Man Says He Messed Up After Accidentally Calling Girlfriend ‘Gross,’ Then Surprised Her in a Good Way

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock photo of couple.Photo:gerty

gerty

A man found himself in hot water after he thought he said one thing to his girlfriend, but he actually said the opposite.

In a post on Reddit’s “TIFU” (which stands for “Today I F—– Up,” a 28-year-old man detailed ahorrible misunderstandingbetween him and his girlfriend, 26.

One morning, after she’d just gotten out of the shower, she began “asking me what she should wear.”

“I made a suggestion, but she said she didn’t want to wear that because it was too tight. She said she was feeling gross,” he wrote.

“She knows I almost always say exactly what I mean, including compliments and criticisms. This is important to me personally as well as in our relationship because she has had body positivity issues, and I love her body and the way she looks,” he continued.

However, his history of expressing himself clearly came back to bite him in this specific instance.

“In my brain, I meant to say, ‘Well, why do you feel gross? You look cute!’ ” he wrote. “And what came out of my mouth, as sharp, and clear as could possibly be was, “Well, you look gross.”

Immediately, he wrote that they both froze and were “shocked" — and that he could see his girlfriend’s eyes “filling up with tears.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The man said he reassured her that “gross” wasn’t a word he would ever use to describe her, and that he didn’t mean to use it in the first place, but she was “destroyed, trying to hold herself together as best as she can through tears streaming down her cheeks.”

The man said that his girlfriend believed him, but he could still tell she was hurt.

Even though he had to leave for work, while he was still in the car he ended up making “some calls” and was able to take the day off.

“I turned around, picked up some flowers, sausage for breakfast, and a cheesecake (our favorite) for later,” he wrote. “When I showed back up, she was shocked again, but this time in a good way.”

“We’re okay now,” he added.

“I had a similar blunder working retail. A woman asked ‘Can I ask you a question?’ And I blended ‘Ask away’ and ‘Go ahead’ into ‘Go away,’ ” wrote one commenter.

Another shared that they actually had a word for this kind of situation “I call this getting “tonguetangulated” when you try to say two things at once and they get jumbled up,” they wrote.

A third reply noted that the most important thing is how the man handled the situation.

“It is not uncommon to misspeak,” read the reply. “It is uncommon to call out of work, buy sausages and cheesecake, turn the car around, and go back to make everything right. You’re a good guy!”

source: people.com