What a jackass!
Cora Hayes from Sydney, Australia, was backpacking around Europe with her summer boyfriend, Jack, when they got matching tattoos. Hayes assumed the love would last forever, just like the tattoos, but after their second date, he dropped out.
In a series of TikTok clips posted to her account FollowHayes revealed the downfall of her international love story.
The lovestruck pair met on Hinge and “hit it off immediately,” Kennedy News & Media reported, and got “identical” lemon tattoos within 24 hours of meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“We went to a tattoo shop and got matching little lemon tattoos. For no reason, we both matched on lemons and got the exact same tattoo at the same time,” Hayes said.
Hayes, 22, revealed that their first date was such a success that they decided to meet again in his native Scotland once she finished her trip to England.
“I had some free time while traveling so I messaged him and said he could come back. He said, ‘Yeah, come back. I’d love to see you,'” she recalled.
The two solidified plans for a second date, with Hayes purchasing a $181 plane ticket from England to Scotland.
“I sent him my flight details, checked if the dates would suit me and so on. The whole time, we were messaging back and forth and everything was fine,” she added.
However, as the departure date approached, the salesperson discovered that her future partner had “cut off contact” her just two days before she was due to board the plane.
“He messaged me saying, ‘I’m so sorry, I’ve got family commitments, I can’t make it this weekend, hope you get back safely’. He knew I wasn’t coming back to Australia for a month but he wasn’t about to reschedule,” Hayes said.
Although the Australian believed Jack had made up the excuse, he remained optimistic and flew off to his girlfriend’s home town, despite knowing no one else there.
During her stay, she made sure to post her location online so Jack would know she was in the area, but instead of contacting her, Jack would just look at her Instagram stories.
“No matter how you feel about the situation, ghosting is not an excuse. That’s the part I don’t get. Tell me it doesn’t work,” she sighed.
Ms Hayes left the country on June 20 after spending four nights sharing a hostel room with two Australian women, feeling “panic” and abandoned.
“I blamed myself, I thought I wasn’t good enough. I blamed myself. But the way someone treats you is a reflection of them, not a reflection of you. You have to know your worth,” she exclaimed.
Ms Hayes later found out Jack had stood them up because she was “too pushy” and “I live in Australia and he didn’t want to get hurt”.
Hayes was frustrated by the lack of transparency and honesty and realized reconciliation was not in his future.
“To leave someone uninformed like that is just insane to me. I don’t know how someone could do that. It’s horrible being local,” she said.
Despite her unhappy love story, Hayes forms new bonds with her hostel roommates, and when she reveals the purpose of her trip, they decide to get matching lemon tattoos just like her.
“It’s very empowering. It’s like, ‘Fuck you.’ For him the tattoo is still the same story, but for me it’s become a story of friendship and girlhood. He’ll never forget me.”
Although Ms Hayes’ trip turned out differently, she still “loved Edinburgh”, because she got to see Jack’s true character and forged new friendships.
“Remember that you are a good person and that you are loved. There are other people out there. Even if it’s not romantic, there is a lot of love out there.”
