Beware, I'm on a little bit of
a tirade about this lately. Just please tell me where is it written that everyone
always deserves some kind of explanation or assessment on whether or not you're
interested? Let's say you ask someone out on a date. He or she says no. You now
know that the askee is not interested--at least at this juncture--in becoming
romantically involved with you. Finito. I think we all agree that the askee owes
no detailed explanations to the asker. So, let's take case number two. You
ask someone on a date. He or she does not know whether or not they're interested
but figures it's worth giving a shot. He or she says yes. After the date, however,
said askee has become certain: definitely not interested. By virtue of having
said yes to one date do they now owe the asker a full breakup spiel? Do they owe
any explanation whatsoever? No.
The blow-off is a fully acceptable maneuver
at this point. It should always be done nicely, of course. With a smile. But saying
no to dates after having gone on one date (and maybe even two or three, really)
is no different than saying no from the beginning. No explanations required.