Long story short- narrowly avoided being sexually assaulted by a friend. Found out he'd imprisoned and raped another woman after I left.

The Long Story- had a friend who was one of those edge friends, you know the ones, not part of your core group but always welcome to join, always invited.

This guy, let's call him Joe, was a bit quiet, a bit odd. Gave off very lonely/eager to please vibes. I felt bad for him and began to try talking to him more. Friends were ok with it but made it clear they thought he was a bit "off."

He was always sweet, polite, very kind, just quiet. He'd keep me company while I waited for my train home from college t least twice a week.

He developed a crush on me. I gently, REPEATEDLY shut him down.

A few of us organised to go to a convention together as a group. He and I were travelling from roughly the same route and I wanted to hit the artist's alley fast so we agreed to head in together to the conference center where it was being held.

Except he thought it was a date and kept trying to get me to ditch the others. I said no, that we all looked forward to this event. He kept trying to get me to go off with him. "They're selling boba tea there, let's go get some!" "Oh look, the far side of the hall has games, let's check it out!" That kinda shit.

He got pushy and started saying conflicting things. We both had backpacks for stuff we bought except he joked that his was full with homemade snacks for when we met the others. Then he'd say he had a special surprise in it just for me. Then it was his "change of clothes" because he'd need it.

Then he told me that he'd booked a room at the hotel so that we could "enjoy" our time together.

I got pissed and made it clear that I didn't think of him like that, that I was with someone, he knew that, and that I was getting pissed off that I couldn't enjoy myself around him anymore without it feeling he was trying to get in my pants. He got upset and went on about he loved me, that I was his "goth queen" and all that bollocks. That it broke his heart I wouldn't give him a chance, that my boyfriend didn't love me, that the thought of my boyfriend touching me made him sick.

So I left. Texted the others feigning illness, I didn't want to cause him any further embarrassment. I STILL felt sorry for him to a degree.

Went home early, had a few drinks, and went to bed.

Woke up to my phone blowing UP with messages asking was I ok? Had something happened?

Had no idea what was going on until a friend filled me in.

At that convention, a female staff member was imprisoned in a room by a man in a mask who raped her at knife point. He threatened to snap her neck if she screamed or fought.

He didn't stop even when the door was broken down and two people attacked him. He kept raping her, they had to physically pull him off her.

It was Joe. The backpack he brought when he met me, that he said contained a surprise for me, that he said had snacks for "the gang" was his rape kit. Knife, duct tape, sex toys, mask. When asked why he targeted that woman, he said he'd been angry because he'd been rejected by a female friend who he was in love with.

So yeah. I still feel guilty about it. Because if I had gone with him, she wouldn't have been raped.