AITA for not picking up that my husband hates my “ambient” audio?

I (32F) was reading in one room of our house when my husband (33M) came in from another room to chat about something. I was playing one of those “ambient” soundtracks on YouTube. This particular one sounds like typing. I get it’s not for everyone, but I find it relaxing. My husband asked what the audio was, and I told him. He seemed to think it was strange, but we moved on and kept chatting.

I didn’t notice anything amiss, but a few minutes later, he eventually gets a really concerned look on his face. I asked him what was wrong, and he said that the audio was extremely annoying, and asked me to turn it off, which I did. Now, he’s mad at me because he says he glanced repeatedly at the speaker, expecting me to “get the hint” that the audio was bothering him. I really didn’t notice. AITA?

14 thoughts on “AITA for not picking up that my husband hates my “ambient” audio?”
  1. Lol, NTA. He can use his big boy words and say so. You shouldn’t have to read minds.

    I struggle with certain sounds, music, etc. If I’m chatting with my husband and he’s blasting something that’s overstimulating or rubbing me wrong, I just politely point out it’s making it a little hard for me to focus or converse, and he just turns it off/down. I wouldn’t expect him to read my mind or just know without me telling him.

  2. NTA

    Your husband needs to be a big boy adult and *tell you* when something is bothering you instead of expecting you to “get the hint”.

    He also needs to be a big boy adult and realize that you have a right to listen to audio that relaxes you when you want to. Especially since you were in a separate room.

  3. NTA and isn’t this exactly what men accuse women of doing? “You expect us to be mind readers, why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong,” etc?

    1. Yep and non-autistic people do this to autistic people all the time. Hidden hints. Use your words and just say “hey, that noise is really off putting, can we turn it off?” Easy.

  4. I wondered where the audacity went. Your husband took more than his share. Tell him to use his grown up words next time. NTA.

  5. NTA I prefer a heavy rainstorm one myself but I love to read with ambient noise in the background and would never notice some speaker glances while doing so, he needs to speak his mind and not get shitty when you “miss his cues” when they barely exist

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