They say, "You'll be okay," and I nod. Because that's what I'm supposed to do. They think I need advice, reassurance, a reminder to be strong - but I've been strong for too long. What they don't see is how tired I am of holding myself together. I'm exhausted from surviving in silence, from swallowing pain so no one else feels uncomfortable. I don't need to be fixed or rushed back to normal. I need to cry without being corrected, to break without being told to fix it, to exist in the mess without shame. People offer solutions. I'm just asking for softness. They want me healed. I just want someone to stay while I'm not okay.