In case it's not obvious to anyone reading, fitgirl is not a working out guru, and don't Google her directly, her site has 50 bajillion copycats with malware. Go to your neighborhood's friendly piracy community, and look for her in the guides.
Thanks a lot, I will probably take you up on your offer soon, as soon as things settle and patterns start to emerge, because things are still very new and chaotic for all 3 of us 😅
Honestly, it sounds to me like he just really wasn't present in the moment.
I just cannot believe he would intentionally do such a thing, if he was aware of the entire situation, given your previous interactions. I might be projecting, (for I've been in such situations, and it was horrible for everyone involved), but I believe he was strongly tuned out somehow. Dissociated, either because of other things in his life at the time, or because of the date itself.
I think, no matter the cause, that's still a bad sign for a date, he was not in a situation to pay attention to you, which was not a good thing at all.
If you feel some kind of empathy for that, or if you have any degree of interest, you could literally ask him. I think it's good and proper to ask what was going on, about a time you were hurt, assuming you want further association with someone.
Otherwise, as a rule, I believe other people's minds are kinda unknowable, and Very unreliable (we make mistakes all the fucking time), so I would not take it personally. I'd be willing to bet, it was not meant to be any kind of slight to you, or any intentional message. He probably just fucked up, and you should probably let it go, and move on.
To be clear, I don't think there's a right answer about whether you try to connect with him again or move on. Whichever you honestly feel you want, in your gut, is probably right.
I can't advise you on anything that happened on the date itself, those are entirely yours and person-specific.
Assuming that you are not interested in anything with him at all, and just want to properly reject him, I strongly recommend not ghosting him fully, and instead give a kind but firm and clear rejection.
You don't have to go into detail explaining. Especially after mutually keeping distance for that long, it's clear that there was no spark between you, and you can just say something along those lines. "Sorry, I didn't feel the chemistry, and I really feel like we don't match. But I wish you happiness."
For those last couple questions you ask... My opinion is that they're are no rules.
Guys being expected to pay feels slimy to me, but paying itself can be good, like a gift, especially if you reciprocate and pay for something else another time.
The gal asking for what would make her happy in terms of which shop to go to... Should be an absolute given. If you feel like you're not gonna have fun somewhere, recommend the better option, absolutely.
Re-reading some time ago, this weird manga called Boku girl, more than a decade after first reading it when I was barely a teenager.
The series drew me in as a child, when I couldn't understand anything at all about me, but this page, years later, made me believe the validity and importance of asking the question, now that many other things are already in place in my mind.
Hit me like a truck.
So now at least some of my close friends, those that truly care about this question, know.
Even more appreciated, coming from you, cum.