GO WITH THE FLOW

Don't overstay
Your night together is over and you should get moving the morning after. You don't have to act as though it's Monday (it very well could be), and get into a frenzy. But start gathering your stuff, the debris of your dalliance – the night is over.


Don't hit the kitchen
Hydrate if you must–so a couple of glasses of water from the fridge are fine. But if you are going to start cooking up Eggs Benedictine, then you are giving the wrong impression. You're a lover; not a spouse.


Promise to call
You must though ask for your lover's number, unless you exchanged the night before. It gives the other person the impression that you are not the easy type (even if you might be). Conversely, if the other person is iffy, then you know for sure that this was short lived.


Don't fix your next date immediately
Dates fixed at the door or at the life vestibule are certainly ones to not materialise. A mere "I'll keep in touch" is subtle and sexy enough.


Don't leave behind anything
You might think it's cute to leave behind something, and that it's the perfect excuse to return. But there are many factors that may prevent you not only from meeting the person again, but also from retrieving your object. A servant could steal it, he or she could go out of town, you might get sucked back into the city. Don't leave stuff behind. Ever.


Wash up
There is no harm in having a quick shower on the way out. Unless you absolutely can't stand the sight of what's snoring in the bed. At the same time, this should not turn into an exercise in using all your lover's toiletries. Be Spartan.


Don't ask for money for the cab ride home
It's just plain cheap. Go home, and get it from your drawer. But resorting to borrowing money this early on in a relationship (it's not even a relationship yet) can leave a very bad impression.


Don't talk too much
The animate dialogue that led to this event needn't be replicated on the morning after. You don't have to become a talk show host once the sun rises. It's okay. An inner monologue and a cup of tea are enough to suggest that yes, it must have been love, but it could go either ways now.


No breakfast, only tea
And yes, tea is much gentler than a full-on breakfast, even if you are offered. Unless the person is exuding really positive vibrations. In which case, enter the kitchen, cuddle up and start beating the eggs, while he or she cuts the bread.


The walk of shame
An obvious hazard of the one-night stand is the walk of shame. You get out of the room, the bai stares at you. You get into the elevator, the liftman knows you spent the night, the watchman looks eerily moralistic. Whatever…c'est la vie. Walk with your head held high. Besides, don't they get it?