Barnes and Nobles Stalker?!?!

So, the weirdest thing happened this weekend. My friends and I were harassed at a Barnes and Nobles in San Antonio:

A man walked up to Erin (my best friend from Dallas) and I and proceeded to aggressively ask if he was "one of the most attractive men in the store," which, I have to say he was not (He was about 5'10, maybe 40 years old and average looking with dark hair and a three day old five o'clock shadow).

We didn't know what to do, so we just looked at each other shocked. My boyfriend Daniel was standing within earshot and walked up to see what was going on. The man proceeded to ask if he was more attractive than Daniel (no way!!!) to which my mouth dropped. He was being extremely aggressive at this point so Daniel told him he was more attractive to try to control the guy and see what he was so upset about.

The man said he wanted to hear from the girls and looked at Erin and I who were still in shock... To which Erin replied "More attractive than him?!?! No..." He asked why and Erin said "lets just leave it at no..." He walked off agitated and then re-approached us a few minutes later saying "if he shaved and put on a suit (Daniel was dressed up because we were going to a wedding) then he would be more attractive than Daniel, right?!?!?" We told him to "Have a nice day" and he walked away... But it was all quite insane.

I have to admit I was a little scared by the whole thing. Not that I honestly thought he was going to hurt me, nor could he have if he wanted to... Since Daniel was there... But he seemed so distraught. Like he had gone his whole life thinking he was the most attractive man in the world and someone had recently told him he wasn't and it was causing a midlife crisis. It was insane...

I didn't respond to him at any point partly out of shock and horror and partly because I was not sure what to say. In that situation do you appease a man that is clearly mentally ill or do you tell the truth??? My boyfriend is quite a bit more attractive than this guy and would not have had his feelings hurt had I chosen to lie to this man to get him the heck away from us and to make him feel better. But I couldn't do it. I could not bring myself on any level to tell this man that he was attractive. I certainly could not bring myself to tell him he was more attractive than my (quite attractive) boyfriend. (I am glad Erin answered for us and I didn't have to respond.)

But it was quite an interesting situation and I am still trying to process why I couldn't appease him. I could have told him what he wanted to hear and done so without hurting my boyfriend and hopefully gotten him out of there quickly and yet I could not bring myself to do so... I wonder why? What instinctively kept me from lying to this guy out of self preservation? I keep trying to figure it out and I got nothing...

All I know is beware of Barnes and Nobles in San Antonio... You may meet a crazy man looking for affirmation and be put to the same test I was...