He Showed Up 20 Minutes Late With Starbucks – Dating Horror Stories

Some dates leave a happy memory behind, whereas others become memorable only because of doubts about why they happened.

It is hard to foresee the outcome of dating. You can spend many hours making yourself look perfect, selecting great clothes, coming right on time, and thinking about how great the rest of the night will be; however, when you see your date twenty minutes late, with their Starbucks coffee.

At first, you can mock them, since it happens to anyone. Nevertheless, after some time, if there are no apologies and explanations, and it seems like coffee became more important than everything, you begin to wonder whether you happened to get caught up in such a terrible date.

This particular awkward situation is evidence that the dating dreams never come true.

 

What to Do If Your Date Arrives Late

 

Twenty minutes seems like forever when you’re waiting for a first date.

Check out your phone. Nothing.

You look toward the entrance. Still nothing.

You wonder whether you misunderstood the meeting time. Then, finally, they appear carrying a drink.

They casually apologize and say, “Traffic!”

There is only one thing: holding a cup of Starbucks coffee means that they could have stopped somewhere to have their coffee.

These are the instances where the whole environment suddenly changes. You will suddenly wonder whether being late was a necessity or just that they did not care about your time.

Just being late one time cannot help you judge anyone. However, the way a person handles being late can tell you something. A sincere apology and explanation are very different from acting as though another person has been waiting for no reason.

 

The Starbucks Made It Worse

 

Perhaps the funniest part of the story is not even the lateness.

It is the coffee.

Picture yourself sitting for 20 minutes, wondering whether your date would ever show up, while watching them sit down with their perfectly prepared cup of coffee.

Perhaps you are thinking, “How do you have time to stop for your coffee?” It is in such scenarios that some unfortunate dating stories are transformed from tragic to funny.

The truth is that there is nothing wrong with Starbucks itself, since having coffee before a date is okay. The problem lies with the person being late and apparently oblivious to the fact that they have been keeping you waiting.

 

Date Expectations vs. Reality

 

Another reason dating might be disappointing is that a person may have developed expectations about another individual before meeting them.

From an online chat, one can form the impression that an individual is intelligent, loving, romantic, or crazy about them. This builds up expectations for the date.

This happens especially frequently with Internet dating.

You exchange messages for days. You discuss your pastimes, favorite places to eat, vacation dreams, and relationship aspirations. Finally, you decide to meet.

Then reality enters the picture.

Maybe they are quieter than expected. Maybe their sense of humor is completely different in person. Or maybe they arrive twenty minutes late carrying Starbucks.

The lesson is not that online dating is destined to go badly. It is simply that digital chemistry and real-world chemistry are not always identical.

 

The Reality Behind Dating Fails

Some dating fails are harmless. Some show true incompatibility.

 

The person on the date could have been late because they had a bad day, but apologized profusely for it. The person who keeps ignoring your time shows they don’t really care about it.

That distinction is important.

An embarrassing incident doesn’t always make up a whole person. Observe how he handles himself in the face of an awkward situation.

Does he recognize the problem?

Do they apologize?

Is their effort to make it fun after that the problem?

Are they making you feel like you’re being unreasonable by asking for some respect?

These are the things that really make a difference from the actual mistake.

 

When Unexpected Tales Come from Online Dating

 

One common feature of online dating horror stories is that expectation can be far removed from reality.

This could include finding out that pictures were taken several years ago. Someone may talk constantly online but become extremely quiet face-to-face. Another person might cancel at the last minute after you have already arrived.

Then there are stories which have absolutely nothing wrong with them, except that they are just funny, like when you are late and holding a cup of coffee.

One good thing about dating is that not all awkward situations have to end up being disasters – sometimes you will simply get to know something new about your date.

If you are struggling to figure out how to talk to people online, reading about dating approaches may also help you prepare better before meeting someone in person.

 

Handling the First Hard Date

 

Well, what does one do when their date shows up twenty minutes late?

You have to start by relaxing.

There is no need to decide that the entire evening is ruined immediately.

See how they approach this problem. No matter what they do, including apologizing, giving excuses for being late, and promising to be on time in the future, you might end up going out with them.

In case they don’t even realize they are late, you have plenty of reasons to be disappointed in your date. You do not need to create drama. A simple conversation can tell you plenty.

It is possible to express yourself by saying, “I must admit that I was a bit worried about your twenty-minute delay. Thanks for informing me about the situation.”

Their response can give you more information than the lateness itself.

 

Not All Bad Dates End Disastrously

 

One of the weird aspects of dating is that the dates you are sure will be great end up being memories you cannot even recollect, whereas the bad dates make some of your best memories.

A bad first date doesn’t have to stem from something catastrophic. It could be just a string of minor awkward incidents, such as unexpected delays, awkward conversations, unrealistic expectations or even one person paying more attention to their cell phone than to you.

It can even be counted among the top ten dating disasters to show up 20 minutes late for a Starbucks meeting. If you enjoy meeting people online, remember that not everything has to be extremely serious.

 

What This Date Can Teach You

 

Some aspects of dating include finding out what suits you and what doesn’t.

You might discover that you value punctuality. You may discover that you need someone who communicates when plans change. Or you may realize that a person being twenty minutes late does not bother you if they handle it respectfully.

There isn’t really a set-in-stone guideline regarding the expectations that you have of your date.

Knowing where your boundaries lie is more essential.

If nothing else, if your date shows up twenty minutes late and toting a Starbucks, you’ll likely have an entertaining tale to tell later on.

Some dates become relationships.

Others become stories.

And occasionally, the stories are much more entertaining.