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“You too.” And then she ended the call, and I glanced at the blank screen for a second before chuckling to myself.

“What the hell was that about?” Taylor asked.

I shook my head, running my hands over my face as I laughed again.

God, I was obsessed with that woman.

Then I dropped my hands and turned to Taylor.

I wondered if the question that was on the tip of my tongue was inappropriate. Our friendship was growing, sure. But perhaps I was jumping the gun by asking for their advice.

Well, one way to find out.

“Do you date women?” I asked. I didn’t want to assume their sexual preferences.

They raised their eyebrows, “Women are my favorite to date, yes.”

“As opposed to?” I asked.

They wiggled their eyebrows, “Everyone else. I’m pan.”

I nodded and held out my fist, “Me too.”

“No way,” Taylor grinned and bumped my fist with theirs, “So youwereflirting with me the first day we met.”

I laughed, “Couldn’t help myself, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t blame you; I’m fucking gorgeous.” Taylor laughed as they capped their bottle and set it aside, “So, are you having woman troubles?”

I tipped my head from side to side, “Kind of. I’m not sure. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks, but sometimes I feel out of my wheelhouse with her.”

“How so?” Taylor leaned back on their palms and stretched their legs out, resting one ankle over the other. I copied their pose and looked forward toward the sunset that was halfway hidden by the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

“She’s…god, how do I explain it?” I rolled my head back to look at the sky before looking forward again, “She’s kind of rigid, but I don’t see it as a fault like others do. I think she’s just got a tough exterior. She isn’t always stiff around me—anymore, at least. But she’s been visibly, noticeably stressed lately. I’m not sure how to help, because she doesn’t like to look weak or look like sheneedshelp.”

Taylor thought about my ramblings for a moment, “Well, what does she like?”

I grinned, “Music. Her work playlist is just a bunch of songs from the early aughts, it’s fantastic. Stuff with a heavy beat. Sometimes I can hear the base from her earbuds if she walks past me in the office.” I thought about her some more outside of work, “She also likes blankets. When there’s a throw nearby, she’ll always tug it over herself. Chocolates, she likes chocolates. She always seems to have a small piece ready to eat as soon as she’s done with dinner—oh, she also likes the sensory room at work.”

Taylor turned to look at me then, “Sensory room?”

“Yeah,” I lifted my shoulder, “It’s a room with a hammock and bean bags and a fluffy rug and an essential oil diffuser. I’m pretty sure it’s soundproofed. I’ve seen her go in there several times, usually when she’s grumpy or having a rough day. Don’t know how she tolerates it, it’s way too quiet in there for me.”

Taylor stared at me with a pinch in their brow, before opening their mouth and closing it again.

“What?” I asked, my smile fell from my face, “What is it?”

“I just—” Taylor snapped their lips closed before trying again, “Is she maybe neurodivergent to some degree?” I stared at Taylor’s face momentarily, because their words clicked something into awareness for me. Like a puzzle piece sliding into place in my brain.

“I…haven’t considered that.”

“She may not be,” Taylor quickly added, “I don’t know her. But…I do have some experience with neurodivergent people, is all.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah,” they nodded, “I work with children on the spectrum. So, I’ve seen just how wide and varied the autism spectrum is—especially for women.”

I blinked and turned to face the sunset again, “…I have ADHD, so I feel like I should have considered Jacqueline being neurodivergent long before this.”