Little Things

Chapter 28

1st December 2022
Bella POV:

My nerves were already frayed as I returned home from yet another exhausting parents' evening at school. The weight of the evening's interactions, coupled with the lingering tension from my recent argument with Leah, hung heavy on my shoulders. I had hoped to find solace at home, but as I stepped through the door, I noticed that I had company. As I saw Leah in the living room the atmosphere felt as charged as ever.

Leah was sitting on the couch, her expression unreadable as she flipped through a magazine. The sight of her only added to my stress, a reminder of the unresolved issues lingering between us. I took a deep breath, trying to summon the courage to address the elephant in the room.

"Hey," Leah began tentatively, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can we talk?"

I glanced up, my eyes meeting hers briefly before retuning to my hands. "I don't know what there is left to say," I replied coolly, my words a sharp.

I felt a pang of frustration, a tightening in my chest as I leah spoke again. "I know things have been tense between us lately," she admitted, her voice trembling slightly. "But we can't keep ignoring it. We need to talk about what happened."

I let out a sigh, turning to face Leah fully. "Fine," I said, my tone resigned. "Let's talk."

As we began to unpack the events of the past few days—the stress of Leah's injury, the strain it had put on our relationship, the miscommunication and hurt feelings— I felt the weight on my shoulders ease slightly. This was what I had been longing for, an opportunity to bridge the gap between us, to rebuild the understanding and connection we had lost.

But as the conversation wore on, old wounds resurfaced, tempers flared, and frustrations boiled over. Words were said, sharp and cutting, leaving scars that I feared may never fully heal. It was a painful reminder of the fragility of our bond, the cracks that had formed in our foundation.

By the time we reached an uneasy truce, the air between us felt heavy with unresolved tension. I once again, retreated to the bedroom, feeling drained and defeated, the weight of our argument pressing down on me like a lead blanket. I lay awake for hours, replaying the conversation in my mind, searching for answers, for a way to mend what felt irreparably broken.

As I woke, in the middle of the night, I grappled with a sense of uncertainty, a fear that perhaps our love was not enough to weather the storms we faced. But beneath it all, a flicker of hope remained—a glimmer of the deep, abiding love that had brought us together in the first place. Leah must have come to bed due to not being able to get home. As I looked down, she was peacefully breathing, light snores escaping her.

"Leah" I whispered whilst shaking her slightly to wake her up. She groaned as I began "we need to talk" my voice cracking. Leah sat up and held both of my hands. In a moment of raw vulnerability, my composure shattered completely as I poured out my heart to Leah. "You have no idea how much it hurt when you shouted at me," I confessed, my voice quivering with emotion. "I felt like I was drowning in a sea of your anger and frustration, unable to reach you, unable to make things right." Tears welled in my eyes as I struggled to find the words to express the depth of my pain. "I love you, Leah, but the way you treated me, it made me question everything. It made me feel small and insignificant, like my feelings didn't matter to you at all." With each word, my voice cracked a little more, the weight of my emotions threatening to crush me entirely. It was a moment of raw honesty, a plea for understanding and forgiveness in the midst of our fractured relationship.

As my emotions reached a breaking point, the weight of everything I had been holding back came crashing down around me. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I curled into myself, overwhelmed by the tumult of emotions swirling inside me. In that vulnerable moment, Leah approached, her expression softened with regret and remorse. "Bella, I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling with sincerity. "I didn't mean to be so harsh. I was scared and frustrated, but that's no excuse for taking it out on you. You're the last person I ever wanted to hurt." Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of our shared pain and regret. As Leah reached out to gently wipe away my tears, a sense of relief washed over us both—a small glimmer of hope that perhaps, despite the fractures and flaws, their love could endure.

Leah POV:

I got my mum to drop me off at Bella's as I knew this needed sorting out. When it reached 6pm it suddenly dawned on me that Bella would be home later and more stressed than usual due to parents evening. As she walked through the door she looked deflated, the usual spark not in her eyes. She looked tired, like she'd been up most of the night - which she probably had no thanks to me.

At the moment I shouted at her, my frustrations simmered beneath the surface like a dormant volcano, bubbling and building with each passing day. The once relentless energy that propelled me forward now felt trapped, stifled by the confines of my injured ankle. Every twinge of pain served as a cruel reminder of the dreams deferred, the opportunities missed, and the uncertainty of my future. With each setback in my recovery, my patience wore thinner, my resolve tested to its limits. The weight of my frustration was a heavy burden, one I struggled to carry alone. Bella didn't deserve to be treated like that. As my mum cruelly reminded me when she came over to scold me for my actions today.

As we tried reconcile tensions began rising and Bella took herself away from the situation. A few hours later, I joined Bella in bed - she was fast asleep. She looked peaceful, she looked beautiful. I placed a tender kiss on her forehead. I woke to Bella shaking me telling me we needed to talk. My mind was all over the place, frightened I was going to loose her.

As Bella's tears fell like raindrops, my heart ached with the realisation of the pain I had caused. Without hesitation, I closed the distance between us, wrapping Bella in a tight embrace. "Bella, I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice trembling with sincerity. "I didn't mean to be so harsh. I was scared and frustrated, but that's no excuse for taking it out on you. You're the last person I ever wanted to hurt."

Bella melted into my embrace, the warmth of her touch a balm to my wounded heart. "I know you didn't mean to," she murmured, her voice muffled against my shoulder. "But it still hurt. It hurt so much."

I held Bella tighter, my own tears mingling with Bella's as we sat there, clinging to each other amidst the wreckage of our argument. "I promise to do better," I vowed, my words a solemn pledge. "I'll work on managing my emotions, on being more mindful of how my words and actions affect you. You mean everything to me, Bella, and I'll do whatever it takes to make things right."

Bella looked up, meeting my gaze with tear-filled eyes. In that moment, she saw the depth of my love, the sincerity of my apology, and the hope for a brighter future together. "I love you, Leah," she whispered, the words a promise of forgiveness and renewal. "Let's work through this together, as a team." "I love you B, more than you'll ever know." Her lips met mine, for the first time in what felt like forever. 

We laid there, Bella's head resting on my chest. Where she belonged, in my arms. Breathing heavily. I knew I had to make it up to her.