October 1, 2023
After the trip to Paris, the Narcissist begins spending every day at M.’s place once again.
After a few days, he asks if he can move in. She hesitates, it is too soon.
October 9, 2023
He leaves for a holiday.
October 18, 2023
He asks again whether he can move in with her. M. says yes, but she repeats it is too soon, so he should keep his apartment for a few months.
October 22, 2023
He comes back from his holiday. He comes directly to M’s place and drops his bags there.
M. is immediatelly overwhelmed and asks if he could sleep at his place. He says he has already given up his apartment. While he was on holiday? Didn’t he have to give at least 2 weeks notice? M. will never know the answer to these questions, D. is elusive and just repeats that she had agreed and cannot change her mind now, it’s too late. He has nowhere else to go. They’re officially living together.
Unsettling Discoveries
November 9, 2023
One day, while scrolling through reels on his phone, she notices that N., Uber Girl, is the first suggestion on his Instagram when sharing content. He dismisses it, saying it’s just the algorithm. Reluctantly, she lets it go.
November 10, 2023
M. is low. She doesn’t feel like going out with friends anymore. She isolates and cancels plans.
This continues for 1 week. She feels consistently low, with no motivation and no energy.
November 16, 2023
M. reaches out to her GP to get an appointment for a check up and to talk about her mental health.
November 25, 2023
Due to her relationship with D., not approved by some of her friends, M. is left out by social events of her friend group. She is getting more and more isolated.
Ignoring Boundaries
December 2, 2023
Living together proves challenging. Within weeks, the Narcissist invites a friend to stay over without asking her if it would be ok with her. When she voices her discomfort with how quickly everything is developing, he brushes it off, saying he would invite friends over if she was his roommate, implying her approval isn’t necessary.
During his friend’s stay, she notices another notification from Uber Girl. He insists she reaches out occasionally and that he never replies.
The Family Visit
December 18, 2023
M. goes back to her family for Christmas. Once there she discovers that her dad is awaiting results about a possible cancer diagnosis… Her family isn’t particularly talkative. So the topic is quickly dismissed.
M. withdraws. If no one wants to involve her into important decisions, that’s how she copes. She disappears and isolates.
December 25, 2023
M. cannot handle anymore the atmosphere at her family house. She moves her flight to return to London right away.
D. is at home.
December 27, 2023
M. is trying to organise NYE, when she realises D. has invited his family to visit them.
A month later, his family plans a visit. M. feels overwhelmed, as it seems too soon to have them over. The Narcissist acknowledges her concerns but insists that it is too late to book new flights for them, they would be too expensive.
Trying her best, M. incorporates their culture into the holiday, cooking meals after their daily tours despite her growing anxiety. Yet again, she sees a notification from Uber Girl. This time, he claims she’s bothering him, and he doesn’t respond nor react to her messages at all.
But he’s gone one step too far. This time, she doesn’t believe him.
The New Year
His family leaves, and a new year begins.