guard said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.\n Right at that moment, my phone buzzed. It was a message from my brother, Adam: \u201cHow\u2019s the date going, Sis? ;)\u201d\n My blood boiled as I held the phone up for Stewart to see. \u201cDid Adam know you couldn\u2019t afford this?\u201d\n Stewart looked genuinely taken aback. \u201cI\u2014 I don\u2019t know. He set us up, but\u2014\u201d\n I cut him off, narrowing my eyes. \u201cWhat about the car outside? How are you driving something like that if you\u2019re broke? That requires good credit.\u201d\n Stewart exhaled deeply, his shoulders slumping. \u201cAdam rented it for me,\u201d he admitted. \u201cHe thought it would impress you. He also said he\u2019d transfer money into my account to cover tonight, but\u2026 I guess he never actually did.\u201d\n I turned to the security guard and spoke calmly, “Sir, could we step outside so we don\u2019t disturb the other diners any further? I\u2019ll make a call to get this sorted.”\n Stepping out, I immediately called Adam, my frustration bubbling just beneath the surface.\n “Adam, what on earth is going on? Stewart can\u2019t cover the bill\u2014it\u2019s massive! You told me he could handle it. How could you pull something like this?”\n Adam laughed, his tone infuriatingly casual. “Chill, Jess. Just adding a little excitement to your night. Use your card if you have to.”\n My grip on the phone tightened. “Are you serious right now? Get over here and fix this. I\u2019m not joking.”\n “Alright, alright. Don\u2019t blow a fuse. I\u2019m on my way,” he replied, still chuckling.\n Beside me, Stewart leaned against the wall, his face pale with embarrassment. “Jess, I\u2019m really sorry. I had no idea Adam would do something like this.”\n I sighed, shaking my head. “It\u2019s not your fault, Stewart. My brother\u2019s just… unbelievable.”\n When Adam finally arrived, his smug expression made my blood boil. “What\u2019s the issue here? Something wrong with the bill?”\n I shot him a glare. “This isn\u2019t funny, Adam. You crossed the line. Was this some kind of joke to you? You set us up for your own amusement, and it\u2019s completely unacceptable.”\n He waved me off, as if it were nothing. “Okay, okay, I\u2019ll handle it. Calm down, will you?”\n Stewart looked between the two of us, clearly uncomfortable. “Jess, I\u2019m so sorry. I didn\u2019t know this would happen.”\n “It\u2019s not your fault, Stewart,” I said firmly, giving Adam another sharp look.\n We stood outside in the chilly night air, the weight of the situation pressing down. Stewart shifted uneasily. “I hope you can forgive me, Jess. I really want to make it up to you.”\n I exhaled slowly, my frustration softening just a little. “Maybe. I just need some time to think it over.”\n There was a brief silence, a mutual understanding of the disappointment hanging between us. As we prepared to go our separate ways, I felt a pang of sadness.\n “Goodnight, Jess,” Stewart said quietly, his voice laced with regret.\n “Goodnight, Stewart,” I replied, my tone weary.\n As I walked home, the cold night felt heavier than before. I realized it was time to reevaluate the trust I placed in those closest to me. Adam\u2019s antics had gone too far, and I needed to set some firm boundaries\u2014not just for him, but for myself.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My brother’s latest matchmaking attempt turned into a nightmare when his friend, Stewart, took me on a date that ended with us stuck at a high-end restaurant facing an unpaid bill. As the situation spiraled and the manager threatened to involve the police, I couldn\u2019t help but question just how much trouble Adam had gotten …\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":96555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1439],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96556,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96162\/revisions\/96556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/01%5C/bb6d5b516649c506e964831377596409ecd730ba4ddf02aa04ef6f33cb0333a8.webp%5C%22 "\\"\\"")
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