She flew to France for a third date with a pilot who stood her up. A year later, she learned he'd been 20 minutes away — and hiding a secret
A year later, Ryan asked if he could have another chance, but Lesya's response left him red-faced
Everyone wants to experience a good European summer romance, and Lesya (@lolesya) thought she was living one when she met Ryan, an American pilot. Well, they both matched on Tinder in June 2025 and clicked almost instantly. After two amazing dates in London, Lesya and Ryan went their own ways but kept in touch through video calls and text messages. However, once, when the pilot was in Europe, he invited the woman to meet him. Excited, Lesya booked a flight from Barcelona and spent the next three days in Nice, France, waiting to meet Ryan. Initially, his avoidance made Lesya think he was swamped with work — until she discovered he was just 20 minutes away, with a bag full of excuses for not meeting her. The post, shared on July 15, 2026, has received 1,300 likes on Threads.
Excuses on repeat
Lesya reached Nice a day early but did not see Ryan because he was busy with his boss. They stayed in touch through texts, and he asked her to meet him for lunch. Lesya agreed, but hours later, the pilot told her he was not feeling well and canceled their plans. On the second day, Ryan went for a run and assured Lesya they'd have lunch together, but he canceled at the last minute because of an urgent flight to Switzerland. Later, the man promised a dinner date but called it off due to work. Lesya was even more frustrated because Ryan had a car and was just 20 minutes away from her but still refused to meet her.
Every time Ryan canceled, he blamed it on being sick and dehydrated. He also said he was being "cautious" after Lesya told him she was "worried about gaining too much feelings" for him. Frustrated with his excuses, the woman decided to go home. She politely wished Ryan all the best after he asked her out for a coffee. His immediate response was, "Okay, best of luck to you as well. I'm sorry for ruining your night."
The final excuse
A year later, Ryan messaged Lesya out of the blue and asked if he could have one more chance. Lesya responded with, "I don't think there's any point in meeting. I misjudged you... I do believe in second chances, but only when there's a reason to believe things would be different. I don't see that here." The story ended with him admitting he had not been single for the last two months, which was why he had not reached out.
Dating reality
Being stood up is not a pleasant feeling, especially after crossing borders to meet the other person. A 2018 YouGov poll revealed that the majority (69%) of the respondents had never stood someone up on a date. However, while 14% confessed to having done it once, 7% revealed that they had stood people up on a date several times before. The survey also revealed that men (25%) were more likely than women (19%) to stand someone up on a date. The numbers proved to be true in Lesya's and Ryan's case.
'You are way out of his league'
Meanwhile, people in the comment section said Lesya was lucky to have dodged a bullet. Several netizens were convinced that Ryan was never single, and he either had a wife or a girlfriend, which was why he could not meet her. @sixteenthcgirl commented, "You are way out of his league, and your replies were strong. You know your worth, and that’s everything. I hope you meet a partner who is worthy of all your brilliance and meets you as an equal. Until then, rock on: you are awesome." @_callmemal added, "That relationship he was in until 2 months ago? I’d bet my house he was in it last year. Con men, the lot of them."
You can follow Lesya (@lolesya) on Threads for more lifestyle content.
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