the performance that kept you liked — but never seen

For a long time, I thought I was just “easy to be around.”
Low-maintenance. Chill. The kind of person who could adapt to any room.

But what I really was… was missing.

I wore outfits that made sense to others.
I said yes to keep the peace.
I smiled when I didn’t know how to leave.
And it worked. I was liked. I was praised. I was easy.

But I wasn’t seen.

Performance doesn’t always mean pretending to be someone else.
Sometimes, it just means hiding who you are —
because it feels safer than being misunderstood.

And the most dangerous part?

When the performance fits too well.
When even you start to believe it.

That’s when the mirror becomes a clue.
Not a threat.

Because if you don’t recognize the version of you staring back —
maybe that’s your real self trying to return.

✧ quiet prompt:

What part of your identity do you perform so well… even you forgot it was a role?

✧ lived this too?
Sometimes the performance cracks quietly — not in your voice, but in your reflection.

→ read: the moment the mirror said: this isn’t you
Chapter: cracks in the mirror