Rejection sucks, but our behavior doesn’t have to

In my early 20s, I agreed to accompany a man on a cruise to Iceland on a whim. At the 11th hour, I wavered. I wasn’t romantically interested in him, and it occurred to me, embarrassingly late in the day, that embarking on such a trip might constitute a mixed signal. I vacillated and sent awkward, non-committal responses to his messages. To his credit, he called me on it. “Just say you’re not interested,” he said. “I can take it.”