The Mask We Wear, The Ache We Hide

We walk through life armoured in strength, cloaked in confidence, and guarded by fear.
But beneath the mask, we are soft, aching to be seen, desperate to be understood, longing to be held without judgment.
We crave love that reaches past our defences, yet tremble at the thought of asking for it.
Because asking means revealing the tender parts we’ve hidden for years.
It means risking rejection.
It means saying, “Here I am, fragile and flawed, will you still choose me?”

And that is the raw truth of being human:
We are all yearning, all afraid, all hoping someone will see past the mask and stay.