If you went on a couple of dates with someone who always brought a book with them for when you had to use the bathroom, would you be weirded out by that?
This woman has been seeing a guy for approximately six weeks now, and everything is going great with him. They have been out on five official dates, he’s fun to talk to, and he makes plans to see her in advance, which she appreciates.
He also comes across like he’s interested in her when she goes out on dates with this guy; however, he does one thing whenever she sees him that is really bizarre to her.
“The only strange thing is he brings a book with him every single time. At first, I assumed he was reading on the train, but whenever I get up to use the bathroom, he immediately takes it out and starts reading,” she explained.
“Even if I’m gone for two minutes. Last weekend I came back sooner than expected, and he looked almost embarrassed while putting it away.”
“I finally asked about it, and he said he hates sitting alone in public without something to do. I thought that was fair, but then he admitted he also brings it in case I’m late or the date gets awkward. I’ve never been more than five minutes late, and we haven’t really had awkward silences, so the second part threw me off a little.”
“Carrying backup entertainment to every date makes me feel like he’s preparing to be bored by me. Is this just a nervous habit, or would it bother anyone else?”
The book might even be a bit of comfort to him if he has social anxiety, and it makes sense that he wants to be occupied instead of sitting there all alone when she gets up.
I feel like she’s turning nothing into something here. It’s super refreshing and cool to me that this guy is into reading instead of sitting there doomscrolling or texting other girls or something whenever she gets up from the table.
He’s a green flag, not a red flag, for toting around a book with him on their dates. I also appreciate that this guy actually has enough of an attention span for a book, as I feel like that’s relatively rare in this day and age, as everyone is chronically online.
I find it sweet and charming that her date appreciates a good book, and if she finds it offensive, she shouldn’t try to change him; she should release him back into the wild and keep it moving, because I am convinced there are so many girls who would love to go on a date with a man like this!
What do you think? If someone brought a book to every one of your dates, would you be upset by that?
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By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
