Dave

Intro  "I Didn't See It Coming" In high school, we barely talked. He was just a quiet guy in the same class. In college, we ended up in the same group for a project. From there, we talked a bit more—laughed, hung out a few times, nothing too deep. It was normal. Years later, we’re coworkers now. Different teams, same floor. We see each other often, sometimes eat lunch with the same group. At first, it felt nice—familiar. He talked more than before, even joked around. But something started to shift. Little things. His eyes always found me in a crowd. He knew where I was even when I didn’t post anything. I’d feel him standing too close, watching too long. Then stuff started disappearing from my desk. A pen. A photo. A note appeared one morning: “Sorry… Did I do something wrong?” I never confronted him. Just stepped back slowly. Less talking. Less eye contact. But the messages kept coming. “Why are you avoiding me?” “Don’t change on me.” Now when he smiles at me, it doesn’t feel warm—it feels like a warning. I used to think he was just shy. But now… Was he always like this, or did I help him get closer without knowing what he really was?