It’s that time of year again. That time of year when everyone becomes all obsessed with chocolates, romance, roses, love, gigantic teddy bears…and dating. As if dating isn’t awkward enough on its own at times, there has to be a designated day to pressure you to go on a date just because it’s Valentine’s Day. If you’re worried about having an awkward date, you’re not the only one.

Imagine going on a date, not even knowing it was a date. Maddy Jourgensen, a senior nutrition major, went to watch a movie with some friends thinking it was just that, a movie with friends. Little did she know, it was actually supposed to be a double date. Talk about awkward. To make it even worse, on the way back from the movie he tried to kiss her, and when she turned her head away, he ended up kissing her eye. It’s safe to say the night did not go as either of them had planned.

Cole Steiner, a senior economics major, ended up breaking his date’s iPhone on their date. Steiner had been working with this beautiful girl and finally decided to get her number and start talking to her. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so he thought it would be the perfect time to ask her to go to Horsetooth. When they got there they decided to hike down to the lake and sit on the rocks to get to know each other a little bit better. Before climbing onto the rock, she asked him to hold her brand new iPhone because she didn’t have any pockets.

“Bad thing was, I was wearing silk basketball shorts, but it didn’t cross my mind that the phone would slip out,” Steiner said. “When I finally climbed the rock and sat down, I heard this noise sounding like a phone hitting every rock and dropping into water. Sure enough her brand new phone fell right out of my pocket, dropped about 6 feet, hitting every rock possible, and then finally landing in the water.”

He was shocked, and she started yelling at him. It didn’t end up being the perfect day that he had imagined.  Luckily, though completely shattered, the phone still worked. Although he broke her new phone, she still gave him a second date.

While at the time awkward dates may seem really bad, they usually make pretty good stories, and if you’re lucky, you may even get a second chance. So, this Valentine’s Day feel free to succumb to the dating pressure without the fear of an awkward date.

This article was produced for College Avenue’s Love, Sex, and Relationships issue.