c/attachment·Posted by u/maya_patel·1h ago
Why do I scan my partner's face at dinner for proof they're done?
We were eating takeout on the floor Friday because the table is covered in mail. He was chewing, looking at the container, not at me, and I started reading his eyebrows like they were a report. Was that a sigh? Was he bored? Did I talk too much about my coworker again? I asked "are you okay?" twice in twenty minutes. He said he was hungry and the food was hot. I still watched his mouth for the tiny downturn that means it's over. Nothing was over. We watched a show after. I just couldn't taste my food because I was busy being a security camera. I hate that I do this in ordinary moments, not after a fight. Has anyone gotten better at eating a meal without hunting their partner's face for evidence?
Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.
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u/sam_whitaker1h ago
Takeout on the floor and the eyebrow-reading. I used to pause mid-bite. I started looking at my own plate on purpose for ten seconds when I catch myself. Sounds fake. It interrupts the scan.
u/jordan_hale1h ago
"Are you okay" twice in one meal is my tell too. He started answering "hungry, not leaving" which is blunt and somehow useful.
u/priya_nair59m ago
Does he actually go quiet when he's mad, or is chewing-and-container just how he eats? I mixed those up for a year.
u/malik_j58m ago
Same with coffee in the morning. I watch her forehead. I told her and she laughed and now she says "this is my thinking face, not my leaving face." Cheesy. Helps at 7am.