The date was going well – then I saw the note on her phone

This was my first date in nine months (Picture: Getty Images) As I turned my date’s phone around and read what was on the screen, my breathing stopped short. She’d gone to take a work call, leaving her personal phone behind on the restaurant table. While she was gone, the screen lit up with a notification – something about a ‘Date Assessment’ in the OneNote note-taking app. The app was already open, so I turned the phone around and read what was on the screen properly. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This was my first date in nine months. I’d gone through a break-up in July 2025, after which I tried not to date for a long time. I was terrified of getting hurt. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Around eight months later, I stumbled across a woman on Instagram, Roselyn*. Her bio said, ‘I have strong opinions about escalators.’ ‘What could someone possibly have strong opinions about escalators for?!,’ I thought, intrigued. I followed her, and we got talking. We’d text late into the night and would often have hour-long phone calls that never felt exhausting or forced. We talked about music and movies, our careers, hobbies, families and anything else under the sun. We also learned we lived fairly close by. So, after speaking for just over a month, I asked her out. We agreed to meet the following week at a restaurant near her place. The conversation flowed as naturally as it always had (Picture: Getty Images) By the evening itself, I was really nervous. I wanted to impress Roselyn without actually giving off any vibes of wanting to impress. I got to the restaurant a few minutes early and she spotted me as she walked through the door. We smiled, shared a brief hug and sat down. Once we’d ordered the wine, the conversation flowed as naturally as it always had. She laughed so hard at one of my stories she had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye, which made me laugh too. About half an hour in, she got a phone call from a client. She told me she had to take it and stepped outside, leaving both her handbag and her other phone on the table. That’s when I saw the notification about her ‘Date Assessment’. Roselyn had been evaluating our date in real time, and I hadn’t even noticed (Picture: Getty Images) I wasn’t trying to be nosy – her phone was lying right there, face up beside me, and I could see my name on the screen, so I pulled the phone over to get a clear look. The first few lines read, ‘Jaw: strong. Smile: genuine. No umm-ing with menu order – plus!’. The note was remarkably detailed. It was divided into sections, with headlines. It even had a score system for First Impression, Conversation, Green Flags and Compatibility. Roselyn had given me 76/100 for First Impression. Under a section titled Potential Liabilities, she had written: ‘Maybe too charming. Charming men are exhausting – monitor.’ Further down, under Green Flags, she’d put that I hadn’t looked at my cell phone once. Under Ongoing Concerns, she’d noted that I tend to laugh at my own jokes before I finish them, questioning whether that was ‘endearing or exhausting?’. The note ended with ‘Total so far: 89.’ She said she’d been making these notes on her phone under the table (Picture: Getty Images) Roselyn had been evaluating our date in real time, and I hadn’t even noticed. To my surprise, I wasn’t offended by what I had read. If anything, I was fascinated. I returned her phone back to where she’d left it, and a few minutes later she returned. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Did I miss anything?’ I smiled. ‘Actually… I was wondering how much the jaw category is worth.’ She froze. ‘The… what?’ ‘The assessment,’ I said. ‘I feel like 89 is respectable, but I’d really like to know what gets someone into the 90s.’ Her face moved through different expressions before landing somewhere that was trying very hard to be composed. ‘That’s a violation,’ she said, eventually. ‘You scored my jaw,’ I replied, instantly. She suppressed the urge to laugh before conceding, ‘It is a strong jaw.’ ‘I’ve been growing it my entire life,’ I said. The scoring system became an ongoing topic of amusement (Picture: Getty Images) Then she lost her composure and we both burst into laughter. She said the notes system started after too many bad dates. They were for determining real compatibility versus an enticing first impression, so that she wouldn’t get swept up in things too soon. With that explanation, it all made perfect sense. She said she’d been making these notes on her phone under the table – which I hadn’t even noticed. Later on, the evening became more relaxed. Her scoring system became an ongoing topic of amusement, with me campaigning jokingly for bonuses. Stepping out of the restaurant after our meal, we lingered on the curb. I offered her a smile and told her it had been a wonderful first date. She smiled in return. After a moment I gently took her hand, leaned down, and kissed her on the jaw. Looking back on that date, I smile more than anything else (Picture: Getty Images) I dropped her home and watched her as she got out of the car, pulled out her phone, and started typing. She was clearly completing the evaluation. I drove home that night replaying the evening in my head over and over again, and I went to sleep smiling, feeling appreciative and happy to have given the dating world a go. The next morning I found my thoughts turning to Roselyn and what she might have written about me after we’d parted ways. Later that day she messaged me, saying she enjoyed the evening and thanking me for being such a good sport about her scoring. A week later we went on another date, and I officially asked her to be my girlfriend. Looking back on that date, I smile more than anything else. It wasn’t perfect and it certainly didn’t go the way I expected – but it taught me that genuine connection isn’t built because everything goes according to plan. Sometimes it’s the unexpected moments – the ones you never could have prepared for – that reveal the most about another person. I’m grateful I chose curiosity over embarrassment and humour over frustration that night. Had I reacted differently when I saw Roselyn’s scoring system, the evening might have ended the moment I saw those notes. As it is, we’re still together now. *Name has been changed Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing izzie.price@metro.co.uk. Share your views in the comments below. Arrow MORE: I kept tiger balm and lube by my bed – he reached for the wrong one Arrow MORE: The ‘backhanded’ compliment that’s an instant mood killer in the bedroom Arrow MORE: I’m menopausal and horny — so I’m having an affair with a 33-year-old