3. Give him a specific reason, such as, “I’m meeting up with my co-workers that day.”
As long as you don’t mind sharing with him the reason why you have to turn him down, this is a good way to keep his hopes up. A guy in his 20s told us, “She reassured me that she just happened to have a prior commitment that day.” He’ll feel comfortable about asking you out again because he knows exactly why you had to say no this time around.