I’m a 30-year-old woman, and this happened not too long ago at a coworker’s house party. Denis, who recently got promoted, invited a bunch of us over to celebrate. It was the usual thing — drinks, snacks, small talk, a little music in the background. Nothing out of the ordinary.

At some point, Denis decided to show off a new set of kitchen knives he had bought. He was clearly proud of them, saying something about getting into cooking now that he had more time and money. People were interested, laughing as he unwrapped each knife like it was a rare collectible.

Then he picked up one of the bigger ones and started tossing it playfully, throwing it into a wooden board on the floor like it was some sort of game. People laughed and cheered like it was harmless fun, but I stayed quiet. Something about it made me uneasy.

I was standing off to the side, near the fridge, when Denis suddenly turned to me with this grin on his face and said,
— Think fast!

And then he threw the knife at me.

It wasn’t a strong throw, and maybe he thought he was being funny or clever, but it landed with a heavy thud just inches away from where I was standing.

Everyone burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, I was frozen. I could feel my hands shaking, my heart pounding so loudly I couldn’t even hear what anyone else was saying. I looked at Denis and snapped,
— Are you serious right now? You threw a knife at me! What the hell is wrong with you?

He raised his hands like it was no big deal and said,
— Relax, it was just a joke.

But it wasn’t a joke to me. I felt humiliated, shocked, and honestly scared. What if he had slipped? What if it hit me? And what scared me more than the knife itself was the fact that nobody else in that room saw the problem.

I left without saying another word. I didn’t want to cry in front of anyone. I just grabbed my things and left.

Later he texted me saying I ruined the mood and was being way too sensitive. A few coworkers even told me I overreacted. But I can’t help but feel like I was the only one in that room who realized how wrong it was.

Am I really the problem for not thinking attempted knife-throwing is a joke? Or is everyone else just pretending it's normal because they didn’t want to deal with the discomfort?