The truth, Trig, is as follows:
I am a very smart woman who has seen a lot in her twentysomething years, much beautiful, but much more painful, and not always distinct. As such, I have a finely calibrated bullshitdar which has proven itself right far more often than not, and far more often than I'd liked for it to have.
I've also, come to think of it, gotten into more than one ridiculously long argument in which someone who was genuinely being very dishonest with me took horrible offense to being called out, even in a gentle way. Apparently "I know you lied to me, but it's really not a big deal to me, I know the truth, I'm willing to let this drop if you are, can we just move on?" is an unreasonable plea, even when it is addressed to someone who is lying. (Ironically, both arguments that spring to mind were driven by the other person wanting me to lie and say I believed them.)
I like you, I respect you, and I won't claim you're lying- I can't know that. I apologize that I did, directly- it would have been more polite to allude, because I had no way of knowing whether you were or not. I expect people (whether or not they are on the spectrum! it's universal!) to lie and to present themselves selectively- that doesn't mean I think that all people are so fundamentally manipulative and dishonest that it eclipses all else.
Now, are you joking, are you flirting, or were you legitimately offended/bothered/hurt/etc. by the suggestion that I thought there was a decent chance that you could well be, at the very least, bending the truth (in a couple of posts, in a pretty insignificant thread, in a way that I have seen people bend the truth or outright lie before)?
Rules of the callout will follow from your reply. Honesty begs that I also say I know people can cover geniune hurt with humor, and if you're doing that, I'm actually rather curious as to what struck deep and why, because, as I said, it's something that has happened before. What issue, if any, do you want to address?
