“I think your mom will just be thrilled by you going on a date with anyone,” he teased. “And you know the only thing we really care about is you being with someone who treats you well.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” I mumbled.

“But I don’t mean actually sacred though, yes, that too,” he added. “I just mean that you have to work up to sharing the intimacy of a Saturday. On Friday, there’s no shortage of conversation points, with work or school still buzzing around in your head. And, if the date is going badly, you can very believably claim that you’re tired and cut the night short.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot,” I said.

“Your mother and I had our first date on a Friday,” he said, smiling at the memory.

“Yeah, and you met when you were, like, twelve—”

“Twenty, actually—”

“So when exactly did you have a need for this very weird and specific dating philosophy?” I tilted my head and squinted at him, and was surprised to see him blush, just a little.

“All right, so I have to be honest,” he said and part of me got worried for a second. Was there some horrible infidelity in my parents’ history that I was about to find out about in this very silly conversation?

“I did not originate this philosophy,” he said and I relaxed. “It’s something Aaron and I have discussed.”

“Ugh, are you serious?” I groaned. “I come to you and I still end up getting dating advice from Aaron?”

“He has a lot of experience to draw on,” he said, completely nonjudgmentally in the kind of way that only my dad has ever been able to achieve.

“That’s exactly why I don’t want his advice!” I said, throwing up my hands. “I think I could actually really like this girl and I really want there to be a second and third date.”

“Then just be yourself, Rose,” he said. “That’s all you really need to do.”

“That’s even worse advice than Aaron’s,” I said.

“Okay, here’s some practical advice, because I know you like steps you can follow.” I nodded in agreement at that. “Don’t do dinner and a movie unless you already know she’s a film buff. You can’t talk during a movie and it’s too much of a dice roll to pick one out that you’ll both like. Dinner is great, but make sure to tell her the restaurant first so there are no surprises, and don’t get dessert at the restaurant.”

“Why not?”

“You don’t want to stay in one place the entire date, or it will feel just like getting a meal or coffee with a friend. If things are going well, go to a different bar and get a drink—”

“I’m nineteen,” I reminded him.