Third times a charm

At first I didn't really think much of it at all, so now I was confused. I had managed to talk about it easily earlier in the week, but now I'm choking on every syllable.

"You know Mark, he said something weird to me and I didn't know what to think at first but now I don't want to be anywhere near him."

The concern on their face validated how I was feeling at least. This wasn't an overreaction. What he said to me was inappropriate and I have every right to feel the way I do.

Like every story it started off innocently enough. Those older people who eagerly gobble up every youthful insight you can produce for them. It's a bit of a cliche of itself these days.

And I can't lie, I enjoyed chatting with someone who thought every idea I was producing was original. Especially someone who was my boss's boss's boss's boss.

"You've got a new best friend huh?" My colleague would chuckle as the boss left my desk for the forth time that day.

"No, he just likes my taste in books. I'm super cultured." Jokingly convincing myself that it was nothing more.

I even jokingly told my boyfriend what he said to me; continuing to convince myself that there was nothing more to it than someone thinking I'm a bit interesting to talk to. 

I wish I could say that the concern on his face took me by surprise, but it was something that I didn't realise I needed. "Is there anything you want me to do?" At first, I thought this was an odd reaction to something that was a throwaway comment about the exchange. "What? It's fine there's nothing to worry about. Totally harmless."

That day I had tried to shoo the boss away because I was busy and had work to get done. He wanted to chat however and suggested a coffee in the afternoon. "Sure. Come grab me when you've finished your meeting. I'll be here at my desk like always."

Like clockwork he was there, exactly on the hour. "It's been such a day I almost feel like a wine." I was joking, joking, always joking. 

"We can do that if you want? Go to a bar? Where's a bar near here?" 

"I was kidding. A coffee downstairs at the cafe is fine."

"You sure? A wine could be nice."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

I had a wine with my friend later that week though. Once we had finished his therapy session mine began. "My boss's boss's boss's boss has been chatting to me a lot lately. He asked me this question the other day..."

He recoiled slightly, wrinkles of concern appeared on his forehead, and a small "oh" escaped from his mouth. "That's quite weird. Think about it. He shouldn't be saying stuff like that to you."

"Yeah maybe. Maybe you're right. It is quite weird." 

My coffee cup was empty and I was readying my excuse to leave. Work doesn't stop just because you're with the boss. "I've got to get going, presentations to create," I jokingly shrugged.

"Before you go, I've got a question to ask. I'm writing a new book where the main character will be based off of me in my twenties. I wanted to know if you'd let me base the love interest off of you. I wonder what my life would have been like if I had met someone as interesting and funny as you when I was in my twenties."

Confused, jokingly I replied "yeah, sure, I guess."

Like the typical cliche, third times a charm. I pulled my colleague into a room for 'five minutes' to replay the conversation one more time. There I was, not wanting to leave the room until the red of my eyes had calmed down. "I'm behind you with whatever you want to do, but we need to make sure this type of behaviour never happens again. It is not ok." 

"No. I don't want that. I feel gross. I just want to forget."

I wish I had said something. It wasn't a joke. It was inappropriate. And I should never be in a position where I feel uncomfortable like that.