"A Delicate Balance"

As the weeks turned into months, Lyra couldn't help but notice that Ethan was struggling to keep up with his schoolwork. He had always been a diligent student, but lately, he seemed to be taking on too much. He would often stay up late into the night, pouring over his notes and textbooks, and Lyra could see the exhaustion etched on his face. Despite his best efforts, Ethan's grades had started to slip. Lyra would see him stressing over his laptop, trying to meet deadlines and complete assignments, but it was clear that he was in over his head. She would try to offer him help, but he would brush her off, insisting that he had everything under control. Lyra was worried about him. She had never seen Ethan like this before, so consumed by his own stress and anxiety. She knew that he was trying to be a good assistant to her, but in doing so, he was neglecting his own needs. She would see him making mistakes, small ones at first, but they were adding up. Missed deadlines, forgotten appointments, and careless errors in his work. One day, Lyra decided to confront him about it. She walked into the room where Ethan was working, and sat down beside him. "Ethan, can we talk?" she asked, her voice gentle. Ethan looked up from his laptop, his eyes tired. "What's up?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "I've noticed that you've been struggling lately," Lyra said, her eyes locked on his. "Your grades are slipping, and you're making mistakes. You're not taking care of yourself, Ethan." Ethan shrugged, trying to brush it off. "I'm fine, Lyra. I just need to buckle down and focus." But Lyra wasn't convinced. She knew that Ethan was pushing himself too hard, and it was only a matter of time before he burned out. "Ethan, you're not fine," she said, her voice firm. "You're overworking yourself, and it's not going to end well. Can't you see that?" Ethan looked at her, his eyes flashing with defensiveness. "I'm just trying to help you, Lyra. I want to make sure you're taken care of." Lyra sighed, feeling a pang of frustration. "Ethan, I appreciate that, but you can't pour from an empty cup. You need to take care of yourself, too." But Ethan just shook his head, his jaw set. "I've got this, Lyra. Don't worry about it." Lyra worried, all right. She worried that Ethan was going to collapse under the weight of his own responsibilities, and she didn't know how to stop him. All she could do was watch, and hope that he would come to his senses before it was too late. As the days turned into weeks, Lyra saw Ethan's condition worsening. He was constantly tired, and his mood was becoming increasingly irritable. She tried to talk to him, to get him to see reason, but he just pushed her away. It was like he was determined to prove to himself that he could do it all, that he could be the perfect assistant and student. But Lyra knew that it was just a facade, that he was struggling to keep up. And she knew that if he didn't change his ways, it was going to have serious consequences.