My mind can turn one delayed message into five private disasters before lunch

Dear Delyara, It’s humiliating how fast it happens. A reply takes too long, and suddenly there are stories. Maybe I was too much. Maybe they’ve changed their mind. Maybe something is wrong. Maybe they’re upset. Maybe I sounded foolish. Maybe, maybe, maybe. By the time the actual message arrives — usually something harmless like “Sorry, just been busy” — I am already emotionally tired from the little courtroom my mind built around the silence. I wish I could leave space as space. I still fill it too quickly.