My friend noticed I was joking too much and asked the real question underneath it

Dear Delyara, That takes skill. We were in the kitchen, I was talking too quickly, making everything funny, making my own stress into little entertaining pieces because that is one of the ways I stay socially acceptable when I’m close to overwhelmed. She looked at me for a second and said, very quietly, “Are you actually okay?” Not in a dramatic way. Not in a performative caring way. Just accurately. It broke the whole act open. And I needed that.