Woman's plan for a quiet breakup was upended by 20 chess players in a coffee shop — her BF responded by giving 'notes' on her breakup technique
After she communicated her decision, Katie's ex-boyfriend gave her a note from their dating experience
Breakups are always hard, but when they happen in public spaces, they tend to create a lot more chaos. Something similar happened when one woman walked into a coffee shop planning to break up with her boyfriend. But as the conversation grew tense and she finally told him why she wanted to end things, the entire room began to notice. The man, in turn, gave her some notes from their dating experience. The August 3, 2026 TikTok video, where Katie Leszynski (@katieleszynski) narrated the story of this whimsical and poignant episode has since been viewed by 755.3k people.
$14 chamomile tea
It took Leszynski, a Los Angeles-based actor, way too much self-reproach to proceed with this breakup, given that the man she was dating was highly sensitive. She had been with him on eight dates, met his family, and been to his house. But as time went by, she realized that he wasn’t the one. Her mom suggested that she meet him in person to discuss the breakup rather than reveal it on text.
She decided to meet him at a coffee shop located a two-minute drive from his house. As she walked to the ordering counter, she recited a gibberish account of her breakup, requesting an appropriate beverage. The order was registered for a $14 chamomile tea.
As Leszynski moved to her seat, struggling through the crowd, a group of Armenian men in their 60s and 70s sat nearby, smoking cigars, playing chess, and watching what was happening. When the man arrived, the people in the coffee shop stopped what they were doing and started noticing the couple.
Do you have any notes?
Leszynski's boyfriend, it seemed, had already guessed what she was about to say, for he had brought her favourite mug. With all eyes on her, she told him that she was not ready for the relationship, “It’s not you. It’s me.” The man asked if she had any notes from their dating experience. She said no, to which he said, "I have some notes for you. I wouldn't get a Valentine's Day gift for somebody if you're going to break up with them,” he told her, recalling their third date when she got her a journal for him to put all his creative ideas. She thought it was a nice gesture, but he took it another way.
"I take the note, I process it, and I say, 'Absolutely, I completely understand. I won't do that again,'" she said. While she sat there "feeling heartless" with 20 men looking at them, the man had an emotional outburst. Overwhelmed with the situation, Leszynski asked him to talk outside. While she was pulling her car, an old man from the shop came towards her. “You forgot your mug,” one of them said and handed her the mug. “So you're single now,” he added. She immediately rolled down her windows and drove away.
Men are more than 'stoic'
While men may be depicted as tough, hardy, and emotionally stoic, most men take breakups harder than women. Often, men become the victims of circumstance where rejection sensitivity, power struggles, and social embarrassment trigger them to become more hypervigilant and insecure in their future relationships, according to a report published in Health Psychology Open.
Viewers found Liszynski’s story so intriguing that many of them brought up comparisons with some of the famous soap operas and television shows, including How I Met Your Mother. Others shared different perspectives on the situation. @lima00kai said, “Why drag it to 8 dates when you were not feeling it though!” @babelindinha jokingly remarked, “I would have paid $14 just to be inside the coffee shop to witness this masterpiece.” @shannonb1209 shared, “I’m so sorry. I once broke up with a man for the same reason, and he cried. Like a lot. I had no clue what to do.”
You can follow Katie Leszynski (@katieleszynski) on TikTok for personal storytimes and lifestyle content.
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