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Reading Mixed Signals (Posted here for traffic)

4 replies

WhatOnEarthDoIDoNow · 27/12/2018 21:08

This is incredibly outing but I need the wisdom of mumsnet. I am autistic and interested in a guy who is also autistic and I can't tell if he is interested or not as I keep getting mixed signals from him and it's starting to drive me insane.

It was his birthday recently and I and some other friends of his went to stay with him for the night, between 6 that night and 2 the next day as his dad has severe OCD and routine driven Aspergers and struggles to cope with guests. When his mum was checking when people were leaving and if they needed a ride to train stations or anything I was invited to stay another day or two by her as he was playing in concerts and there were family/church things they were planning that I was welcome to join them on and throughout the stay he tried several times to convince me that I should stay till the New Year when he had to head back to the city for work. He has also commented several times that he would like to come and vist me at my home and meet my family, and that he wants my family to like him.

According to his friends and older sister he has been talking about me since last Christmas (when we'd spoken only a handful of times) and 'boasting/bragging' about me and how I am and what I do and all of that since before easter and when he was home over the summer after we'd been on holiday (with other friends as well) all they got was WhatOnEarth did/said this or thinks that. Which I was completely unaware of till I met them. And his mum commented several times that it's been lovely for me to stay and meet and get to know the family and when I left his dad hugged me twice, told me that he hates guests but I am welcome there anytime I feel like it. His sister has added me on Facebook and we're swapping some books between us.

However I cannot work of for certain what he wants and I think that could be because he's unsure himself. I would be happy if he just wants to be friends and I'd be happy if he wanted a relationship however I cannot deal with the ambiguity we have right now. I want to say something/talk about it however we do live at opposite ends of the country right now and it's not something I feel comfortable messaging about. To me this type of conversation should be face to face. But at the moment when we do see each other face to face right now there are always other people around and on the off chance it's the two of us, I can't start it. I just don't know what to do so any advice or wisdom or a handhold while I try to wrap my head around how I feel would be fantastic as I've never liked anyone before. So this is completely new and rather terrifying.

OP posts:
Trills · 27/12/2018 21:20

We definitely cannot tell.

We can never tell for sure what someone "really" want or means based on someone else's description of their behaviour.

We can make guesses, but when the person describing the behaviour has a particular wish for how it should be seen, that'll influence what they say and make our guesses worse.

And if the person doing the behaviour is not neurotypical that makes our guesses even less accurate.

And our guesses are pretty bad to start with.

WhatOnEarthDoIDoNow · 27/12/2018 21:34

@Trills, yup and as I'm not NT either I'm sure whatever he thinks or wants is going to be confused my my atypical reactions to things. I think right now it's best for me to not get too caught up in it all and take things as they come. I know that as an Aspie I often assume someone knows something without me having to tell them as I forget they can't read my mind and to me it's obvious and he's the same, but I also know that as Aspies we will not assume to know anything unless we're expressly told Grin because we're nice and easy people to deal with.

Think next time I see him (he's coming to visit for my birthday) if there's any sort of mixed signals I'll have to come out and ask/tell him there and then. If not I'll continue not saying anything.

OP posts:
Kezzie200 · 27/12/2018 21:36

Can you arrange to meet him for a drink, or walk, or anything together that youd both enjoy.

WhatOnEarthDoIDoNow · 27/12/2018 22:36

@Kezzie200, not easily. It's a four hour train journey between us or a six hour drive for him. I could try engineering some aloneish time when he comes for my birthday next month, but it's not a given as I live with five other students and quite a few of my other uni friends will be around both to see me and him, I've already told him he's fine to bring his teammates over with him as he'll not have seen them in over nine months by this point.

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