It starts off as a crush — the mere sight of them makes your heart do somersaults, you start to sweat and feel all tingly inside. You start getting thoughts like, “I’d literally die for you.” This period lasts for a couple of days, months, years for some. You're euphoric, on cloud nine, on a high. Life is a love song. There’s the good part.

Random things you’ve lost reappear, seemingly out of the blue. You're luckier, always getting the perfect parking spot, never having to wait in a queue. If you were to buy a scratch card, you just know you'd win. Life is a breeze when it comes to the little things. You never forget things when leaving the house, because they’re always in the most convenient of places. The house is never left unlocked, the stove never left on, even when they are. 

For now. For months. Until the want, the desire gets more intense. Too intense it gets frustrating, metamorphosing into an obsession. What starts out as all rainbows and butterflies grow into resentment, an itch one cannot quite get rid of. It’s annoying and you start to hate it.

It starts to hate you.

We wish some crushes would just dissipate. Some do. However, some stay as a reminder that we are but a prisoner to our own emotions.

Things start happening — the ease you had looking for stuff suddenly disappears. You find your valuables in the trash, a sock here and there, random things in random places. Somehow your food rots more quickly. At various times, you get the sensation of bugs crawling on your skin. All consequences of a passion gone mad. It fixates to its only goal; make your life a living hell. If it can’t have you, you are not going to be off the hook so easily.

Perhaps, the worst thing of all is when it gets close. It stares, yes, which sounds harmless enough — but it’s the sort you feel against your bones, all six unblinking peepers on you, giving you the unshakeable feeling of being watched. Its amorphous body the texture of a thousand little insect legs, it likes to cuddle in the dark. When you’re alone. When you’ve left your guard down lying in bed. There's the bad part.

The longing gaze, crushing weight, and good night kisses don't make for restful sleep.