You struggled with eating, not being able to finish your plate of food.

Joel wasn’t bothered by it. Simply didn’t understand at times. He himself ate just fine, so it was confusing for him when you first mentioned it.

Tonight was no different. You and Joel sat across from each other at the dinner table in your home in Jackson, you eating slowly as he had already torn through half of his plate.

He glanced up between bites, seeing you staring blankly at your still half full plate. He sighed, putting his fork down. You’d clearly eaten, but he could tell that you were struggling to finish.

He reached across the table, slowly pulling both the plate away from you and you out of your trance.

“Ain’t no need to push yourself, sweet girl.” Joel said, smiling softly at you. “Take your break, we can just talk until you’re ready to eat again.”

“But Joel—“ You started, but he cut you off.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve eaten all I need, okay? Let’s just focus on you.” He sipped a bit of his tea, moving your plate a bit farther to the side, trying to make it clear that he didn’t want you to focus too hard on eating.