Trolled |Compete|

[28]: What a Conundrum We Have Here...

[July 23]

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The fascination I felt towards my lewd stalker had escalated to the point where I felt ill-equipped to handle the situation any longer. He was skilled in inducing a sense of discomfort I'd yet to encounter in my life. I simultaneously felt an aversion to him while an intense pull festered below the surface each and every time we spoke.

It felt as if a freight train slammed into me going ninety miles an hour in the dead of the night. I was startled, confused, and downright shocked.

I didn't want to feel any of it and yet I did, almost on a daily basis.

Things had become muddled to the point where I had issues discerning fact from assumption. From the very start, I assumed Raptar was Kegar. I had every reason to suspect Raptar was trying to troll me using an alias but that simple assumption all those weeks ago now haunted me and I blamed it on the shimmer of hope it created. If Kegar and Raptar were two different people, my mound of problems would be cut in half at the very least.

It'd be terrific if the idea didn't create a hollow pit in my stomach every time the thought surfaced.

I wasn't sure I wanted them to be different.

Kegar had proved to be... different, and not in the special sort of way Raptar prevailed at being. Kegar wanted to talk about me rather than to me. He cared about my feelings and reached out when it was necessary in a way that was always friendly. I found myself gravitating towards him, like a moth to a flame.

Raptar was the polar opposite.

All Raptar had ever wanted from me was attention and to screw with me. He said things to get a rise out of me, which unfortunately I handed over in spades. He was forceful and alluring. He harassed me almost on a daily basis and never failed to create a horrendous amount of sexual tension. Raptar had shown me his underbelly though, the soft and the hard, which only added fuel to the already out of control fire I housed for him.

With his behavior the past few days though, I didn't know what to do. Despite the aloof disposition my stalker appeared to carry, I found his new behavior to be desirable of all things. He seemed to want my approval.

It felt like I was insane to speculate a guy like Raptar may honestly care what I thought of him or about me.

At some point, I had learned to look over his impish mannerisms and started to see the larger picture. His single act - leveling a character he didn't need to level - had erased all his infractions and morphed him into some sweet tortured soul. It was a savory sight and I detested myself for stumbling into his tangled web.

My gigantic problem had officially become a massive crisis.

I let out a sigh and swiped my phone off the cold surface of my small cubicle space. The need to know for sure who he really was had taken root and there was only one piece of the puzzle that escaped me. My plan wasn't complete nor bulletproof but I had to do something about this emotional mess I seemed to fall deeper into day by day.

"What did I tell you about phone usage on the floor?"

I could feel his presence behind me in the form of a dark looming cloud. Shit. I slipped my phone into my pocket with care. Here it comes, the lecture. I spun around in my computer chair and looked up at the manager of our floor. At six foot he was a decent size man but his abrasive personality ruined any appeal he may have had. Even though I told him he would never get a woman with that tone he refused to change anything about it. Boys will be boys...

"Sorry, won't happen again," I lied with a sweet smile.

He peered at me from under a drawn brow, a look I was all too familiar with.

"You said that last week."

I chuckled nervously.

"And the week before that," He continued.

If his eyebrows came any closer together they would unite and become a unibrow. I didn't see what the big deal was, I never did. My call logs spoke for themselves. My reviews were outstanding and many clients asked for me by name. If I spent my downtime - which there was plenty of it - on my phone why would anyone care?

Bob cared though, and now Bob was angry.

"I'm starting to feel a little singled out here Bob." I scolded, my face purposefully contorted into a blank expression.

His eyes analyzed my expression in search of a kink in my flawless armor. He wouldn't find it though, he never did. This came down to whether or not he wanted to make a big deal about singling me out, which we both knew he was. It was hard not to when he practically taught me everything I know.

"No phones, Tabitha."

I glared at the back of his dark head in mock anger as he stalked away and stuck out my tongue. A tinge of guilt hit me for my slip in attitude. I owed the man a lot. I'd go so far as to say my life. He took a damaged child in and helped her become someone she never thought possible. He'd worked a miracle. He was my hero.

A soft chime sounded in my ear. Your caller will be connected in 10...9...8...

Showtime.

Sure I didn't quite follow the rules of the floor but when it came to the customer I took things seriously. I worked in a call center by choice, and maybe a small part necessity. The pay was great, the benefits decent, and the hours manageable when it came to my online life.

3...2...1...connecting you to the customer.

"Thank you for calling TeleTech, how may I help you today?" I greeted the stranger who, no doubt, had a crisis on their hands.

If only I could solve my problems as easily as I do strangers...

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