Why I Don't Take Tinder Dates Home

I was in college and had recently moved in with my sister. Tinder was still a relatively new dating app and I was getting on it for the first time in months. First match, first conversation, a few pictures and talking, and we decide to meet up. I had never been on a tinder date before and I didn't know how they worked. I am a small girl at 5'2 115 pounds and thought I could handle myself. He was taller and bigger physically in comparison, but that didn't hit me as odd. I met him for coffee and he was significantly older than I imagined, by probably 10-13 years. He claimed to be 30 but it looked more like 45. This made me uncomfortable and, despite being friendly, I was already planning my exit strategy. He offered to buy coffee for me and the barista. I politely declined, paid for myself, and thanked him. It was then that I noticed he smelled strongly of alcohol. I tried to keep the vibes of the date friendly, keeping in mind that I didn't want to lead him on. My idea was, get through the coffee, be friendly, and I'll never see you again. I noticed he was staring at the barista then me then the barista again. I realized he was comparing us. I then noticed he kept looking down at his phone. I saw him type and look up at me. He showed me the phone and asked how the message was. To my surprise, it was to me. He had been talking about how he was in sales and had to make calls/text on the side. He then asked me if I wanted to head to a quieter location since I don't live too far away. I said I was more comfortable where we were, and that it was fine. He asked if I wanted to go for a drive, and I said yes thinking it'll be better because he could just drop me off and leave if I didn't like it. Big mistake. <br><br>As we walked to his car, I realized I didn't know my sister's address. I always take an Uber and don't pay attention to those things. He asked for my address and, being young and dumb, gave him the general area and closest cross streets. He asked me to get in the car and I hesitated. I knew that I couldn't drive myself anywhere and I didn't know the name of the street we were on. I got in thinking "Worst case, I get dropped off somewhere and call an Uber." As we're driving, he kept talking about his sales job and how he has to message these numbers. He showed me again what he had texted me saying I was "cute". Throughout the drive he has looked at me, smiled, and winked. It was creepy and I didn't like it. I noticed that he kept looking back in the rearview window then back at the road. I looked back and saw my sister. She's a petite blonde with blue eyes and a small nose ring. She was following us. I looked at my phone and saw "Where are you? Seemed like you were in trouble" in our group chat. I message "I don't know. On some street. This doesn't look good". She looked at me in the backseat. I nodded. At one point during the drive he was talking and laughing with me, then he says "Oh, I'm sorry. You can't hear me, can you?" and winks at me. I was freaked out. I looked back and my sister was still behind us. At one point he had taken a wrong turn and my sister messaged "Make him take you back to the coffee house". I told him "I don't think this is right" in reference to the directions. He says "Oh shit, I think I messed up" and laughed. We get back to the coffee house and my sister pulls up in front of his car. I open my door and he grabs my arm. He asks, "Wait, you're not leaving already are you?" I shake my head no. <br><br>I get out of the car and walk to the driver's side. He rolls down the window and I whisper "You're acting really strange, I'm going to go home". He says "Well, I guess if you're not going to come home with me, then you're just going to have to give me a kiss goodbye!" I say no and walk away. I get into my sister's car and buckle up. We go to the nearest Starbucks. I realize I don't have my wallet or phone. She hands me her phone and wallet. I realize I don't have my keys. She hands me her keys. We get to Starbucks and sit down. I realize I don't have shoes. She takes off her shoes and hands them to me. This has been a very odd day. I ask her why she followed me and how she found me. She has a mapping app on her phone that lets you track your friend's location. She saw it was much farther away from my usual location and decided to check on me. Then she saw me get into his car and she followed me. I am eternally grateful for her. <br><br>As we sat at Starbucks, I realized I was still on the date. I opened the app and unmatched him. As soon as I did, I got a text message. "I don't like it when people do that". Then another. "You think you can just walk away from me?" I show them to my sister and we both got up to leave. We walked to the car and as we were walking away from the parking lot, I noticed a car pull up behind us. I looked back and it was him. He honked and I grabbed my sister's arm. We ran into the nearest store and called the police. They showed up and blocked off the parking lot. They took a description of him and the car, then they left. I never heard anything about it ever. <br><br>That was the last time I ever went on a Tinder date alone.