I (F20) am a first year student in uni. In the beginning of the first semester i tried talking to many people as i was trying to make friends. In one of first days i got a chance to talk to a guy from my major as we were on the same bus and we spend over 30 minutes talking (we happen to live nearby each other so the commute takes us the same amount of time). The talk was nice and i showed interest in what he was saying, because he seemed to be an interesting person. We spoke few times after that, but the conversations were short and nothing serious, we didnt become friends. He was sick through the majority of the first semester so we only saw each other during mid-terms week and a week before that. I noticed that he didnt make an effort to talk to anyone else and always followed me around. I thought that he could be nervous about making friends are tried to use me as sort of a way to meet new people, so i didnt mind it at first.
At the beginning of the second semester things got weird. He would follow me around everywhere i went, always tried sitting as near to me during classes. He wouldn't talk much to me or people i was hanging out with, just hovered above my shoulder. If i stayed behind after class he would wait for me outside, if he was walking in front of me he would turn the corner and wait for me to get there to "join" me again. Since we take the same bus he would try to join me at bus stops and if i sat futher away from him on the bench we would shuffle closer and look above my shoulder at whatever i was doing.
I tried making him dislike me and i started ignoring him, only saying "hi" and that's it. If he would hover around me i would walk faster or turn away from him. If he said something i would answer in shortest, coldest way possible or not say anything at all. It worked and the only other time i saw him after that, he didnt even look at me. Unfortunately today he started behaving like this again and i swear i saw him speed up is footsteps when he realised i am walking faster away with my friends from him.
He never touched or talked to me inappropriatly, just hovered and followed me around, sometimes getting to close for my liking. But i feel creeped out and worried whenever i think about this. My friends started worrying and they try to never leave my side so i wouldn't be alone with him. I caught myself calculating ways to avoid him, based on his schedule, take other buses home or sometimes just hiding or walking away as fast as i can whenever i spott him. Also we live near each other and the fear of meeting him makes me leave my home less.
Does anyone know how to make him stop, other than telling him that straight to his face? I don't think he means harm, just is socially akward but i am seriously stressed about this..
Sorry for a long rant and thank u for any ideas.