Ella

“I’m sorry I didn’t pay attention the first time you mentioned this. I dismissed it as a regular dream or something that was occurring because of fatigue. That must’ve made you feel terrible. Please forgive me,” he said, and I felt my heart race in my chest.

This was the first time anyone had apologized for making me feel like my thoughts and experiences were disregarded, and I didn’t know how to deal with it.

I would have never expected an apology, let alone from him, but it felt refreshing to know there were people in the world who didn’t shy away from accountability. I squeezed his hand and...