What type of riding do you see yourself doing? Long rides on the road? Multi-use paths in the city? Around town on city streets? How hilly? How fit are you? All these and other questions will effect what type of bike may work best for you. However, I do agree that starting out with a relatively inexpensive bike makes sense until you know whether riding is for you or not. But the bike needs to be good enough so it doesn't cause its own frustrations when you ride. And as Iph says, it takes time to get into the swing of biking.

So, the suggestions about working with a good bike shop are excellent. Talk to them about what you plan to do, test ride bikes. Different shops carry different lines of bikes so you will want to try several shops.

The type of bike you tried is a hybrid. There are many other bikes of this style you might want to try. The Trek FX series is one of the post popular. As the FX bikes get more expensive they also are more like road bikes with flat bars. The FX3 is a nice hybrid bike. You might give that one a try. Most manufacturers have similar lines with similar price points. But you might also find out that a different type of bike appeals to you more and will fit the type of riding you do better.

Another option, if you or your BF are handy and feel like you can evaluate the quality of a bike and its condition is to buy used, like off of Craigslist. I've outfitted several family members with Craigslist bikes. There are lots of poorly maintained bikes out there and in some areas, people sell Walmart type bikes for nearly as much as they pay for them, but good deals on good bikes can be found.