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Whether it’s someone on the bus or a shopper in the supermarket, some people just feel a bit off. You know, that feeling when something isn’t right, when for whatever reason, a person feels a bit creepy. Maybe it’s the way they’re looking at you, or something they said. Perhaps it’s the way they’re standing, something about their body language that feels a bit weird but you’re not sure why. Maybe sometimes it’s just that a person has kind of a creepy aura.

Whatever it is in your gut that identifies this person and sends you a warning signal to steer clear, one thing is for sure, it’s trying to protect you. Because part of being human is being vulnerable to the actions and intentions of other humans – which we hope for the most part are good, or at least totally neutral. Though it’s always worth accepting that some people don’t have the best of intentions, and being alert to this fact.

The woman in this story was ready to give her neighbour the benefit of the doubt – until she noticed that his behaviour was becoming increasingly creepy, to the point that she’s sure he’s watching her. Then, his behaviour got even stranger.

Read on to find out what happened.

Someone is watching me and I don’t know what to do

I am a 26-year-old woman, and I live with my fiancé (28, male) in an apartment complex. We’ve been here for a year and a half and have had numerous problems with this place, this one being the worst. We’re currently trying to break our lease.

I live in a garden style apartment, so anyone can come to my front door, or even see my front door if they’re driving in the neighborhood. My apartment also has big windows, the biggest living room window facing a covered parking area, with about five spaces.

There’s this big black truck that’s been under the paid covered parking since we’ve moved in, and I’ve never thought anything of it, until recently.

If you look out of my window, you can see directly into the front seat of the truck. Which means if you’re in that truck, you can look directly into my living room.

And this is about to get even more ominous.

I see the man who drives that truck almost every day. We’ve never spoken, never waved, nothing friendly but nothing rude either. Just neighbours aware of each other’s existence. Until three weeks ago.

I don’t know why, but three weeks ago I started thinking it was funny how this man leaves to go to work at the same time I do. It’s a weird time in the morning, past the 9-5 shift slot, but hey, if I have an untraditional job time, so do other people.

Then I realised this man sometimes gets to his car early. Just sit in it. Like thirty minutes or longer. Again, maybe nothing, maybe he needs his alone time or hates his roommate or something.

Then I realised this man does not start his car until I start my car. He could sit in his car for thirty minutes, but won’t start his car until I get to mine and start my own. Then he pulls out after me. Left out of the neighbourhood. Every day.

Yikes. Read on to find out how much weirder this guy could get.

Then I realized this man gets in his car every time I take my dog for a walk. I pass his car, and suddenly here he comes, from his apartment to his car, always getting in just as I pass.

So I started an experiment. I broke my schedule, and I started taking my dog for walks at different times every day. 9:00am. 10:00am. 10:30am. 9:43am. No matter the time, this man walked to his car. That’s when I knew I wasn’t being paranoid. I’m off my schedule by an hour or more, and he’s still there, on the dot, just as I pass his car.

Every time, he waits in his car until I get to my car. I could take my dog for a walk at 9am and not leave for my car until 10:30am. And he’s sitting in his car. Waiting for me to get to mine.

He doesn’t do anything in his car, not working on a laptop, not on a phone. Just sitting. I’ve seen him, he watches me walk my dog, and I’ve caught him looking in my windows from his truck.

Of course, this has made her feel increasingly scared.

Since I’ve noticed this I’ve reasonably been a little more observant, a little more on edge. Two days ago I got to my car, and this man PEELED behind my car.

I found myself sprinting inside and quickly locking the doors to my vehicle. I watched him from my review mirror. He got out of his car, looked at me, got back in, and left. Turned left out of the neighborhood.

I told my parents yesterday. I told them I didn’t want to make a big deal or be paranoid, but their reaction told me maybe I wasn’t making a big enough deal.

My mom came and watched me from her car today. We didn’t interact, she just wanted to observe. I took my dog for a walk. Early today. The man comes out. Gets in his car just as I pass. Watch me from his car. I get in mine. I quickly leave the neighborhood for work. I’m scared now.

And then, things got even stranger.

I think he clocked my mom, because my dog recognized my mom’s car (my dog loves his grandparents) and pulled in her direction. My mom told me he stared at her. He slowly drove past her car, and turned right. Not left. Like he thought my mom would follow him.

He’s never followed me outside the neighborhood that I’m aware of. He just watches me. Half my brain is telling me that there’s just creepy men out there, and this stuff happens and I’m okay.

The other half is telling me yeah, he’s watching me and nothing has happened, but what if things escalate? What if he’s just been waiting for the right time? What if his clocking my mom is a bad thing?

I’m scared to go home. I don’t think the police will do anything because the man hasn’t done anything. I want to move ASAP. Does anyone have any advice? Has this or something similar happened to anyone else? What did you do?

This situation is beyond creepy, and it’s no wonder she wants to get out of there.

Whatever the guy’s intentions, they’re certainly not good – he’s stalking a woman, and that’s not a good sign.

Whether it’s to stay with her parents or a friend while they find a new apartment, she needs to get out of there.

Let’s see what folks on Reddit made of this.

This person agreed it would be a good idea for her to leave.

And others validated her concerns.

Meanwhile, this Redditor encouraged her to speak to the police.

Whatever this guy is doing, it’s not acceptable. Maybe he’s got worse intentions, or maybe he’s just creepy and weirdly obsessed with her, but all the time his behaviour is making her uncomfortable, it’s completely inappropriate. And the fact that he changed his behaviour as soon as he saw her mom was watching from her car, he knew that he’d been rumbled – and that confirms that he knows that he’s acting wrongly. They’ve clocked him stalking her, and now he must know exactly how distressed this situation is making her.

If he is just a creepy guy, hopefully that will have scared him enough for his behaviour to cease. Hopefully the police report will be enough to break the least. Hopefully she’ll be able to get out of there before he does anything worse. Apartment complexes should be a safe place to live and relax, but this guy’s behaviour is proving that the opposite is true. And she shouldn’t be made to feel unsafe in her own home – and if he now feels unsafe, well, he shouldn’t have stalked her to begin with. This isn’t acceptable, and he knows it.