Obsession

He stares at her, watching. His eyes follow each movement, absorbing her desires, breathing in her sweet innocence. He wants it; he needs it; he needs her. He was naïve before, much too lax. He had allowed the sweetest perfection to slip through his fingers. She was able to slide past the walls that he was building around them. She disappeared from the beautiful sanctuary that he was creating for the two of them. But, neither the fear nor the guilt that he had orchestrated was enough to make her stay. His flawless obsession had escaped.

He continued to control her through the power of his stare and intelligence. No amount of distance could hinder his knowledge of her. He had memorized her weaknesses, knew of each pressure point and exactly how to break her. He had the power, and he intended on keeping it. She was his one true devotion. He realized that there was no force on earth that could stop him from fulfilling her desires. His presence will stay with her forever to satisfying her need for him. He remains full of lust for her; propelled by a mighty force that no one can take from him.

She can see the impure obsession that burns inside him. She sees the thoughts that no one else sees, the secrets that he hides deep within himself. This is why he terrifies her; why she had to escape.

It took her a long time to find the courage to run. She had to build herself the strength to break free. As people continued to join the cause to pursue his happiness, the walls around her grew taller. With each day, the life others had constructed for her became more and more daunting. Finally, she found a light within herself. This was a strength that could permit her to escape from his lingering gaze. For six years, people turned a blind eye. They left her to drown alone. She spent too long controlled by guilt and expectation, alone in a dark world, one with tainted love. I had been abandoned in a world littered with greed.

I can promise you that sexual harassment is not merely a workplace side effect. It is not limited to catcalls and unwanted advances. I was a high school student when the behavior of one of my close friends began to present itself as harassment. But, what tormented me the most was the lust masked behind his eyes as they burned into me each day. It was the smirk that followed me from class to class. My anguish came from the fact that everyone saw me as his property, as though I belong to him because he had said so. Hidden behind habitual glances and matching schedules was an obsession. One that held me captive for many years.

The dictionaries are all correct in saying that sexual harassment is unwanted attention. What they omit though is the struggle to leave the security hidden within one's house. At home, he can't see me, there isn't a risk of seeing him. The dictionaries failed to explain that my relationships will forever be hindered by anxieties. I am haunted by the idea of becoming someone else's obsession. I want the definition to explain what his behavior took from me. I want it to inform you of how no one wants to believe the victim.

No one wants to believe that people could be so misguided and cruel. It omits the fact that I am now scared of the dark and that my dreams have been overtaken by nightmares. The dictionaries have forgotten to explain that this improper definition created a stigma. One that prevents me from being able to receive proper treatment. I am a young woman who cannot imagine dating because of the anxieties that engulf my brain.

I have been running from reality for so long, that it became near impossible to stop. Now I realize that people need to know the truth: all love is not pure. Do not let the whirlwind of empty promises ever convince you otherwise. Because sometimes, love is broken.