I think I might have sexually coerced without realizing. Please help
Recently a girl who I was dating for 2 months ended things with me right as we were about to be official. For context I have AuDHD and am sensitive to physical touch so went slow and respected each other’s boundaries. She was the one initiating physical touch mostly, so I told her I would try to initiate more. She had asked me multiple times if I was asexual because I hadn’t shown any sexual interest in her yet, but I assured her I wasn’t.
On our Valentines date, earlier in the day I told her that I was comfortable with her physically now but my thigh area is still an uncomfortable place. After that, we kissed for the first time and then we cuddled and held hands while watching TV. She was moving my hands as she wanted and I moved hers as I wanted, nothing sexual. While we held hands, I put hers on my thigh just so that I could feel comfortable with her there.
Later after dinner, she disclosed something vulnerable regarding sex and I comforted her and then we continued to cuddle while watching TV. While holding hands, I put her hand on my thigh again (not sexually), but I ended up being slightly turned on because of how much physical touch there was. I wasn’t ready directly for sex yet, but moreso kissing and touching more intimately. However, I didn’t feel it appropriate to initiate anything based on her vulnerability so I left it be, but if she wanted to move further I would have been okay with that. I didn’t communicate me being turned on or anything to her.
To skip ahead, later that night over text she told me she was wanting to be more physically intimate before committing to being official which I agreed with. The next morning she rejected me due to lack of chemistry, but dialed back an hour later that maybe she was being too harsh and too hasty and she’d be open to talking about it if I’d like.
When I went to see her, maybe out of internal insecurity for assuring her that I wasn’t asexual and to assure her I did have that interest in her, I said “when I put your hand on my thigh I ended up getting turned on, and if you wanted to move further you could have and I would have been okay with that. I’d like to have a healthy sex life and be more open about sex”. She told me this made her uncomfortable and icky, she took it innocently but if she knew it was sexual then it would have been a no because we weren’t there yet and hadn’t discussed boundaries. I should have communicated that directly and apologized.
She officially ended it after that because I wasn’t accountable for making her uncomfortable (among other things) and I feel guilty that I couldn’t own up to it. My question is did I imply that I was coercing her into sex? I worry that she didn’t have the agency or opportunity to say no because I didn’t communicate how I felt. She must feel so hurt because she really did trust me a lot and I feel terrible for hurting her. I just need to know from an unbiased opinion so that I‘m aware and don’t repeat this again because I miss social cues and it’s hard for me to understand these things in the moment. Thanks
Posted Apr 9, 2026, 9:10 PM UTC