DEAR MISS MANNERS: My boyfriend and I live together, with roommates, in a big house. We share the cooking, and due to shift work and other reasons, dinner can be anywhere between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Usually, when dinner is ready, whoever cooked it will send a message in the group chat to call everyone to the table. (People might be spread out on three different floors, or outside.)

Recently, my boyfriend and I went out for the day to a place a couple of hours away. The weather was great, and we had an amazing day of hiking. We didn’t get home until 8 p.m. and hadn’t had dinner yet.

I offered to heat up some leftovers, and my boyfriend said he would take a shower in the meantime. He saw me heating up the food and he knew it wouldn’t take long.

I assumed he would join me for dinner right a

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