Patrice, 37
"Three years ago, after a breakup, I signed up on Meetic and Gleeden. Dates started lining up one after another. So many women I met who talked without stopping! Silence seemed like their enemy. A date isn't an interview. I like when a woman expresses herself but also listens—it makes us feel valued, like we're still a bit in control. I'm wary of one-track conversations. We might discover a shared passion, say for Rihanna or serial killers, and it dominates the whole dinner. By the time the bill arrives, it feels like we've covered everything and have nothing left to say. The key is balancing the conversation."
Benjamin, 35
"Men aren't as anti-commitment as people think. In fact, the dynamic has flipped: many of my friends pushed for moving in together and starting a family, even when their girlfriends wanted to stay free. We're aware, just like you, of how fragile relationships are today. But we see building a shared future as something tangible—we love that—and a real challenge worth taking. That said, we hate feeling pressured, especially with talk of biological clocks and the like. We appreciate when a woman slips and mentions 'us' in the future tense, like it just comes out naturally. That's our cue. Ultimately, we prefer the decision to commit to come from us."
