Matched with a girl on Hinge three weeks ago. Great banter, matched music taste, easy laughs. We finally set up our first date at a lounge in Indiranagar last Saturday. The chemistry in person was electric. We stayed until closing time, danced, walked through quiet side streets, and shared intense moments sitting on the bonnet of an empty car. Everything felt like something straight out of a romance movie. Around midnight, as we were sitting on a quiet curb waiting for her ride, her phone lit up on her lap with a WhatsApp notification. I didn't mean to pry, but the screen was right there: a guy's contact photo with the message, "Kab tak aaogi?" Throughout our three weeks of texting, she had explicitly emphasized that she didn't have any close male friends. When I gently asked, "Who's that? Aren't you heading back to your hostel?", her entire demeanor froze. She stammered, claimed he was just a casual acquaintance, and that she had to drop by his apartment at 12:30 AM to "pick up some books." When I asked if everything was alright, she became defensive and refused to show the chat, saying "he sends offensive memes." I didn't argue. I called my cab, paid for her ride, wished her safe travels, and blocked her number the moment I reached home. It still stings because the connection felt so rare, but when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.