If I say, in response to a question concerning my state of well-being, "I'm fine", without elaborating on it further, it can either mean that I'm really fine, or that I'm not fine but I don't want to talk about it. Either way, if after that you keep asking, or say things like, "are you sure?", the following "yes, I'm fine" should be read as a "yes, back off already". In fact, I might start saying that bluntly. Because that's what it means. Back off, already. Give me some breathing space. I might not want to talk about things, even if I'm upset, has that ever crossed your mind? I might want to just curl up and cry and deal with my hurt on my own. I might be trying to forget about it. What do you know? You don't know me that well. If I want to talk, I'll talk. If I need to talk, I'll seek you out. (Or I'll seek other friends out, in which case don't you dare have a fit of jealousy. I'm not your property, I talk with who I want. I can have a billion different reasons to talk with somebody different than you, such as life experiences, knowledge of something in particular I need to know about, and so on.) If I don't want to talk, it means I don't want to talk. It's not some elaborate plot to elicit pity or understanding out of you. There's nothing behind it. I don't want to talk about it. Back the hell off.

And the complaint / comment / "but why" I'm fully expecting you to say in response to this post? Swallow it up. I don't want to hear it. Back off, you're not giving me room to breathe, and I get defensive and lash out in that sort of condition.

(Note: this is directed to one single person in particular. Said person is not going to be named, but he knows who he is. If you have to ask yourself, "is this me?" then no, it's probably not you.)