Should a Guy Pick You Up on a Date?
Call Me Old Fashioned, but I Wish Guys Still Picked You Up For a Date
Back in the good old days of actual phone calls, romance, and real dates, when a guy would ask you on a date and you accepted, the next thing he would say would be along the lines of, "Great, I'll pick you up at 8." The call would end, and you would have nothing to worry about besides getting ready before the said date and time.
My, oh my, the times have changed. The lovely scenario listed above has become extinct.
In today's world, we get asked out on dates over text, and more often than not, we get asked for "hangouts," aka hookups before an actual meal-eating date comes into play.
Should a guy actually shoot for the romantic gesture and ask you on a real date, the conversation normally ends with a text along the lines of, "I'll meet you there at 8."
Based on a recent experience of mine and upon the hundreds of date invitations sans pickups my girlfriends have received, I have one big question for the gents out there: when did you stop picking us up?!
I understand that in today's world, we have about 1 million options for how to get from point A to point B. We have cabs, buses, Uber, trains, driving, and even good old-fashioned walking. However, if you don't pick your date up, you are missing one key element of the traditional old-school date.
Not the initial pickup and not the date itself, obviously, but the most telling part of all dates: the drop-off. If you meet your date out vs. picking them up, you rob yourself of the perfect opportunity for a goodnight kiss, and maybe even more than that. The way the date ends solidifies to both daters how the date actually went.
It's a scenario often played out time and time again in rom-coms and sitcoms. The night ends, and when the drop-off happens, goodbyes are exchanged, and that is when there's the classic jingle of the keys or maybe a hand lingers before the walk to the door. This is prime time for a first postdate kiss to happen.
When we go on a date where we meet at a bar or restaurant, the time to call it a night is just straight-up awkward. Who calls an Uber first? When does the second date invite happen if it is going to at all? Do you hug? Shake hands? Between a busy street, mapping out exactly where your Uber driver is, all while being stared down by the valet attendant who is waiting for his next patron, there is really no opportunity to seal the date with a kiss, nor would anyone want to in that situation.
I feel awkward even describing this because this is the exact scenario that occurred in my most recent date.
The date was great, and I had already gotten a second date invite, and I felt like we were truly vibing with each other. But, like I said, that above awkward scenario was the close to my great date. If I had been picked up and dropped off, I definitely would have given this guy a kiss. But instead, the night ended while I was calling my Uber and people were pushing their way in and out of the restaurant entrance.
Any good vibes I had from the date seemed to disappear for me, and I think on his end, too. When it came time to say bye, the awkwardness was pretty palpable, and then the least-romantic thing of all happened: we hugged.
Not only does a pickup guarantee a great opportunity for a kiss when the night ends, but it also shows your date you are genuinely interested in spending every minute of the date with them. Additionally, it ensures the date is void of any awkward moments, especially goodbyes. That is how you close the date — after all, shouldn't it be on the best note possible? Guys, if you really like your date, effing pick them up!
Editor's note: This piece was written by a POPSUGAR contributor and does not necessarily reflect the views of POPSUGAR Inc. Interested in joining our POPSUGAR Voices network of contributors from around the globe? Click here.
