When a man showed up you didn't want to look at his face and he didn't want to look at yours, because it's painful to see somebody so clear that it's like looking inside him, but then neither did you want to look away and lose him completely. You had a choice: you could either strain and look at things that appeared in front of you in the fog, as painful as it might be, or you could relax and lose yourself.
The quote reflects the profound discomfort and vulnerability that arises from intimate connections with others. It highlights the struggle of wanting to connect with someone deeply yet feeling overwhelmed by the clarity of their emotions and existence. This tension creates a desire to both engage with the person and to retreat in order to protect oneself from the emotional pain that such clarity can evoke.
Furthermore, the quote emphasizes the choice...
