The Breakup

The photographer showed one of her works to her lover and asked what he thought the people portrayed in it were like. She quietly walked out a few moments after he—feeling flustered and taken off guard—replied, “I don’t think photographs can tell you anything.”

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Rating: 4.5/10 (8 votes cast)

Bad Move

On their first and only date, he tried to compliment her, “I wish I’d met you twenty-five years ago, because, you know, you’re pretty now and all; but you probably could’ve stopped traffic then.”

She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side as if examining him and then replied, “I can’t tell about you—were you ever attractive?”

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Rating: 9.3/10 (20 votes cast)

The Right Fit

She dated around for years, and there were guys she probably would’ve married if things had gone differently, if they had stuck around long enough to ask. It wasn’t until Boyfriend #63 that she realized what a mistake and a misery that would have been and what she would have missed out on by settling.

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Rating: 7.0/10 (5 votes cast)

False Modesty

He had an intense fear of appearing conceited and took great pains to make light of his accomplishments or to avoid discussing them altogether. At first, she confused this with modesty and found the trait endearing; but eventually, she recognized it as the height of arrogance: he must believe himself to be a living miracle, given the amount of time and energy he expended in convincing people it was not so and worrying that his presence in the room might make them feel small.

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Rating: 3.3/10 (4 votes cast)

Benefits

The disease he contracted was not life-threatening, but it scared him enough that he turned his routine upside down and dramatically altered his diet. In the end, that brief scare and the changes it prompted added ten years to his life.

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Rating: 9.2/10 (6 votes cast)

Sweet Nothings

He charmed her by saying unusual things like: “You and I are like a block in a logic game, we have to go together.” They were so un-romantic that they felt genuine, whereas the tried-and-true romantic lines she’d heard so many times before from other men always felt forced and contrived.

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Rating: 6.5/10 (6 votes cast)