Dear Anna,

I’m 24 and recently started seeing a guy I’ve had a crush on for six months. We finally went on two dates and both went incredibly well. He was affectionate, introduced me to his friends, cooked me dinner, even cleared a little space on his bathroom shelf for my toothbrush. It all felt very sweet and intentional, and I left his place thinking this might actually be the start of something real.

But the next morning, while he was checking his calendar, I accidentally saw an entry labeled “coffee w/ Hinge date.” He didn’t notice me noticing, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know how to react. I tried to tell myself it was probably planned before we started going out, but it still left a knot in my stomach.

Later that day he texted me normally, right up until about 9 p.

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