“Let me get back to you tomorrow” has saved more friendships than any apology.

In close relationships, most of the damage happens in the gap between being upset and being thoughtful, about a day wide. Buying time is not avoidance; it lets the part of you that likes this person catch up with the part that is currently furious. An apology repairs, but a delay prevents.

Keep one sentence ready for when something lands badly: let me think and get back to you tomorrow. Then actually come back, because the postponement only works if you return. You will be surprised how much smaller the whole thing is by then.