Out of step

One person can come back feeling changed, and the person closest to them can have barely noticed a difference. Both can be true at once, for weeks.

Out of step does not mean one of you is ahead. It usually means two people are on different timetables, and timetables cannot be forced to match.

You may want to let the paces differ, and to say so plainly if it helps — not as a judgement, just as a fact: “I still feel like I am somewhere, and you are not, and I am not asking you to follow.”

Nothing requires the two of you to arrive anywhere together. Being close does not require being synchronized.