I am very susceptible to a manipulative person right now, and the last thing I want to do is be manipulative towards someone else.

There are many times in a person’s life when they are vulnerable, sad and susceptible to influence by others. These are the times that manipulative people wait for.

Some people prey on the depressed by taking their money, talking them into a time-share or getting them into bed. My question is: how long does one have to wait before they hit on someone who is freshly heartbroken so as not to seem like they are taking advantage of a bad situation?

Here’s the situation: there’s this guy that I have liked for about a year and he’s been dating this girl since just before I finally got over my ex. All in all, we have bad timing. His girlfriend broke up with him recently and he’s just miserable. I stopped to see him bartend as soon as I heard, gave him my number and told him to call if he needed anything.

I wasn’t pushy, nor did I let him know I wanted him. He knows from when I hit on him seven months ago and he told me he was dating someone. I want to be able to really make my move (I can be pretty smooth when I want to be), but I don’t want to appear sleazy.

I have been eying up this guy since the first time I saw him at El Chico Zuma after we had both gotten off work at two in the morning. I remember everything about that moment. My ex and I had just started talking again and got back together shortly thereafter. By the time we broke up, my cute bartender was dating the latest woman to rip his heart out.

I heard about their breakup through a mutual friend recently and my eyes lit up. Was I finally going to get my chance to prove how amazing I can be? No, not yet. My best friend and I went down to visit him that very night, and he looked so miserable. He was drinking heavily and had an expression that screamed, “Console me!”

By the time Alyssa and I left, I knew I couldn’t make my move. My timing was off, yet again. I figure I will stop in again on Monday to see if he’s feeling any better, so that I can give it a shot. This all feels a little sordid and evil, despite the fact that I really like him.

Every time I have seen him, I feel this amazing sexual tension that just won’t die (on my side anyway). I have wanted him physically for a year, and liked him for his personality for about eight months. If I go after him for sex, that seems underhanded and sneaky, but if I go after a relationship, I am looking at being the rebound girl.

The worst part is that with all of the stress I have been under, I am also terribly vulnerable lately. Classes have been increasingly stressful, work has been busy, I am trying to make myself more useful to this paper and my car just got stolen. I am very susceptible to a manipulative person right now, and the last thing I want to do is be manipulative toward someone else.

I like my cute bartender, and I want to make my move, but I am afraid to do so right away in case he thinks I am taking advantage of the situation. On the other hand, I don’t want to wait too long and chance losing the opportunity to another girl with better timing.

I need to think this over; maybe I’ll go for a drive. Oh, wait …

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