how do i tell my partner i need to hear 'i love you' more?
so my girlfriend and i have been together for about a year now and she’s amazing really kind patient all that but she HATES saying 'i love you' out loud. like full on cringes when i say it and just goes quiet. i get it she’s not super expressive we’re both kind of reserved but sometimes i just want to hear it you know? last week we were lying in bed and i said 'i love you' like i always do before falling asleep and she just stiffened then whispered 'yeah me too' like it was a secret. broke my heart a little? not even because she didn’t say it back properly but because she acted like it was embarrassing like love is something to hide. i’m bi and she’s non-binary we’ve both got the whole identity thing going on and honestly her being quiet about feelings makes me feel unsure sometimes. like am i enough? do they actually feel it? i don’t want to pressure her but i need to feel secure too. anyone else deal with this? how do you handle needing words when your partner can’t give them easy