Rejection hurts on any day of the year, but one Twitter user is all but thanking his recent Hinge date for the way she turned him down ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Twitter user Jeff Rothenberg, who lives in Arizona, posted the text he got from a “Sarah” whom he met on Hinge, and people are loving the way that both of them handled the situation.
"A little vulnerability: I just got turned down for a second date after a recent first date," Rothenberg wrote in a tweet on Wednesday. "Never fun but I wish more women would do this! Be honest, value each other’s time, and don’t ghost other people. The person on the other side actually really appreciates the honesty!"
Rothenberg also shared a screenshot of his conversation with Sarah, and it shows the simple way that she turned him down while still keeping it friendly.
"I enjoyed meeting you, but I do not see this going anywhere romantically between us," she wrote in the text. "I just want to be upfront and not waste either of our time."
Rothenberg thanked her for the date, wished her luck, and then moved on. "I really appreciate the honesty and agree that time is valuable," he added.
Thousands have since reacted to the tweet and many have jumped into the comments to applaud Sarah for her honesty and Rothenberg for his vulnerability.
"Yes this is a minimum requirement of healthy people," relationship expert Taylor Burrowes wrote in the replies.
"Jeff — thank you for gracefully accepting the no. Most men do not. And then we wonder why we even try being honest," wrote one person.
"Don't rule out how respectful you also were in the interaction," added another user. "That allows people to feel comfortable in having those conversations. Speaks well of you."
"As I’ve gotten older, I try to not take any of this personally," Rothenberg added in response to one of the comments on his post.
"Attraction is not a choice! And oftentimes it’s better to find this out early rather than later."
Another user confessed that she takes screenshots of messages like this and turns to them when she's feeling down about dating.
"It sounds weird, but it makes me feel better," she wrote. "Also, my new rule always goes for 2nd date unless 1st was terrible. Some women disagree."
Rothenberg also artfully handled another user's "pickup" advice, after that person suggested that he "made some texting mistakes that gave her the upper hand, making you lose the frame."
"That's to pickup for me brother," Rothenberg replied. "I'm going to be me."