When I do things like hang around in an area just to send her home,
intentionally empty my plans on the off chance that we get to spend time together,
it stresses her up even though I tell her its okay.

Because she cares for me.

She would want me to spend my time better. Its irrelevant what I say, or whether I understand her situation. That's not the point. The very fact that I'm compromising my time to wait for her is something that she doesn't want because she cares for me. She doesn't want me to just give, she wants me to gain too. And she's actually been telling me this since the beginning.

She doesn't want me to give up my life totally, to drop all other commitments so that I can always be on standby for her. I don't need to be immune, always ready to function, this is not a CP operation. She wants me to live my own life, have my own goals (other than her), have my own troubles.

And share snippets with one another, and support each other, both ways when the there's opportunity.