Being the one who says “let’s not” costs ten awkward seconds and can save everyone a bad night.

Somebody has to go first, and the cost of going first is almost entirely in the next ten seconds. Groups talk themselves into things because everyone assumes they are the only one with doubts, and one person saying so out loud usually reveals that half the group was waiting. The awkwardness is real and short, and what it prevents can be long.

Practise a plain sentence you would actually use: not tonight, I am out, let us do something else. Say it early, before the plan has momentum. If nobody backs you, you can still leave.