When my best friend Mia told me she wanted to set me up with her boyfriend’s friend, I hesitated. Blind dates weren’t really my thing. But Mia was insistent. “You’ll love him,” she said. “He’s polite, smart, stable — a total gentleman.”

Against my better judgment, I agreed. His name was Eric. From the first message, he came off as confident but not pushy — the kind of guy who used complete sentences and asked thoughtful questions instead of sending one-word replies. Continues…