Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be mortified and so upset about how this date ended?

672 replies

AmberCatz · 23/09/2026 10:04

I met a guy a couple of months ago and we've been out a few times. I posted before about the first date being 11 hours long (he kept extending the day and I was happy to spend time). But although there had been affection and some hand holding we hadn't kissed yet - so this did make me suspicious about his interest. Its been stressing me out really.

Last night we went to a show with my best friend and her boyfriend. Afterwards, he suggested we all grab a drink at a nearby pub. had a great time and because I was off work today we kept going (and drinking, bad move). Basically we talked about how we were both single and open, then I asked if he'd like to kiss and he leaned in and kissed me. We made out for a while and then went to another bar where he instigated another make out and put his arm around me etc.

I haven't slept with anyone in a year and was keen to take him home. So i suggested it and he said he was too tired and needed to sleep before work. I immediately read he just wasn't interested and it hurt but I brushed it off. He said we'll meet 'some other time'

As we were trying to get me a taxi he kept walking ahead and became super distant. Finally I was like what gives and he says 'I'm not looking for anything romantic right now'. I think I messed up here because I then said he owed me an apology for leading me on. He refused, and said there's nothing wrong for enjoying one night and kissing. We had not an argument but a kind of tiff.

I'm now dead from the worst hungover for ages and feel terrible about how we left things. We have each other on social media and several mutual friends - do I need to apologise? I also feel like I threw myself out him and he isn't attracted to me so that feels terrible also.

OP posts:
Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 10:48

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 10:11

They won't necessarily post on mumsnet. Lets hope men posting misogynistic stuff elsewhere online have other men telling them off about it. I doubt it.

I didn’t say they would, although men do, the point I was making was if the exact scenario was repeated, with the genders reversed, this thread would have been deleted long ago as posters mass reported the comments.

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 10:47

FriendlyMedusa · 24/09/2026 10:43

People keep saying "imagine if the genders were reversed" as if MN wouldn't be telling OP she absolutely bears some responsibility for going on repeated dates if she isn't interested in dating. Because that is weird misleading manchild behaviour. Seems quite simple to me.

P.S. It is still not about sex, obviously he can say no to that. The argument is about romance. At no point has OP said he owed her sex or anything like it!

Edited

cmon now, that’s why she was hurt, and that’s what she keeps repeating, he led her on by groping her arse,

FriendlyMedusa · 24/09/2026 10:43

People keep saying "imagine if the genders were reversed" as if MN wouldn't be telling OP she absolutely bears some responsibility for going on repeated dates if she isn't interested in dating. Because that is weird misleading manchild behaviour. Seems quite simple to me.

P.S. It is still not about sex, obviously he can say no to that. The argument is about romance. At no point has OP said he owed her sex or anything like it!

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 10:11

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 10:06

I’m trying to imagine a man starting a thread on here looking for advice. Says he’s dated a woman, they went out, got drunk, snogged a couple of times, at 2am he was keen to take her back to his place to shag her, she declined, said she was tired and had work the next day, but would like to see him again, and that he then got upset, she wandered off looking for a taxi, she started a tiff, he demanded an apology, saying she’d led him on, and she’d tried to argue that by kissing him he wasn’t entitled to sex and wouldn’t apologise for not having sex with him,

and the responses are she’s frigid, maybe there’s something wrong with her genitals, she’s a lesbian, you were entitled to sex, she shouldn’t have said no, she’s the problem, of course she should have shagged you if she snogged you snd felt your arse, there is something wrong with her, you’ve dodged a bullet.

and when someone says hey this is unacceptable. The responses are but yeah women say this shit too, so it’s ok.

because that’s where we are going, it’s ok for women to say this shit, so they’ve no come back when a man does it.

bottom line, he was drunk, it was 2am, he had work the next day, he wanted to see the op again, he was not required to stand there drunkenly at 2am and lock in a time and place. Yes he wandered off looking for a taxi, or wandered off not looking for a taxi , the story gets muddled there, but it’s clear the op was drunk and belligerent as he said no, hurt by the rejection and embarssed, and what came next was due to that,

she was not entitled to sex as he snogged her and felt her arse, just like a man isn’t, if a woman does that, nor does it mean he’s gay, impotent or has a micro penis for gods sake.

the very least we as women should do, is hold ourselves to the same standard as we want to hold men to,

They won't necessarily post on mumsnet. Lets hope men posting misogynistic stuff elsewhere online have other men telling them off about it. I doubt it.

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 10:06

I’m trying to imagine a man starting a thread on here looking for advice. Says he’s dated a woman, they went out, got drunk, snogged a couple of times, at 2am he was keen to take her back to his place to shag her, she declined, said she was tired and had work the next day, but would like to see him again, and that he then got upset, she wandered off looking for a taxi, she started a tiff, he demanded an apology, saying she’d led him on, and she’d tried to argue that by kissing him he wasn’t entitled to sex and wouldn’t apologise for not having sex with him,

and the responses are she’s frigid, maybe there’s something wrong with her genitals, she’s a lesbian, you were entitled to sex, she shouldn’t have said no, she’s the problem, of course she should have shagged you if she snogged you snd felt your arse, there is something wrong with her, you’ve dodged a bullet.

and when someone says hey this is unacceptable. The responses are but yeah women say this shit too, so it’s ok.

because that’s where we are going, it’s ok for women to say this shit, so they’ve no come back when a man does it.

bottom line, he was drunk, it was 2am, he had work the next day, he wanted to see the op again, he was not required to stand there drunkenly at 2am and lock in a time and place. Yes he wandered off looking for a taxi, or wandered off not looking for a taxi , the story gets muddled there, but it’s clear the op was drunk and belligerent as he said no, hurt by the rejection and embarssed, and what came next was due to that,

she was not entitled to sex as he snogged her and felt her arse, just like a man isn’t, if a woman does that, nor does it mean he’s gay, impotent or has a micro penis for gods sake.

the very least we as women should do, is hold ourselves to the same standard as we want to hold men to,

PilotingAWail · 24/09/2026 10:06

I would be pissed off if the man I'd spent the evening out with was wandering off up the street and leaving me at 2am.
After 4 dates he really doesn't owe you anything though.
He could be a headfucker, he may not like drunk ladies, he may have had work, he may have been tired 🤷🏻‍♀️ or all or none are true.
You felt hurt. He's probably best avoided if he initiates contact & dates in the future.

Humanshurtmyhead · 24/09/2026 09:42

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 09:16

I was responding to
If men were posting that shit about a drunk woman declining sex at 2am as she was tired and had work and said she’d like to see him again, there would be an utter outcry
Men post much worse on the Internet and there is no need to pretend otherwise or to hold women to a far higher standard than men are subject to. Women are in far more danger from men than the reverse. Women posting on the Internet doesn't compare to that. Let's not pretend men have it harder than women

Edited

Why generalise that women have it harder. Individuals have their own personal challenges whether they are women or men. Suicide rates in men are high for a reason. They aren't living the perfect life because they're men. Men aren't devils and women aren't angels. There's Individuals who are both, across men and women.

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 09:38

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 09:16

I was responding to
If men were posting that shit about a drunk woman declining sex at 2am as she was tired and had work and said she’d like to see him again, there would be an utter outcry
Men post much worse on the Internet and there is no need to pretend otherwise or to hold women to a far higher standard than men are subject to. Women are in far more danger from men than the reverse. Women posting on the Internet doesn't compare to that. Let's not pretend men have it harder than women

Edited

Right so we all behave like pieces of shit to each other and it’s ok, men say we can do it as women do, and women accept men doing it as they do it too? Because they do, this thread is an example.

namechangetheworld · 24/09/2026 09:37

I then said he owed me an apology for leading me on.

Christ alive. If a bloke admitted that he would have his arse handed to him.

Maybe he was nervous about having sex straight away. Maybe you were a crap kisser. Maybe his ex texted him and agreed to give it another go. Maybe he just changed his mind.

The mental gymnastics on this thread to justify your attitude are repulsive.

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 09:37

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 08:45

Men post far worse than that about women I can assure you. Remember the guy posting about how he was going to abduct Holly Willoughby? Or the Pelicot case? Unlike those cases no men have been harmed by this post.

wtf, like women don’t do crimes? It’s not a race to the bottom, where we behave like shit and it’s ok as men do it too,

moderate · 24/09/2026 09:21

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 09:16

I was responding to
If men were posting that shit about a drunk woman declining sex at 2am as she was tired and had work and said she’d like to see him again, there would be an utter outcry
Men post much worse on the Internet and there is no need to pretend otherwise or to hold women to a far higher standard than men are subject to. Women are in far more danger from men than the reverse. Women posting on the Internet doesn't compare to that. Let's not pretend men have it harder than women

Edited

So then we shouldn’t call out men’s bad behaviour on the internet because to do so would be to hold them to a different standard than we hold women? What a daft line of argument.

Mulledjuice · 24/09/2026 09:20

AmberCatz · 23/09/2026 10:09

I'm so embarrassed. I feel like he went along with the kissing but doesn't really fancy me.

he's the first guy I really liked since my ex so it's upsetting. We seemed to have developed a connection these last two months.

You have nothing to apologise for, so please don't.

he is not the right guy for you and his behaviour isn't great.

you feel shit because you're hungover and you've got the hangover scaries.

have some marmite on toast, sweat it out and sleep it off, and don't message him again.

make some other nice plans that don't involve dating (or drinking too much)

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 09:16

Humanshurtmyhead · 24/09/2026 09:11

Just because something else can be worse doesn't make this right.

If society think the lowest of the low thoughts of people from a particular demographic it becomes ingrained into their behaviour.

I was responding to
If men were posting that shit about a drunk woman declining sex at 2am as she was tired and had work and said she’d like to see him again, there would be an utter outcry
Men post much worse on the Internet and there is no need to pretend otherwise or to hold women to a far higher standard than men are subject to. Women are in far more danger from men than the reverse. Women posting on the Internet doesn't compare to that. Let's not pretend men have it harder than women

Frillysweetpea · 24/09/2026 09:15

AmberCatz · 24/09/2026 06:23

At same time, he have been interested but wanted to go at a slower pace and I may have messed that up. Unfortunately I need to sit with that,

Yes, possibly, but he could and should have told you that, not walked off at 2 am! You know, you may have dodged a bullet. IME, men who send mixed messages are not good news. I think it's time to stop berating yourself and see it as an early lesson learned. I'm not convinced you are missing much at all. Unless and until he redeems himself by coming forward soon to clear the air and take some responsibility I would view him with some suspicion. Stop being so hard on yourself!

Humanshurtmyhead · 24/09/2026 09:11

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 08:45

Men post far worse than that about women I can assure you. Remember the guy posting about how he was going to abduct Holly Willoughby? Or the Pelicot case? Unlike those cases no men have been harmed by this post.

Just because something else can be worse doesn't make this right.

If society think the lowest of the low thoughts of people from a particular demographic it becomes ingrained into their behaviour.

ClaredeBear · 24/09/2026 08:59

You’ve defintely got alcohol induced anxiety- it’s horrible! I think he does fancy you and there’s possibly something else going on. I once dated someone who couldn’t quite bring themselves to spend the night. Turns out he was worried about ED - which he didn’t actually have! Maybe he’s anxious too but either way, you’ve done nothing wrong and do not let this don’t your confidence, he wanted to kiss you!! PS. That date is now my husband.

IAmTheStreets · 24/09/2026 08:51

ApiratesaysYarrr · 24/09/2026 08:07

I am wondering what the answers would be if the situations were reversed (especially with reference to the comment about "owed an apology for leading them on").

The same? Why would the answers be any different if the roles were reversed?

Normally adult people are capable of either acting like they aren't seeking romance if they truly don't or saying straightforwardly the chemistry or the attraction they hoped for isn't there if they, in fact, do seek romance but can't see themselves having it with this particular person. This guy, however, acted like he was interested in developing some kind of relationship with OP then said he was looking for none of it. That's mixed signals and pretty much leading the other person on, not a good look for anyone, man or woman.

I'm sure OP wouldn't have any problem with him keeping his distance throughout their dating time but he didn't do that. He showed all the interested and reciprocated her steps then declared he doesn't want any of that in general. He should've said he doesn't want any of that with her specifically if this is the case, and it would have been still painful for her but at least there would be some clarity. His response made no sense given the context and was a childish attempt at avoiding an honest conversation. This is very much the reason to side-eye the person regardless of their gender.

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 08:49

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 08:26

I can’t get past the comments on this thread, it is utterly shameful.

A drunk man declines sex with a very drunk woman at 2am and says he’s too tired and has work and would like to see her again ( and op he was drunk it was 2am he wasn’t going to be setting a time and place at that moment) and instead of accepting it was exactly what he said women are posting he’s got ed, is a virgin, has a micro penis , is gay etc. and that he was leading her on and she was entitled to sex.

it’s utterly utterly shocking people think like this. If men were posting that shit about a drunk woman declining sex at 2am as she was tired and had work and said she’d like to see him again, there would be an utter outcry, and likely from the exact same women posting he’s got a micro penis and is impotent.

No need to hold women to a far higher standard than men

TunnocksOrDeath · 24/09/2026 08:46

Anyone is allowed to change their mind at any point and have that decision respected.
I think he did the right thing by not going home with a drunk woman who obviously likes him when he wasn’t sure he wanted a relationship with her.

Etincelle · 24/09/2026 08:45

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 08:26

I can’t get past the comments on this thread, it is utterly shameful.

A drunk man declines sex with a very drunk woman at 2am and says he’s too tired and has work and would like to see her again ( and op he was drunk it was 2am he wasn’t going to be setting a time and place at that moment) and instead of accepting it was exactly what he said women are posting he’s got ed, is a virgin, has a micro penis , is gay etc. and that he was leading her on and she was entitled to sex.

it’s utterly utterly shocking people think like this. If men were posting that shit about a drunk woman declining sex at 2am as she was tired and had work and said she’d like to see him again, there would be an utter outcry, and likely from the exact same women posting he’s got a micro penis and is impotent.

Men post far worse than that about women I can assure you. Remember the guy posting about how he was going to abduct Holly Willoughby? Or the Pelicot case? Unlike those cases no men have been harmed by this post.

Venusunbroken · 24/09/2026 08:26

I can’t get past the comments on this thread, it is utterly shameful.

A drunk man declines sex with a very drunk woman at 2am and says he’s too tired and has work and would like to see her again ( and op he was drunk it was 2am he wasn’t going to be setting a time and place at that moment) and instead of accepting it was exactly what he said women are posting he’s got ed, is a virgin, has a micro penis , is gay etc. and that he was leading her on and she was entitled to sex.

it’s utterly utterly shocking people think like this. If men were posting that shit about a drunk woman declining sex at 2am as she was tired and had work and said she’d like to see him again, there would be an utter outcry, and likely from the exact same women posting he’s got a micro penis and is impotent.

Morecoffeeneedef · 24/09/2026 08:18

AmberCatz · 23/09/2026 10:13

Yep my ego has taken a huge hit. To think he spent four days/dates with me but he's not interested and doesn't fancy me. I feel very unsexy today :(

You're not unsexy. The man has some kind of problem, perhaps he is impotent. It's reasonable after kissing for someone to suggest sex and ok for the other person to refuse. Leave it there and don't offer or ask for apologies.

ApiratesaysYarrr · 24/09/2026 08:07

I am wondering what the answers would be if the situations were reversed (especially with reference to the comment about "owed an apology for leading them on").

hellomellow · 24/09/2026 06:33

OP this sounds like how my cheating ex behaved. He would test out other women, lead them on and then feel utter guilt after things would get serious. He would then make excuses and leave, only to return to them after an argument between him and me.

His actions could be guilt.

AmberCatz · 24/09/2026 06:23

At same time, he have been interested but wanted to go at a slower pace and I may have messed that up. Unfortunately I need to sit with that,

OP posts: