I feel comfortable expressing my feelings and needs to my partner.

A need feels like a demand the moment it is said aloud, which is why so many go unsaid and come out later as weather.

The smallest ones make the best practice. Would you drive me to the station. I would like ten minutes before we talk about this. Could you sit with me while I make this call.

None of those are heavy. Each is a rehearsal for the larger request coming eventually. Comfort here isn't a personality trait, only what happens after you have asked a few times and survived it.