The scorching summer heat clung to my skin as I boarded a rundown intercity bus. This was the first stop, so despite the overflowing crowd, I managed to claim an empty seat. I reached up to place my bag in the overhead compartment -- it was slightly too high, forcing me to stretch. My t-shirt rode up with the motion, flashing a sliver of bare skin.
I knew what that meant.
Most passengers were from the villages and rural outskirts. I could feel their stares crawl across my exposed stomach -- not unusual, but still uncomfortable. I quickly shoved my bag in and lowered my arms, trying to disappear into my seat.
The bus jolted, and as I adjusted, my eyes caught his.
At first glance, he looked like a boy. But no -- this was a man, maybe in his early twenties. His gaze was what I expected: perverted. But it had something else, too -- a certain calm arrogance, as if he were royalty watching his favorite performer dance just for him, silently willing her to hurry up the show so he could have her backstage.
I looked away. Ignored him.
For the next two hours, I didn't glance in his direction -- not even once.
Eventually, the crowd thinned. The person next to me got off, leaving the other half of the seat empty. A few minutes later, someone slid into it. I turned and, of course, it was him.
Now up close, his face was impossibly sharp. A groomed beard framed lips that looked carved by some wicked angel. I avoided staring, but my cap shielded enough of my face that I could close my eyes and pretend to nap.
But rest wasn't what I found.
He shifted in his seat -- once, then again. Slowly, his thighs spread wider, claiming more space. My arms were crossed over my chest, and I had to press myself inward slightly to avoid his elbow brushing my boobs. I thought he'd take the hint.
He didn't.
Instead, I felt his elbow nudge the soft part of my stomach -- just a few centimeters below my right boob. Maybe it was accidental. Maybe not. I adjusted, giving him space. He paused, didn't move.
Ten minutes later, under the mask of a yawn, he adjusted again -- elbow pressing the exact same spot.
That's when I knew.
He wasn't just some guy. He was a smart, bold, perverted man -- inching forward in the shadows, daring the universe to call him out.
But here's my truth: I'm a perverted woman in her early twenties. I enjoy exhibitionism, teasing, the danger of being caught, the thrill of almost. Once I realized what game he was playing, I slipped into my role.
I let him think I was asleep.
My hands remained folded over my boobs, acting like an innocent shield. Every few minutes, he'd shift subtly, drawing closer. It was all very slow, very calculated. And so delicious.
Thirty minutes in, he was as close as he could get without touching. The only thing separating his forearm from my boob was my own arm.
It was my turn.
I opened my eyes just slightly, as if disturbed by a bump in the road, turned toward him sleepily, then shut them again. A quiet reassurance: I was "still asleep."
A few minutes later, I sighed and moved my arms, pretending to adjust my bra.
I slid my hand under the fabric and traced the underwire, slowly, lazily. Ten seconds -- just enough for him to notice. My thick plunge bra pressed against my thin cotton shirt, its shape clearly visible. I knew he could see how much it held.