So now you’ve agreed to meet up, and seemed such a great idea – but you’ve got cold feet. It might be something they said, or just a nagging reluctance, or perhaps you forgot that your aunt is coming into town and you’re expected to be on your best behaviour.
Here are some of the better excuses I’ve encountered, or used along the way to back gracefully out of a date:
- Being sick – no one likes to be around someone who’s ill, but at the same time it can sound suspicious. Best to use this if you really are feeling under the weather or have no plans to leave your home.
- You’re double-booked – hey, it happens, and this is one of the few that lets you keep your head high because you’re still honouring a commitment to someone. This can work just as easily if you’re just overwhelmed by a full schedule.
- You need to check in on someone else – this isn’t as extreme as the old “someone died” excuse, and still promotes you as a selfless person who will go out on a limb for friends.
- You’re working late – most people are sympathetic to looming deadlines, but be sure to only use this if you are working late enough that you’re not going to be found downtown with friends when you should be working. It’s another one that helps when you’re so stressed from work that you can’t face the thought of being sociable and leaves the window open for another date later.
- You’re seeing someone else – pretty much a solid way to blow any date out of the water with total finality unless you and the people you date are casual daters. In that case it’s a disappointment more along the lines of double booking yourself.
- You don’t want to go – about the most honest way of approaching this situation is to just say so. Your reasons may be incredibly varied, as noted in at the beginning of the article. You might have realised that there’s no romantic spark between you, or the idea of another date just makes you uncomfortable.
None of these approaches is going to give you a free pass or make you feel the most comfortable, but there’s varying degrees of honesty to each depending on your circumstances. Given the odd excuses I’ve had in the past, I’d rather have the honest approach, but at least with these you’re less likely to get laughed at.