Reddit Stories - A GENTLEMAN ATTEMPTED to abduct me while I was UNACCOMPANIED in the evening,

Episode Date: November 16, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #truestory #scaryencounter #strangerdanger #personalaccount #safetyawarenessSummary: A gentleman attempted to abduct me while I was unaccompanied in the evening. The terrifying encounter serves as a stark reminder of the importance of staying vigilant and being aware of personal safety at all times.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, abductionattempt, unaccompanied, evening, safetyawareness, personalaccount, scaryencounter, truestory, strangerdanger, vigilant, caution, cautionarytale, awareness, safetytips, communitysupport, shareyourstoryBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. A gentleman attempted to abduct me while I was unaccompanied in the evening, until an unfamiliar individual on a bicycle famed acquaintance with me and deterred him. Now, I think I'm falling in love with a stranger who saved my life. I'm going to talk about how I was almost kidnapped in detail since it's actually a bit therapeutic for me to write it out. Five days ago, and against my best interest, I was out running at about 10 p.m. Our school has an open campus that is surrounded by woods and a couple of easy trails.

It can sometimes get a bit scary at night. Since my school and its surrounding neighborhood is very safe, I don't usually worry much when I go out running alone. That particular night, my phone, which was also my flashlight, decided to die mid-run. I should have known that could happen since my phone had been having battery issues. It would die even though it was at 10 to 20 percent. SMH iPhones. That immediately set me into a panic since I was on a pretty secluded trail with very minimal lighting. I stopped running to fumble with my phone to see if it would miraculously turn back on but nope.

I was also wearing light reflective leggings so I was definitely visible to others. I was about to start running again when I noticed a guy approaching me. I hadn't noticed him prior to this but he was probably hidden in the woods next to the trail. There's like a public bathroom and a picnic table. He was smoking a cigarette and had his phone in hand and I immediately got bad vibes. By the time I realized where he even came from, he was already only a couple feet away from me where he called out, Miss, are you lost? His speech sounded a bit slurred and he reeked of cigarette smoke which led me to think that he was probably a homeless drunk living near the picnic table and public bathroom. I told him no and that I was on my way to my friend's house, despite my athletic gear,

L.O.L. Then he gave me a once over, whistled, and said, Damn girl, you look delicious. Look at that ass. And he fucking slapped my ass. I think I yelped and immediately stepped away, but he reached out and grabbed my wrist. I thought it was actually the end for me and I screamed as loud as I can, but there was literally no one near me. My heart was beating out of my chest and I felt like I was going to fucking faint. He chuckled and said, shut up, no one can hear you anyway. My heart was beating out of my chest and there was so much adrenaline coursing through my body. Thank the fucking stars for what happened next.

From behind me, the trails suddenly became lit and I realized there was a biker heading my way. Then I heard him call, Maddie. Is that you? Holy shit, what are you doing out so late? The guy muttered, shit and immediately let go and began running away. The biker got closer and immediately braked and got off. I have no fucking clue who this guy is and he doesn't know me either. He asked me if I was okay and what that guy was doing and I explained to him everything

that happened and almost got on my knees to thank him. He looked just as freaked out as me. He asked where I live and I told him I was a student. at, name of college, and he told me that he's a grad student at the same school. He also immediately took of his sweatshirt and gave it to me to wear since I was only in a tank top. He then walked me all the way back to my house, around two miles. One the way, he tried to ask me about school and stuff, but I was a bit too frazzled to give any sensible response so he mostly talked about himself. He told me he was a second-year CS student at the engineering school. He

likes to cook, his favorite show is the office, he enjoys playing basketball but he sucks, he works part-time at Google, and more stuff I can't remember. He also gave me his email and number and told me that if I needed him to talk with the police slash file a report to just shoot him a message or call. He apologized for what happened and said that he was glad I was safe. I thanked him a billion more times and went home. The next day, I texted him and thanked him again and also went and filed a police report. But I feel like I can't thank him enough. He literally saved my life. Without a doubt, if he just kept biking or didn't see me, I would have been possibly killed. I don't know how I can show my gratitude. I really want to take him out

to dinner, but would that be weird? I also have to return his sweatshirt. I'm also a bit infatuated by him. Do you guys think that's a good idea or is there anything else I can do to show my gratitude? If I do go about asking him to dinner, what should I say? Should I call or text? By the way, I know a lot of you are going to ask if I'm planning on seeing a therapist and the answer is yes. I've already booked an appointment. Although I think I'm dealing with it pretty well and have mostly put it behind me, I know that it is for the best that I see a therapist for a bit. update one hi guys i'm back with a long-awaited update but first thank you all who responded on my first post and gave their advice i definitely wouldn't have asked if it weren't for all the positive

comments a lot of you suggested that i just shoot him a text and give him an update in terms of my situation and then ask him if we could meet up for coffee dinner seemed too much like a date so I could return his sweatshirt and thank him. That's basically exactly what I did. I shot him a text and told him that I had filed the police report and that the police will be in contact with me. Then I asked him, in a double text, if I could take him out to coffee to thank him and return his sweatshirt. He actually didn't respond for a good day and I was really starting to feel like I'd totally overstepped but then he did. He first told me that it was great that I filed the report and then he asked me how I was feeling. He also said that I didn't have to thank him

and that he was just doing what anyone would have done if they were in that situation, but that a quick coffee sounded good. So we scheduled to have coffee on a Saturday morning. Going into our meeting, I was actually super nervous for some reason and ended up being 15 minutes early. So I sat for about 10 minutes, fidgeting with his sweater and waiting for him to show up. To be honest, I wasn't even that sure I knew what he looked like. The entire night is still pretty jumbled and when he was walking me back, I barely paid any attention to him. It was also super dark, since I was just replaying what happened over and over again in my head. I just remembered he was tall and had a nice smile. Then, this really tall dude walks in, scans the shop,

sees me and then gives me an awkward smile and waves. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to say after our initial niceties, so I just blurted out, whoa, your eyes are actually blue, I thought they were brown, ha. I wanted to crawl into a hole after I said that, but he laughed and said, yay, they can be deceiving in the dark. Then we ordered coffee, he refused to let me pay, and we sat down. First things first, I gave him back his sweatshirt and he thanked me. We ended up chatting for two hours about mostly random stuff, like our classes, our summer,

the office, which is also my favorite show, politics, music, etc. I also asked him why he decided to call me Maddie when he was trying to save me and he told me he read an article somewhere that if you pretend to know a stranger who's in trouble, you're most likely to help without escalating the situation or getting you or the other person hurt. So yes, he's sweet and caring and devilishly handsome and we really clicked. But he didn't seem that interested in me, not that it was a date. So we then went about five days with no contact until I came across a meme about the office and decided on a whim to send it to him.

It ended up being a good decision since we ended up talking until 1 a.m. Next morning, I was feeling bold again and after much debating, I sent him a text that said, Hey, can I please take you out to lunch? Coffee didn't count since you didn't even let me pay for you, he said yes, and this time I managed to successfully pay for our meal. I wore a nice sundress to lunch and he said, I love that dress. You look really good. We had a really great time again, but as we were leaving the restaurant, I realized that he left his phone on the chair so I grabbed it and gave it to him.

This is important later on. About two weeks later, he went out of town but we were still sporadically texting. He sends me a text that said, Hey, can I take you out to dinner to thank you for grabbing my phone? Oh, M.G. He's too cute. For those of you who might not have caught on, he was mimicking how I asked him out. Anyway, of course I said yes and now we're going out to dinner tomorrow night. Aha, I like him a lot but I have no idea how he feels about me. Maybe I'll ask him over dinner tomorrow. Smile but so far, that's what has happened. Update 2, hi again guys. This is the long waited second update. But first, I have to thank all of you again for being so supportive.

You guys literally all made my day with your positivity. So, the dinner date. I woke up Sunday morning at like 11 a.m., don't judge, and saw that there was already a text from him at 7.30 a.m. saying, hey, does, cute little Mediterranean place, sound good for tonight. I'm at that stage where I'll smile and giggle at whatever text he sends me so after doing that, I told him that it sounded great and asked him what time we should meet. We decided on 7 p.m. and he said, great. Pick you up at 6.45. To which I said, you remember where I live. And he said, how could I not? It was where I parted with my favorite sweater sigh he knocked on my door on time that night but I, embarrassingly, was already waiting at the door so I whipped the door open after he knocked one.

Oh my gosh, the sight that met my eyes was beautiful. I'm just now realizing that this Reddit account has turned into my diary. He was wearing this light blue dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, that complimented his eyes with some nicely fitted black jeans and ah, he looked so nice. Then he gave me this awkward little smile and said, You ready to go. I followed him to his car and he opened the passenger door for me. I swooned. The car ride was a bit awkward at first, but then he asked me if I wanted to put on my Spotify

and we ended up singing to Mr. Brightside. Turns out, he's a great singer. I asked him about it and he was in an a cappella group all four years of college and is some low-key cello prodigy. You bet I searched up him playing cello as a kid after I got home that night. We got to the restaurant, waited in line for a bit, then finally sat down and ordered. Once again, the conversation just first. flowed so nicely. We talked about literally everything, but I got to learn more about him

this time around. I asked him if he used Reddit and he looked confused for a second and then said no. I think we're safe, for now, guys ha ha. He made fun of my hands being small and then held up his hand for me to place mine against to compare. I swooned again. Then we had a nice conversation about how annoying contacts were after he choked on his water laughing at something and his contact shifted. Anyway, dinner ended too soon and it might have been just me, but I swear both of us were trying to walk as slow as possible back to the car. After we pulled up to my house, we had that moment where neither of us knew what to say or do so I said, thanks for dinner, his name, let go of my purse, opened the car door, and stepped out. Naturally, he said,

hey, wait your purse, to which I responded very dramatically, oh no, I forgot my purse, thank you. I guess I have to take you out some time to say, thanks. He got it immediately and burst out laughing, face palmed into his steering wheel, and said, okay, okay, good night and text me when. Needless to say, I could not sleep that night. Fast forward to Saturday night. on a whim i text him so i'm about to have an office marathon do you want to come over and we can order takeout he takes half an hour to respond but says that actually sounds amazing count me and he comes in sweatpants a hoodie and glasses oh my god why does he look so cute in glasses and a bag of chips and guac swoon we door dash indian and start watching on my couch at first we're sitting like a good

foot apart but then three episodes in, our legs are flush against each other's. Somewhere between the fifth and sixth episode, he leans back into the couch and I do too. By the seventh episode, my head is on his shoulder and his arm has moved behind me, sadly not wrapped around me though. After like two more episodes, he began dozing off and I poked him and asked if he needed to go back and sleep. He told me he's been staying up really late doing this project for one of his classes so he's basically been only sleeping five hours a night. After hearing that, I shoved his up and told him he needed to sleep before 12 a.m. today, it was already like 11 p.m.

At my door, he said sleepily, tonight was really fun. I hope we can do it again. He just looked so cute and kissable at that moment, so I just threw my arms around him and hugged him. He circled his arms around my waist and he was the first to pull back. but he didn't pull back all the way and we had a moment where I was trying to look anywhere but his lips and he was doing the same. Then he leaned in a bit, closed the distance and kissed me. I may have melted on the spot. It was really short, but it was so sweet. He pulled back

said good night and left. Needless to say, I could not sleep again that night. That's what went on in the past week. To be very honest, I'm still not sure if he really likes him. He really likes me. Maybe he was really tired when he kissed me and wasn't thinking straight, who knows. This morning, he texted me and said he slept the best he's had in a while. I don't know what the next step is, but I'm over the fucking moon right now. Next story, ex-wife, who cheated on me years ago, is dying and has less than six months to live. She asked my sister if I could pretend to be her husband again for her final days, and my current wife says she's okay with it, but I don't know what to do. Back story, I met my ex when we were both 10. She was, is, my twin

sister's best friend so we've always been kind of a trio growing up. We started dating at 14 and got married at 23. Thing got ugly though cause five years after getting married, she told me she had a month-long affair with her co-worker. Apparently the guilt was too much for her so she confessed. We tried to work through it but after a few months of trying, I knew that despite the fact that I loved her I couldn't trust her anymore. She told me she still loved me and that she'd wait for me and prove that I was the only one. I wanted to believe her, but you know, some things just can't be fixed. We never had kids.

Three years after the divorce I met my now wife, 38F, and we got married two years after dating. She's everything I could ever dream of and a wife and more. My ex, as my sister told me, they're still besties, never really recovered. She quit her job and is now working in a church. Throughout my relationship with my wife, she kept trying to get back together and, on the day of my wedding, she told me she still loved me and would love no one else. She said this was the last time she would bother me but that she'll wait for however long it took. Apparently she's honest in that regard at least because my sister says she's never been

with anyone since. So here's what happened recently. My wife and I, married for seven years now, have two kids, 7F, and 3M. My sister came over with her own kids so the cousins could play. While my wife was out to pick up lunch, my sister sat me down and told me the situation about my ex. Apparently, she only has less than six months to live. She refused treatment and wants to live the last few months to the fullest. I guess that's why her and my sister really went out of their way to travel despite the pandemic. One thing on her bucket list, though, was that she wanted to feel like my wife again.

No sags, no kissing, she just wanted me to be around the house, she still lives in the house we lived in, again, and maybe hold her from time to time. I told her I wouldn't do that, because that was pretty much emotionally cheating. My sister kept arguing in begging me to at least see her and hear her out. We kept arguing, no screaming, the kids were in the next room with her older daughter, till my wife came back. My sister told her the whole story and while she looked upset, she said she understood where my ex was coming from.

When my sister left, my wife and I talked about it. My wife knows everything that happened in the past with my ex. She says while she isn't thrilled about the idea, she won't get upset if I decided to see her on a regular basis. My wife is literally the best thing that ever happened to me and I love her more than anyone. She makes me happier than I've ever been in my life, even in the good times with my ex. She knows I won't cheat. I also have zero romantic feelings for my ex so there's nothing lingering there.

I don't hate her or anything, it's just that the love I had for her has long since died. After thinking about it for a while, I'm honestly 50 to 50 about it. I know I don't owe her anything, but I feel like I might regret not seeing her at least one more time, since the last time I saw her was on my wedding day and that wasn't a good encounter for either of us, unless you count the times I occasionally see her in the store or something. I honestly feel like, despite what she did, she still deserves to go with some peace. On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure if this might potentially affect our marriage. My wife says she's okay with it, and I believe her, but I just can't be sure that she'll feel the same way after it happens.

I don't want anything to jeopardize what I have right now, no matter what. I'm not too thrilled about going myself to be honest. Any advice? What should I do? Edit, just want to add that if ever I do this, I won't be acting like a husband or a husband. anything inappropriate like that. Just gonna see her and talk for a bit. My sister says that me just being there and sharing a meal with her would be more than enough for her to feel like we were married again. Update, it's been almost three weeks since I've posted and a lot has

happened since. I got some solid advice from a lot of you guys, especially some who messaged me their personal experiences. I'd like to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. So here's what happened. As many of you guys suggested, I talked to my wife. We had a long discussion about the whole situation and I assured her that no matter what, she is and always will be my first priority. I also assured her that while I wanted to say my goodbye, I would never act like her husband. It would be more like me seeing a childhood friend or something like that. I also told her I would never spend the night nor would I be alone with her. She was more comfortable after our talk and was pretty okay with the idea of me seeing my ex again.

As you guys guessed, she really felt like she was forced into being okay with it when my sister asked but this time, she really was okay. So I talked to my sister and after a long, long heated discussion about what my role would be in the visit, she agreed to the boundaries my wife and I set. A week later my sister and I came over to our old marital home. It was surreal cause while the emotions from years before came back to me, I didn't feel any sadness nor hatred or anything negative. I saw my ex who was waiting for us in the living room and she cried when I walked in. Most of you suggested she was faking it, but while she was

still strong, you could tell almost immediately something was wrong with her. I indulged her with a hug and we talked for a few hours while my sister made lunch. I showed her pictures of my kids and told her stories about what they're like. Honestly, I didn't know how I would react after I saw her again but it just feels like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in a long time. There was no hate or anything like that. I walked around the house and it was pretty much the way it was when I left over a decade ago. I'm not really sure how I feel about our wedding photos still framed and pictures of us still all over the house, but it wasn't really my place to say anything.

The three of us had lunch and played board games all afternoon. It honestly felt like we were back to when we were kids and the three of US would hang out to together. It was nice. I left at around six. She was sad, but she understood. When I hugged her goodbye, she whispered I love you to me but then said how she's happy I was able to find the happiness she couldn't give me. That part got to me to be honest and I was fighting back tears. I told her I'd see her again soon and she asked if I could bring my kids next time. I told her I would and left to pick up dinner for my family. I told my wife everything that happened and she was quite happy about the outcome. I guess it helped that I brought home her favorite food but

she also agreed to let me bring the kids next time. Overall, it was a great experience seeing her again. I feel like I needed that and would have regretted not doing so. Again, I'd like to thank everyone who gave me advice. Also, please don't roast my ex too much. She made a mistake and paid the price but it doesn't mean she's an evil person. This will be my last update. Thank you very much.