Dating is a minefield for autistic guys like me. All those unwritten social rules, the constant performance of being interested but not too interested, reading signals that might as well be in a foreign language. Exhausting doesn't begin to cover it.
Escorts are different. There's clarity. Transaction, expectation, boundaries all spelled out beforehand. No guessing. No anxiety about whether I'm doing something wrong or misinterpreting signals. Just straightforward human connection.
In Belfast, where everything's complicated by sectarian history and conservative Catholic undertones, sex work exists in this weird liminal space. People talk about it in whispers. But for me, it's practical. Clean. Predictable.
My last encounter was with Sarah, who understood immediately when I said I sometimes need quiet. No small talk pressure. Just mutual respect. She knew exactly how to make me feel comfortable without making me feel pitied.
I'm not saying this is everyone's solution. But for an autistic bloke who finds dating apps and pub scenes totally overwhelming? This works. Simple as.