Do You Mean | What

There are distinct flavors to the question, distinct temperatures.

I am asking: Are you trying to hurt me? I am asking: Is this a negotiation or a goodbye? I am asking: Do you mean the truth, or do you mean the version of the truth that lets you sleep tonight? what do you mean

This is the whisper after a confession. It is the suspension of breath. This is the question asked by someone who is desperately hoping that their hearing is flawed, that the subtext they detected is a glitch. “I don't love you like that anymore.” “What do you mean?” Please mean that you love me differently, not that you don't love me at all. There are distinct flavors to the question, distinct