I’ll share a story to illustrate my point:
I was standing in line at a tiny, hole in the wall crêpe cafe on a cobbled Parisian street. The couple in front of me were laughing, nervously touching each other, and clearly newly dating.
After they ordered, this was the dialogue exchanged:
Man: “My treat!” Huge grin on his face, and reaches for wallet.
Woman: “Oh no, I can pay for mine, it’s fine!” Unzips her clutch.
Man: Starting to frown, “Please, let me treat you to this.”
Woman: Still giddy, not noticing his change in demeanor, “Really, I can pay for my own crêpe! It’s no problem!” Hands cashier money. Returns to the same affectionate playfulness they had before ordering, and is completely unaware of his stiff posture and tight lips.
I’m taking a gander, but I’ll guess their evening didn’t end well. I’ll even go as far as to say that the relationship probably won’t work out.
So what happened here? And why is it so important?
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