Page 99 of The Life Experiment
Trailing wearily down the stairs, Angus reached the ground floor. Stopping, he took in his surroundings. He told himself to remember this moment and all the promise it held.
Then, in his back pocket, Angus felt his phone buzz.
47Layla
The Life Experiment: Daily Questionnaire
Property of OPM Discoveries
How would you rate your level of contentment today? (1 represents low contentment, 10 represents high)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How would you rate your energy level? (1 being very low energy and 10 being very high energy)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
What are two things you are grateful for today?
Stop calling, stop texting and definitely stop sending these stupid surveys. I am not part of this experiment. I wish I never had been.
What are you struggling with today?
Your audacity
Do you have any additional notes on what you would like to discuss in your upcoming counselling session?
There won’t be one
Twisting her body this way and that, Layla studied her reflection in her bedroom mirror. Her mouth scrunched. This was the sixth outfit she’d tried on, but it still wasn’t right.
What the hell do you wear to tell the man you love that you made a mistake?Layla wondered, but deep down she knew that what she wore didn’t matter. What mattered was what she said. And, after messaging Angus, Layla knew he would be expecting her to make some kind of statement.
Hey Angus – I hope this isn’t too out of the blue, but I keep thinking about that day in the park and all the things I could have done differently. If you’d like to meet, there is something I’d like to tell you. I’d like to hear all the things I never gave you the chance to say too x
Only a couple of minutes passed before Angus’s reply came through.
Yes. I absolutely want to meet up. Just tell me
when and where. xx
The response made Layla smile. There were no games, no pretence, no playing hard to get. Just two people ready to lay everything on the table.
Layla just had to figure out exactly what she wanted to say.
Anxiety had crippled Layla all day. Pacing her flat, Layla had been so flustered that she knocked over a glass of orange juice. As the syrupy liquid seeped into Rhi’s favourite rug, an ill-timed call from her dad came through. Even though Layla had promised David they’d catch up this week, she let the call ring out. She was too busy panic-cleaning to chat. Besides, Layla could hardly make coherent conversation when all she could think about was what to say to Angus.
Whatdidsomeone say to win over the person they loved?
I’m sorrywas the first thing that came to mind.I’m sorry for shouting, for walking away, for never letting you get too close.
Angus needs to apologise too!an indignant part of her brain protested. Layla knew the voice had a point.
She also knew the voice was trying to conceal her fear.
It was easy to be angry at Angus. Blaming him for their downfall felt better than blaming herself, but the dust on their argument had settled. Now, whenever Layla thought of that day in the park, she didn’t see Angus as spiteful or deceitful. She saw him as someone who was lost. Scared. Someone who knew so little about themselves, they hid behind someone else because they thought a falsehood was safer than reality.
