Page 51 of The Haunting Plot

I can’t believe I’m admitting this.

You cannot tell anyone else.

Especially not Bella.

I’ll never hear the end of it.

Okay…

A hot firefighter touched my boob.

And I think I liked it.

That is amazing!

This is the best news I’ve heard all day.

ALL YEAR!

Was it the chief?

Did the chief touch your boob?

I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.

I’m deleting this thread.

Please don’t!

I’m so proud of you. I know you’re not a fan of physical touch, so I get how huge this must feel.

She’s right. Touch isn’t my thing, just like Jonah. For him, it started with fabrics on certain areas of his body. Taking baths over showers because he didn’t like the feeling of water on his head. Going out with him in the rain without an umbrella is a nightmare. Always having to wear socks because something touching between his toes was catastrophic. Eventually it got to a point that simple tasks like trimming his toenails became a battle that usually resulted in me getting kicked.

When he was finally diagnosed with ASD, it was like someone lifted a veil from my eyes and suddenly so many things made sense. I always thought I was just brand loyal, but I realized I wear the same things because I’d found a texture that didn’t bother me.

Sometimes touch can be painful, like I have too many nerve endings and they’re all being stimulated at the same time, and my body doesn’t know what to process first, so it screams, “danger!” Even gentle touches can be overstimulating. But then other times deep pressure can be soothing, like using a weighted blanket.

Oddly enough, it’s also why I’ve curated a specific toy collection after having spent hours testing which products don’t trigger a negative tactile response.

And? How did it go? More importantly, how do you feel? And how did this happen? I need more information.

We were painting and heard a weird noise. I thought it was electrical, so I turned off the light, and his hand slipped in the paint. He fumbled over to me and his hand landed on my breast. The whole thing was ridiculous. I can’t believe I’m repeating this.

Oh my gosh! That’s so romantic. And then what happened?

It wasn’t romantic. It made me feel different. And then he was standing close to me. Too close. I think I wanted him to kiss me? Then his phone rang, and he left to go get his kids.

So there was no kissing?

No.

But you wanted there to be?

Maybe?

AHHHHHHHHH!

This is a bad idea. He’s helping with the renovation. This could get messy, and I don’t do messy. Plus, he’s a moron.