You keep replaying the same conversation in your head.

You leave certain catch-ups feeling flat, and tell yourself you're overthinking it.

You're always the one reaching out. The one checking in. The one keeping it alive.

So you make the excuses. They're busy. That's just how they are. I know they care really.

You've done this so many times you've stopped noticing you're doing it.

You're not imagining it. And you're not becoming difficult.

Most friendships don't end in one conversation. They end quietly, one version of yourself at a time, until you no longer feel like you around someone you've known for years.

The question was never "are they a good person." It's: who do I become around them?