117: All This Time

Laird’s POV Fenella and I were still sitting on the balcony. Even as night fell, we devoted our time fully to understanding each other. I was already on my third cigarette. At first, I thought I wanted to bury all the bad memories from high school, but it turned out that those feelings kept piling up. Resentment and trauma remained. So, I gave Fenella and myself the chance to talk about it. There was no need to avoid or hide the frustrations I'd been holding onto for so long. Now, I felt certain that we wouldn't be able to maintain this relationship if we didn't openly confront our emotional wounds. "That's how I've felt all this time, Laird. In my view, you have always disappointed me. You always chose to distance yourself and leave me when things got bad." "I think I want to face my feelings properly. I want our relationship to succeed, so I know now it's time to resolve all the grudges and mistrust I have towards you." She looked at me as I processed everything she had said. "If aft