The argument had started over something small—too small to remember clearly now—but it quickly spiraled into something much bigger, and now both of you were upset. Sabrina stood in the living room, arms crossed, pacing a little as she tried to collect her thoughts.
“I just don’t get why you always have to be so—so defensive,” Sabrina snapped, her voice raised, clearly frustrated. “It’s like every time we have a disagreement, it turns into this huge thing.”
You rubbed your temples, feeling exhausted by how fast things had escalated. “I’m not being defensive, Sabs, I’m just trying to explain how I feel.”
She threw her hands up in the air, clearly not satisfied with that response. “But you’re not listening to how *I* feel! I’m telling you what’s been bothering me, and it’s like you don’t even care.”
You could feel the hurt in her voice, but you were too caught up in your own emotions to fully address it. “That’s not fair. I *do* care, but you’re making it sound like I’m the only one to blame here.”
Sabrina’s expression softened slightly, but the tension was still thick in the air. “I’m not saying that, but… you make it so hard to talk sometimes,” she muttered, running a hand through her hair. “It’s like, every time I bring up something serious, you just… shut down or push me away.”
Your heart sank, knowing that she wasn’t entirely wrong. You hadn’t meant to push her away, but somehow, that’s what always seemed to happen when things got tough.
“I’m not trying to push you away,” you said quietly, feeling drained. “But I don’t know what else to say right now. Maybe we should just take a break, cool off a little.”
Sabrina’s eyes flashed with frustration again. “Cool off? You want to just leave this like that?” She shook her head, stepping back. “Fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, go ahead. Whatever.”
She turned on her heel, heading toward the bedroom without another word. You stood there for a moment, the weight of the argument pressing down on you. You didn’t want to keep fighting, but you also didn’t know how to fix things in that moment.
After a few minutes, you made the decision to give her space and left for the guest room instead. You heard the door to your shared bedroom click shut, and for the first time, the distance between you two felt real.
---
The night passed slowly, the tension lingering in the air. You couldn’t sleep, staring at the ceiling in the guest room, your thoughts running in circles. You didn’t want to leave things like this, but you also didn’t know how to bridge the gap.
In the early hours of the morning, you heard soft footsteps outside the door, followed by a gentle knock. Sabrina’s voice came quietly through the door.
“Can I come in?” she asked, her tone softer now, the anger from earlier replaced with something closer to sadness.
You sat up, your heart heavy. “Yeah… come in.”
She opened the door slowly, her face tired, like she hadn’t slept much either. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed again, but not in anger this time—more like she was holding herself together.
“I hate fighting with you,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t like this feeling.”
You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “Me neither, Sabs.”
She walked over to the bed and sat down beside you, her eyes downcast. “I don’t know… I just—sometimes I get scared, you know? That we’ll end up like this and not be able to fix it.”
You looked at her, your heart aching at the vulnerability in her voice. “We can fix it, Sabrina. I don’t want to be like this either.”
She nodded slowly, biting her lip. “I just… I get worked up, and I don’t always know how to say things without sounding like I’m blaming you for everything. I don’t mean to.”
“I know,” you said gently. “And I’m sorry if I made you feel like I wasn’t listening. I really do care, Sabs. I don’t want to keep pushing you away.”
Sabrina wiped at her eyes, clearly holding back tears. “I don’t want us to be apart,” she whispered. “I hate sleeping in a different room from you. It doesn’t feel right.”
You reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “Come back to bed, then. Let’s talk it out in the morning, okay?”
She smiled faintly, nodding. “Yeah… yeah, okay.”
With that, Sabrina leaned into you, her head resting on your shoulder as you wrapped your arms around her. The fight wasn’t over, but the warmth between you two was enough to start healing the cracks that had formed.
And in that quiet moment, holding her close, you knew that no matter how bad things got, you’d always find a way back to each other.
