A TikToker is questioning whether she wants to date again after a man she had been talking to for weeks appeared to change his mind shortly after taking her on a romantic birthday date. Chelsea, who posts under the handle @chelseabellee, shared her experience in a TikTok video that has received 254,200 views and 1,759 comments at the time of publication.
Chelsea explained that she and the man had been getting along well before meeting in person. They would have four-hour phone calls and stay up late talking, leading her to believe things were going well between them.
The two initially started talking long-distance, but Chelsea said she is moving to Chicago. For her birthday, she wanted to visit the city, something she said she does every year.
Leading up to the trip, they coordinated a day when he would be off work so they could go out together for her birthday. He even took the day off. Chelsea acknowledged that going on a first date for her birthday might have been an unusual decision, but she was excited about the plans.
"He planned this whole thing in advance. He got reservations. He's like, I'm handcrafting you a card. He made a whole thing, like, he was writing notes on me, like, learning me and writing notes on me and remembering things about me," she said.
When he arrived in town, he immediately shared his location with Chelsea. Looking back, she said she considered that a red flag, although nothing else seemed unusual at the time.
According to Chelsea, the date went well, and he seemed sweet and romantic. He gave her a silly gift and a handmade card, both of which she later said she planned to throw away. Chelsea had also asked her mother to overnight a dress she really wanted to wear for the occasion.
However, the following day, she noticed that his location sharing had been turned off.
Chelsea said the two had joked beforehand about only seeing each other for one night. She recalled him later making excuses about not being able to see her again after work.
"Oh, no way I could do a second round tonight after work. Like, just like kind of blowing me off and I'm like, oh, f--king no. Are you kidding me?" she recalled.
As she was preparing to leave the city, Chelsea texted him to say she was disappointed they hadn't gotten to see each other again. According to her, his response was that he couldn't handle a long-distance relationship and was interested in other people.
Chelsea said the experience had left her questioning whether she wanted to date again. Reflecting on how quickly his attitude appeared to change, she asked, "How can someone be so cruel? I just don't get it."
TikTok users sympathize with Chelsea after her disappointing birthday date
Chelsea's story prompted viewers to share their own thoughts about dating and the difficulties of getting to know someone. Some sympathized with her disappointment, while others questioned how emotionally invested she had become before meeting the man in person.
One commenter wrote, "dating is a humiliation ritual atp im[sic] convinced."
"Please never invest in a man you have never met," another user advised.
Others were concerned about how attached Chelsea seemed to have become before the pair had even gone on a proper date.
"If you were saying 'my man my man my man' about someone you hadn't met yet... I'm a lil worried about you girl. They're gonna eat you up. You don't have to play games, but you do need to protect your heart and mind if you're choosing to date," another commenter wrote.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made in the video by TikTok creator @chelseabellee, which are based solely on her personal account of the dating experience.
