My Secret Guilt as a Caregiver

I’ve been in my current relationship for about five years now. I’m the professor here, taking on more of a nurturing role than many might expect at first glance. My partner is quite young compared to me, early twenties, and he calls me 'Mom' even though we don’t officially label it as DDLG or anything like that. We’re just comfortable with how things are between us. The other day, something small happened but I’ve been feeling really guilty about it ever since. See, my partner has a strict rule that he doesn't leave dishes out after meals. It’s one of those little rituals we have to keep the house tidy and orderly. But there was this one night when I was so exhausted from grading papers that I just couldn’t face cleaning up. So, I left the plates and bowls on the counter, something I never normally do. When my partner found out later, he wasn't angry or anything, but you could tell he felt disappointed. He didn't say much, just a quiet reminder about our agreement and how important it was to him that we keep up these little routines. And for some reason, that made me feel worse than if he had yelled at me. I’ve been trying to explain this to myself all week, why such a small thing would bother me so much. I mean, it’s just one night and he understands. But in the context of what we have, I guess I’m worried about letting him down. It feels like breaking trust, even though no harm was done. It’s silly to feel this way over dishes, isn’t it? But that’s how I felt, lying awake in bed thinking about it and wondering if he sees me as less responsible now or whether I can ever live up to his expectations again. It's a little thing, but it’s stuck with me like something big happened between us.