All too often, I found that my true thoughts died on my tongue in common conversation—unable to find a place amongst the idle chatter. Over the years, I had learned how to mask, to present an inauthentic version of myself more suitable for public display, with words that were prettier and less direct. It was such a habit to self-edit that sometimes I lost sense of who I was entirely, dissolving into the expectations of others. I had never needed to do that with Kieran. Not once.
