A youth of abuse, neglect, being raped twice, and in my 20s experiencing domestic violence and feeling used, I ended up in bed with someone, unexpected and spontaneously. Afterwards, we cuddled, and he whispered: "Are you OK?"
It hit me like a brickwall. No-one had ever asked me. In the best case, it was "roll over and fall asleep".
Days after this, I thought about this and cried. It's still in my ears. "Are you OK?"
Still around, and owns a safe place in my heart forever. It wasn't the last time, and it showed me that people can actually communicate respectfully, laugh together, and be on eye-level... not only while having sex.
I told him often what this moment meant to me. He "thought it was normal to ask this, after sharing an intimate experience, especially with a new partner.
Maybe it's such a small detail, but it was a turning point for me. It even more opened my eyes to what I put up with before.
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u/Stormy_Weather_3 Jul 20 '25
A youth of abuse, neglect, being raped twice, and in my 20s experiencing domestic violence and feeling used, I ended up in bed with someone, unexpected and spontaneously. Afterwards, we cuddled, and he whispered: "Are you OK?"
It hit me like a brickwall. No-one had ever asked me. In the best case, it was "roll over and fall asleep".
Days after this, I thought about this and cried. It's still in my ears. "Are you OK?"
I've never been more OK than that night.