plausible deniability

Even before covid there were so very few people I’d want to hug or even worse get hugged by.

And now in this never-ending covid reality somebody saying “Do you want a hug?” makes me think of a horror movie. If somebody said that and a highly talented actor happened to be watching - he would turn green with envy at my involuntary gestures and facial expressions.

I would be silently screaming: “I do not want a hug. I’d prefer you waterboard me in an N95 mask…”