I don't talk much about what hurts me. Not because it doesn't matter, but because I don't always know how to explain it. Some pain doesn't come with the right words. It's messy, heavy and hard to unpack without being misunderstood. So I stay quiet. Not to hide but to protect myself. Silence feels safer than opening up and having my feelings questioned, judged or brushed aside. So I carry things on my own.