I had come on strong to this guy at work and had no intention of taking it beyond the building. I thought I was flirting, perhaps taking the liberty to be naughty. I was always saying something borderline raunchy. I got off on his reaction- it was a blend between shock and excitement. His eyes would widen and then a slow grin would appear. Delicious.

Time passed and I became focused on another guy in the office. It was a similar thing. I was keeping my blood warm. You know, chasing that little tingle that makes a day sweeter. It's not clear to me why the other guy dropped from my radar. I didn't think much of it until he began to make comments. He started walking by my desk often. Other people began to notice his behavior.

 He felt I was ignoring him and he was not the type to be ignored. He warned me that I was playing a dangerous game. I tried to explain that it was nothing personal and apologized for any misunderstanding that I had participated in. After that I was avoiding him because I felt creepy around him. He'd stand next to me in the elevator and I'd go out of my body if he touched me. I would hit the ceiling and hold my breath. My discomfort aggravated him more. He would ask me why I was acting so scary. I explained that I was not comfortable around him anymore therefore limited contact was best. He seemed to get it. We were doing our own thing and that was cool.

Then on a Saturday shift it all boiled over. There is this little store across the street from my job. It's one of the few spots open on Saturdays and I was in the mood for some sunflower seeds. I saw his car parked in front of the atm adjacent to the store. He wasn't in it. I walked into the store and he was talking to the clerk. I eased by him and selected my brand of seeds. I went to the rear of the store to get a red bull and he followed me.

"Don't walk pass me without saying hi?" He sneered into the back of my head.

 “Hi.” I said as I grabbed a red bull from its refrigerated shelf and let the glass door slide back to position of its own volition.

“What’s up?” I had no response. I inched by him to the register in silence. “Naw I said what’s up?” He poked me between my shoulders with his index finger, it hurt.

“Hey that hurt, don’t be aggressive with me.” I said but it came out like a question with a weird inflection of my tone at the end. He poked me again and I looked at the clerk who looked at the perspiring red bull on the counter. The clerk was staring at the can as if it was a Mandela. I put my nervously crumpled dollars next to the can and the sunflower seeds, the clerk took the money. The guy from work was standing behind me; I could smell his too sweet cologne. As the clerk handed me my change the guy from work grabbed my ass, his long fingers pushing my panties between my ass cheeks. He snickered then left the store. I could feel the cool of the coins the clerk had dropped into my palm, but the rest of me was numb.

 I saw myself from above myself. I wasn’t in my body. I saw myself four steps behind the guy from work. I saw him get into his car and turn on his stereo. I saw myself kick his passenger door and bang the passenger window with the red bull causing a crack and the spew of partially carbonated liquid. I saw myself drop the can into the street as it was fizzing furiously and wipe my hands on my jeans.For the rest of my shift I went through the motions at my desk.

I was hyper aware of the intersection in front of the building. The people, cars, the occasional pigeon, and the sunlight slowly creeping lower and lower to the west.

A few days later I wasn't able to go to work. I called out sick. I wasn't able to be in public because I felt...creepy.