Seri:
*voice trembling slightly*
"Krish… I need to talk to you. I don’t know, but you’ve changed. It’s like… you’re not the same anymore. The old you, the one who was always carefree, laughing, the one who made everyone feel comfortable… where did he go? Why can’t you just be that guy again? I miss you, Krish. I miss how we used to be."
Krish:
*pauses, his eyes distant, a hint of exhaustion in his voice*
"Yeah… I know. It probably feels like I’ve just… faded away. But it’s not that simple, Seri. You see, there’s this weight on me now, something that’s been slowly crushing me. Family expectations. Society’s rules. Friends’ needs. And love, the pressure of it all. It’s like everyone’s pulling me in different directions, all wanting something from me. And the hardest part? I’m still trying to wear a smile, even though I feel like I’m drowning inside."
Seri:
*voice breaking, tears starting to form*
"Krish, I… I don’t understand. Why don’t you talk to me? Why do you keep pretending to be fine, when I can see it’s killing you? You used to be so open, so real with me. Why are you putting up this fake smile? You don’t have to carry it all by yourself. Don’t you see? You’re not alone in this… I’m here for you."
Krish:
*his voice cracks slightly, his eyes meeting hers with a mix of guilt and pain*
"I know you’re here, Seri… I know you care. But it’s like… I can’t just *be* anymore. I’ve got all these responsibilities, all these people depending on me, and sometimes, it feels like I don’t even have a moment to breathe. The expectations, the pressure… it’s like a storm inside me that I can’t control. And every day, I force this plastic smile because I don’t know how to tell everyone that I’m breaking inside. That I don’t know how to carry all of this anymore."
Seri:
*softly, her voice full of pain*
"Why didn’t you say anything sooner, Krish? Why didn’t you let me help you? I feel like you’re slipping away from me, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to just watch you suffer in silence. I can’t stand seeing you like this, pretending everything’s okay when I know it’s not."
Krish:
*swallowing hard, trying to hold back tears*
"I didn’t want to burden you, Seri. I didn’t want to be the one who drags you down with my problems. You deserve someone who can give you peace, someone who’s not weighed down by the world. But every day, it gets harder to wear this mask. It’s exhausting, pretending to be fine when inside, I feel like I’m falling apart. But I don’t know how to stop, because if I do… everything will fall apart. If I admit that I’m not okay, I’m afraid everything will just crumble, and I can’t let that happen."
Seri:
*tears running down her face, voice barely a whisper*
"Krish, you’re not alone in this. You don’t have to keep pretending for anyone, especially not for me. I *want* to be there for you. I want to help you through this. You don’t have to carry everything on your shoulders. Please, let me in. Let me help you carry the weight."
Krish:
*his voice trembles, a look of deep sorrow in his eyes*
"I don’t know how, Seri… I don’t know how to let go. I’ve been pretending for so long that I don’t even know what it feels like to be real anymore. It feels like if I drop this smile, everything will crumble—the people who depend on me, the image I’ve built, everything. But deep down, I’m just so tired, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending. I’m not the same person anymore, and I hate it… I hate feeling like I’m losing myself."
Seri:
*reaches out, taking his hand gently*
"You don’t have to keep pretending, Krish. You’re still you. You’re not losing yourself, I promise. You’re just… you’re just carrying too much right now. Let me help you, please. You don’t have to do it alone. I’m not going anywhere."
Krish:
*looks down at her hand, his voice cracking with emotion*
"I don’t know how to trust that anymore… how to trust myself. But I want to. I really want to. I just need time to figure it out. I don’t want to keep hiding behind this fake smile… but I don’t know where to start."
Seri:
*softly, with a tearful smile*
"You start by being honest with me, Krish. And I promise, I’ll be here with you every step of the way. You don’t have to smile for me. Just be real… be yourself."
Krish:
*sighs, the weight in his chest feeling a little lighter*
"I’ll try, Seri. I’ll try to let go… and I’ll let you in. I just need time to break down these walls, okay?"
Seri:
"I’ll wait for you, Krish. I’ll wait as long as you need. Just promise me you’ll stop pretending. Promise me you’ll let me help."
Krish:
finally, with a deep breath
"I promise. I’ll stop pretending. For you. For me."
*voice trembling slightly*
"Krish… I need to talk to you. I don’t know, but you’ve changed. It’s like… you’re not the same anymore. The old you, the one who was always carefree, laughing, the one who made everyone feel comfortable… where did he go? Why can’t you just be that guy again? I miss you, Krish. I miss how we used to be."
Krish:
*pauses, his eyes distant, a hint of exhaustion in his voice*
"Yeah… I know. It probably feels like I’ve just… faded away. But it’s not that simple, Seri. You see, there’s this weight on me now, something that’s been slowly crushing me. Family expectations. Society’s rules. Friends’ needs. And love, the pressure of it all. It’s like everyone’s pulling me in different directions, all wanting something from me. And the hardest part? I’m still trying to wear a smile, even though I feel like I’m drowning inside."
Seri:
*voice breaking, tears starting to form*
"Krish, I… I don’t understand. Why don’t you talk to me? Why do you keep pretending to be fine, when I can see it’s killing you? You used to be so open, so real with me. Why are you putting up this fake smile? You don’t have to carry it all by yourself. Don’t you see? You’re not alone in this… I’m here for you."
Krish:
*his voice cracks slightly, his eyes meeting hers with a mix of guilt and pain*
"I know you’re here, Seri… I know you care. But it’s like… I can’t just *be* anymore. I’ve got all these responsibilities, all these people depending on me, and sometimes, it feels like I don’t even have a moment to breathe. The expectations, the pressure… it’s like a storm inside me that I can’t control. And every day, I force this plastic smile because I don’t know how to tell everyone that I’m breaking inside. That I don’t know how to carry all of this anymore."
Seri:
*softly, her voice full of pain*
"Why didn’t you say anything sooner, Krish? Why didn’t you let me help you? I feel like you’re slipping away from me, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to just watch you suffer in silence. I can’t stand seeing you like this, pretending everything’s okay when I know it’s not."
Krish:
*swallowing hard, trying to hold back tears*
"I didn’t want to burden you, Seri. I didn’t want to be the one who drags you down with my problems. You deserve someone who can give you peace, someone who’s not weighed down by the world. But every day, it gets harder to wear this mask. It’s exhausting, pretending to be fine when inside, I feel like I’m falling apart. But I don’t know how to stop, because if I do… everything will fall apart. If I admit that I’m not okay, I’m afraid everything will just crumble, and I can’t let that happen."
Seri:
*tears running down her face, voice barely a whisper*
"Krish, you’re not alone in this. You don’t have to keep pretending for anyone, especially not for me. I *want* to be there for you. I want to help you through this. You don’t have to carry everything on your shoulders. Please, let me in. Let me help you carry the weight."
Krish:
*his voice trembles, a look of deep sorrow in his eyes*
"I don’t know how, Seri… I don’t know how to let go. I’ve been pretending for so long that I don’t even know what it feels like to be real anymore. It feels like if I drop this smile, everything will crumble—the people who depend on me, the image I’ve built, everything. But deep down, I’m just so tired, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending. I’m not the same person anymore, and I hate it… I hate feeling like I’m losing myself."
Seri:
*reaches out, taking his hand gently*
"You don’t have to keep pretending, Krish. You’re still you. You’re not losing yourself, I promise. You’re just… you’re just carrying too much right now. Let me help you, please. You don’t have to do it alone. I’m not going anywhere."
Krish:
*looks down at her hand, his voice cracking with emotion*
"I don’t know how to trust that anymore… how to trust myself. But I want to. I really want to. I just need time to figure it out. I don’t want to keep hiding behind this fake smile… but I don’t know where to start."
Seri:
*softly, with a tearful smile*
"You start by being honest with me, Krish. And I promise, I’ll be here with you every step of the way. You don’t have to smile for me. Just be real… be yourself."
Krish:
*sighs, the weight in his chest feeling a little lighter*
"I’ll try, Seri. I’ll try to let go… and I’ll let you in. I just need time to break down these walls, okay?"
Seri:
"I’ll wait for you, Krish. I’ll wait as long as you need. Just promise me you’ll stop pretending. Promise me you’ll let me help."
Krish:
finally, with a deep breath
"I promise. I’ll stop pretending. For you. For me."