But why insist that she asks directly? If you already understand that's what she wants?
As a sibling comment suggests, this seems like a power move.
As a sibling comment suggests, this seems like a power move.
She has communicated her wish in a way which is already clearly understood. I don't understand why that is deemed insufficient communication.
So, she gets a mild reproach if she makes an indirect ask.
I wonder, what reaction does she get whenever she makes a direct ask? (Not necessarily in this situation, but also in other and past experiences in her life)
You can't boil other folk's relationships down to your preferences, and what you're expressing here feels a lot more like personal projection than anything that OP said.
Why? Because it lightens my cognitive load, and lessens the chances that I'm missing other times that she's expressing a preference. And, besides, she is smart and deserves to be heard, and I know other people (men) are not listening as carefully for these cues as I am.
It's also "hilarious" when things go wrong the other way, and I interpret something that's just meant to be a question about preference as a serious ask to do something.