I met a man a few months ago who I am now almost certain is a sociopath. His target was a friend of mine, a woman who with her immense amount of empathy and loyalty, became the perfect victim.
I worked out within a month what he was doing. And how he was using me to torture her, by preying on her jealousy and making her question her own sanity. He would openly ignore her and devote his time to me, then make it out that it was all in her head and she was being clingy and naggy. I saw this all from an outsider's point of view, and to an extent, the game seemed interesting in my otherwise monotonous life.
I was engaged when I met this sociopathic man. He tried often to reel me in, but I would let him get close and then disappear for days to see what would happen. The repercussions were often worth it. Each time I did this, he would lash out at my friend, and I would be there to sympathetically listen and offer advice, while wondering when I would do the same thing again.
I feel some remorse now looking back on all this. But underneath all that, I miss the thrill of the game. Now my friend is out of the picture because I decided to tell her everything he had said to me - the proclamations of love, of how I was the most important thing in his life. I decided I wanted to see where things would lead with this sociopathic man, and so I burned everything to the ground to see what would happen.
I try to convince myself that I did it for the greater good, because I knew she was hurting and that he was just toying with her. But deep down I know I did it because the cycle was getting boring and I wanted to see something new.
Does this make me a sociopath as well? I don't know. Now all this has happened, this sociopathic man and I are circling each other like animals. He says something, and I say something back. The perfect mirror of what I know he wants to hear. We stare each other down, daring one another to make the next move. I played the injured party, shocked and devastated that he has betrayed my friend. But he's intelligent enough to see the monster behind the mask. I know he's excited at meeting someone who seems to be so much like him, even though we have never openly talked about all this. The chemistry between us is so electric that everyone who has been around us when we are together can't help but comment that something must be going on.
I know he's wondering if he will come out winning in this game. It's what is going through his mind right now. I usually get what I want, but this time I hope we both win.
Game on.
