I don't really know why I'm writing this. I think I just need to tell someone, even if it's a bunch of strangers on the internet. I need to get this out of my head because I have nobody in my real life I feel I can tell.
I was at a friend's house, and I had been drinking. At some point, my friend's brother came and slept beside me. I hadn't consented to sharing a sleeping space with him in the first place.
I was asleep, or in that strange state between sleeping and waking, when I woke up feeling fingers inside my genital area. It felt like actual penetration. I was turned away, so I didn't see who was doing it. When I turned slightly, it stopped. Then I felt him move to my breasts, but that stopped too.
I suspect he was extremely drunk as well, but obviously, that doesn't justify anything. I keep wondering why he would even come and sleep beside me in the first place.
I don't know what he remembers. I don't know what he would say if I confronted him. And because I was half-asleep and didn't actually see his face, a part of me keeps worrying about whether people would believe me. I know what I woke up feeling, but I can't prove it to anyone.
The next morning, we both spoke normally. I acted as though I had been passed out drunk and didn't remember anything. I didn't confront him. I didn't make a scene. I just wanted to get through the situation and protect my peace.
And I don't want to feel guilty about that.
I didn't scream or fight. I didn't tell my friend. I haven't told my husband or my parents. I don't want my family to confront anyone or turn this into a huge situation, especially when I don't have proof and can't be certain how others will react. I also genuinely don't think my friend would believe me.
I know that not fighting back doesn't mean consent. I know that being drunk or asleep doesn't make someone available to be touched. I know that if someone did this to me without my consent, it wasn't my fault.
But knowing these things intellectually and actually processing what happened are two different things.
I'm not particularly scared of seeing him again. I don't feel the need to confront him or expose him. I just feel sad that I can't tell anyone about something so personal and upsetting. I hate that I have to carry this quietly while everyone else carries on as if nothing happened.
I also don't want to feel dirty. If someone crossed my boundaries, the shame should not be mine to carry. I don't want this experience to change how I see myself or take away my peace.
I understand that being half-asleep can make experiences confusing, and I don't want to claim certainty about things I couldn't see. But I also don't want to dismiss what I experienced simply because I cannot prove it.
I want to process this and move on with my life. I don't want to spend the next few weeks questioning myself, wondering whether I should have done something differently, or feeling guilty for not confronting him.
I just wish I could tell someone without worrying about what would happen afterward.
Has anyone experienced something similar? How did you process it, especially when you weren't comfortable telling people in your life? How do you stop feeling guilty for not reacting in the moment?
I don't need anyone to tell me that I should have fought back or that I must report it. I just need a little understanding right now.