For many women, going on a first date with a total stranger can be a daunting experience, especially if you've met them online and you have no idea who they really are as a person.
And while so many of us may feel anxious in those situations, one woman on Reddit has expressed her shock after a man she went on a date with went above and beyond to make sure she felt "safe" - with one simple request to their waiter.
The woman, 21, explained she had met her date, 27, on the dating app Bumble and the pair had gone to a restaurant, but she had found herself needing to use the bathroom.
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She didn't want to leave her drink unattended as she didn't know her date well enough to trust him with it, so she initially decided to just wait until she got home - until the bloke asked their waiter to keep hold of her drinks for her.
In her post, she said: "So I've been getting back into dating lately. I met this one guy off Bumble and we hit it off. We went on our first date and spent like 4-5 hours together, getting to know each other and such. Those 4-5 hours were great!
"We then went to a restaurant later in the day and when I got my drinks (water and pink lemonade), I realised needed to go use the bathroom. I didn't trust him enough to leave my drink unattended (because duh, it was our first time meeting), so I tried to cover it with my cloth napkin, but obviously, that wouldn't stop him if he tried to drug me.
"I eventually decided I'd just wait until I get home to use the bathroom since the restaurant was only a few minutes away from my house. But when our waiter came back to us, my date proceeded to say to the waiter: 'Hey, it's our first date. Can you take her drinks and hold them while she goes to the bathroom and bring them back when she gets back?'"
The woman said her "jaw dropped" when she heard the man's thoughtful request, as she knew it was his way of letting her know that she would be safe with him.
She added: "When I tell you that in my head, my jaw dropped! I have never had a guy do that for me before and I've never heard of any guy doing that with any woman before.
"I know some of you are probably thinking 'That's the bare minimum', but he went out of his way to ask the waiter to hold my drinks to assure me that I would be safe with him. That was amazing to me personally."
The woman has already had a second date with the man and is "looking forward" to seeing where things go, as she knows there's something special about him that she hasn't experienced on other dates.
And other women commented on the post to congratulate her on finding someone she feels safe with, as they also praised the man for his actions.
One person said: "That's very thoughtful. In real life it's unheard of, not a bare minimum at all."
While another added: "That was really a thoughtful gesture. I wish you both all the best for future dates."
"This is so sad," a third stated, "I mean the gesture is really nice and kudos to your date, but the fact we live in a reality where he had to do it is depressing as f**k."
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