Don't hurt me, leave me.
She takes a deep breath, steeling herself before standing before Jae. He just tilts his head at her, distant. He's been this way for weeks, never really there.
She has no idea how to fix it.
"Are you okay?" Jae starts to nod, and she cuts him off, raising her hand. "No. Don't just nod your head because you feel obligated. Are you seriously, genuinely okay right now?"
Jae lifts his head fully, making direct eye contact for the first time in days. She's struck by how different he looks. Maybe it's how his eyes don't shine in the light anymore, or how he's so pale compared to before.
"I'm fine," he waves his hand, emphasizing the words. "Don't be so clingy about it; I'm doing fine."
"You're being distant, yeah?"
"Yeah, I am. I'm being distant. I'm distancing myself from you. Is that what you want to hear?" Jae says each word forcefully as he yells at himself internally. He knows she doesn't deserve to hear that. He knows he's taking his self-hatred and pouring it on her. But he can't stop.
As humans, it's almost part of the job description to hurt the ones we love.
