Page 21 of Your Love

“I’m so sorry, Landry,” she says sincerely. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s psychological. She’s been scared of the dark ever since that day, and she refuses to use her voice. The last thing she ever said was my name, and I barely got to her in time. Maybe she just doesn’t think anyone cares about her voice.”

“Now you listen to me, Christian Landry,” Kerri says, positioning herself in front of me. She kneels and places her hands on my knees. “That little girl looks up to you like a superhero. You were only ten years old when you saved her life. Do you understand how incredibly brave that was?”

I’ve heard my parents say these same words repeatedly, but I find them impossible to believe. “It wasn’t enough.”

With a determined tone, she speaks firmly. “I may not know everything, but I do know one thing for sure. Accidents happen. Tragic events occur every day. But you stopped a catastrophe. Your sister survived, thanks to your quick actions. So don’t you dare sit here and blame yourself for anything. Do you understand me?”

“I hear you,” I say, my voice lightened with a gentle chuckle. “It’s just hard. We keep waiting for her to speak, to break the silence that has been weighing on us. And every day that she doesn’t, it feels like our hopes are slowly fading away.”

“But it will happen.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do,” she says with a confident nod. Her eyes gleam with determination, and I do not doubt that she believes what she’s saying. “I’ve seen the way her eyes flicker when she looks at something she likes. She has something important to say.” She pauses, her expression serious. “She wants to talk. She will.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Is that when you discovered your talent for being a goalie?” she inquires, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

I cock my head to the side, not quite sure where this conversation is heading. “I don’t follow the question.”

She smiles. “You’re naturally protective. It seems like being a goalie would come easily for you.”

Laughing, I shake my head. “What? Now you know about hockey?”

Her grin widens as she playfully nudges me. “Oh yeah, you guys talk about it all the time. I was bound to pick it up eventually.”

“That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure. I was probably headed that way anyway because of my size, but it’s possible,” I say with a shrug.

“What do you think about when you’re playing?”

“Honestly, nothing,” I reply with a grin. “I drown out everything but the puck.”

She nods in understanding. “Must be tough to concentrate for so long.” She observes.

A small laugh escapes me as I admit, “It can be at times. But I love it.”

“I still think you’d make a great linebacker.”

I shoot her a playful glare, trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips. “You had to bring up football, didn’t you?” I say in mock annoyance. “What did I tell you about that?”

She throws her head back and laughs, causing her hair to bounce around her face. “Oh, no!” She jumps up and tries to make a run for it, but I quickly catch her and wrap my arms around her waist. With one arm holding her tightly against me, I use my other hand to tickle her side. She squirms and shrieks with laughter.

I release her from my grip, and we both collapse in a heap onto the carpet, our laughter echoing through the room. In that moment, all of the tension and seriousness from our earlier conversation fades away.”

I gaze at the beautiful person beside me. “Promise me we’ll always be friends.”

“We will always be friends. I promise,” she says.

Chapter 9

“Dreams”

Kerri - Age 18, 1988

Ever since I spent that day with Landry, thoughts of him have consumed me. His thoughtful gestures and kind words linger in my mind. When he opened up about his sister’s tragic accident, everything clicked into place. I could see the pain and guilt in his eyes, knowing that he blames himself for not being able to prevent it.