What Man Did When Girlfriend Was Late for Romantic Dinner He Cooked Cheered

A man has gained widespread support online after sharing his experience of playing video games when his girlfriend returned late from brunch.

The 29-year-old (r/colddinner22) took to Reddit’s “Am I the A*****?” forum to seek advice after his plans for a romantic dinner went awry. His post quickly gained traction, amassing 12,000 upvotes.

The original poster (OP) had intended to cook dinner for his girlfriend at 6:30 p.m., looking forward to some quality time together. Despite her assurance that she would be back in time, her brunch extended into a day of barhopping around Chicago. As he began preparing the meal at 5 p.m., he noticed through her Snapchat that she was in a completely different neighborhood, taking shots.

“I didn’t want to be the boyfriend who nags, so I let it go. But I was getting seriously annoyed, thinking, ‘Oh great, she’s gonna be hammered for our nice night we had planned,'” he shared.

By 6:30 p.m., his girlfriend still hadn’t returned. When he checked her location, he saw she was at yet another bar. Disheartened, he ate dinner alone, stored the rest in the fridge, and joined his friends for a PlayStation session.

His 26-year-old girlfriend finally arrived home at 7:15 p.m. and asked about dinner. He informed her that it was in the fridge, ready to be reheated since she was late.

“She apologized for being a little bit late but basically gave me a half-a**** laughing apology, saying, ‘You never know what to expect when the girl gang goes to brunch,'” he recounted.

He responded that it was fine, but mentioned he had other plans now. She accused him of being rude and went to bed. The following day, she was passive-aggressive, leading him to ask the Reddit community if he was in the wrong.

To make matters worse, she criticized the dinner he had prepared, instead ordering Taco Bell via DoorDash.

Expert Weighs In

Seth Eisenberg, president and CEO of the PAIRS Foundation, said that the issue between the couple stems from unmet emotional needs and miscommunication.

“The 29-year-old man envisioned an evening spent cooking and connecting with his girlfriend, investing emotionally in this plan.

“When she didn’t return as expected, he turned to video games—not as a way to ignore her, but as a way to cope with his disappointment. His response to the situation was a kind of emotional retreat, likely stemming from hurt feelings that he didn’t know how to express in the moment,” Eisenberg told Newsweek.

His girlfriend, unaware of how important the evening was to him, dismissed his disappointment, further deepening the disconnect.

“This situation reflects the classic problem of misaligned expectations. He had hoped for a quiet evening together, while she sought spontaneous enjoyment with friends. The crux of the issue isn’t in their actions but their inability to express their underlying emotions and need,” Eisenberg explained.

He said that both need to communicate their feelings and expectations more openly to bridge the gap and avoid similar situations in the future.

Reddit Reacts

The Reddit community overwhelmingly supported the OP’s decision to play video games rather than wait for his girlfriend.

“NTA. [Not the A******] That was very rude and childish of her. I saw in the comments that this isn’t the first time she’s been out later than expected and ruined your plans together. And that was a really long day of drinking. Are her late returns home often due to her drinking, or was this a one-off? The insult to your cooking as a coup de grace was awful,” commented TemptingPenguin369.

Another user agreed, saying, “NTA. You did the right thing. You got on with your life and had a nice evening without being an accessory she can play with whenever it suits her. Now do the right thing and leave her.”

However, not everyone was as convinced.

“Yeah I’m genuinely struggling to understand why this is such a bad thing. Being rude about his food isn’t very nice, but don’t people hang out with their friends for a bit longer than originally planned once in a while?” questioned eilzzz.

“NTA, your GF is. You had plans, she didn’t even have the decency to cancel them, just left you waiting and didn’t even care. She was very rude and shifting the blame onto you just sucks. If this is how she acts often, I wouldn’t be in this relationship if I were you,” wrote another user.

Newsweek reached out to u/ColdDinner22 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.

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