I’m not dumb—far from it, in fact—but I was still fooled by a guy who I thought really loved me but was actually just using me for my car. Sounds nuts but it’s true. I was such an idiot!
- We worked together and flirted a lot, so naturally, I thought he liked me. He was tall, handsome, and definitely my type. He made me laugh and gave me a lot of attention. I had a huge crush on him and I hoped he liked me back. Considering that he flirted with me as much as I did with him, I thought it was a pretty safe bet that he was into me too.
- He ended up making a move when we closed the shop together. My boss didn’t want a woman closing on her own at night, so he was there with me that fateful evening. As soon as we left the building, he pulled me in for a makeout session. He was a great kisser and I totally felt like I was in a rom-com at the time. If only I’d known then what he was really like.
- From then on, we were inseparable. We spent almost all of our free time together, driving around with friends mostly—and always in my car. We had a ton of fun and I didn’t think anything of the fact that he didn’t have a license. We were still young, so I figured he just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I should’ve realized it was a little weird because it’s not like we lived in the city where he wouldn’t need it.
- He and his friends almost got me into a lot of trouble. He hung out with some serious losers. He was definitely a bad boy, which was attractive at first but always sucks long-term. Of course, I didn’t know this when I first started dating him. One time, his friend actually broke someone’s car window with a rock. I immediately left because I didn’t want to be associated with what he was doing. That was the last time I allowed that particular friend in my car, but I still kept hanging out with my guy even though that incident should’ve been a huge red flag.
- He tried sleeping with me a couple of times, but something held me back. We’d stop somewhere while driving to make out, which I liked. However, when he tried to take it further, I was hesitant because deep down I knew something didn’t feel right. I’m glad I didn’t because of what happened next. I should’ve listened to my gut and gotten rid of him then.
- I spent less time hanging out with him and more time just driving him places. He basically stopped even pretending to spend time with me. Either he stopped caring or really thought I was that stupid. For example, one day he told me he wanted to hang out, but as soon as I picked him up, he said he forgot he told his other friend he’d hang out with him that day. He had me drop him off at this friend’s house right away and didn’t even invite me to join. I drove home feeling confused.
- I still kept giving him chances. I was young, stupid, and blinded by his cuteness and how good of a kisser he was. I was still in denial about what was happening. Eventually, he stopped being affectionate with me completely. I became just the chauffeur, and only then did I start to wake up a little.
- I realized he cared more about my license than about me. I don’t know why it took me so long to understand that this guy didn’t like me at all and that he just wanted me to be his driver. I fell for it for a while, but ultimately realized I needed to get rid of the loser. I deserved better. I was acting like a doormat and needed to put a stop to it.
- I finally respected myself enough to stop playing his games. I dumped him and felt so much better after that. When I confronted him, he didn’t care at all; he basically said it was fine and never spoke to me again. I was hurt at first because I really liked him, but then I realized I was so much better off without him. He was the one missing out. Plus, I was no longer at risk of getting in trouble by association. He ended up getting fired from our work shortly after because he was so unreliable, and I thankfully never saw him again after that.
- The experience taught me to be more cautious about whom I date. If nothing else, he taught me to have enough self-respect to not let guys walk all over me. I’m glad I didn’t let him bring me down with him. I’m pretty sure he ended up getting arrested a few times and never went anywhere in life—shocker! Now I look at my experience with him as an important learning opportunity. We’re all young and naïve at some point, but I’ll never fall for anything like that ever again, that’s for sure.
