That's kind of social anxiety though. You weren't scared about her because there was something bad about her character, so you did a brave thing for you and learned something new, right? She seems to bring out a good side of you. You could tell her you're happy how you've worked out together, you value her and want to her to say around. How does that sound. Edit to add: Also it seems like part of her initial attraction to you was based on you seeming like a mysterious tough person to her, like maybe she had some fantasies about how you got some of those scars from fighting people in the street, things that might be like sappy romance novel stuff about a misunderstood protagonist tough guy. So it could be if you clash with the fantasy vibe that attracted her too much like by saying that she scared you, that kind of jolts her because she doesn't feel she's scary, and clashes with one of her fantasies for you. You are actually strong but just in your unique ways, but she has a more conservative upbringing and sees things through a little more typical lens, so if you're okay with it you could try to keep her feeling good to stoke the fires of romance. Hope this can help too.