The secret

Not long ago, a message arrived from an old friend, wanting to know if I was doing alright. We spent a few years together in his mother's old wooden house, talking about the mysteries of the world, our plans for the future, and about humans in general. My friend was an earnest person, and a student, but above all, he was the one that had planned his entire future. I had no plans at the time - he always wanted to be a psychologist, and that I never understood.

Many times we found ourselves talking about our friends, since we were always together, we shared most of our friends. He would always say it's a part of his future plan - meeting people, that is -  as preparation for his job. We met many friends, and if he would get sick or anything of a similar nature, he would always ask me about other people. 

This time, it was the same problem. 

I looked at the message and rolled my eyes. 

Can you tell me more about this Alicia Rivers?

I smiled at the screen, holding my breath at the same time, all while wondering how in the world he got the information so fast. It was like he was next to me, with his big nose and black curly hair, making up deductions as he went. He would have already put her in a special category designed for different people, bringing up questions like:

She's seriously scared of the sun? How does she come to school everyday? Is it some sort of allergy? Why does she sit next to the window? How does she behave outside? Have you seen her anywhere else? 

I touched my forehead and closed my eyes. Christian Mayers was too much for me to handle. 

The young man came from Hewe. His mother and my mother were very good friends in college. At the time, I was fourteen, and my sister Caroline was ten years old, but she was slender, with long legs, while I was skinny and short for my age. Christian was fourteen at the time, but he was much taller than me, and for Caroline it was love at first sight. 

It was a Christmas night, and the two families decided to spend it together, and, since Christopher had never seen snow in Hewe, he simply stared at the window for a good three minutes before returning to speak with us. Caroline sat right next to him, trying to show off her new dress mother had just bought two days ago. Christopher didn't pay much attention to her, and I could feel her glaring at me, as if I had just become her destined rival. 

The dinner was especially delicious, the roast turkey was soft and crispy on the outside, but when eaten it simply melted inside your mouth. We ate some tomato soup, it was almost pink. The baked potatoes were steaming hot, seemingly breaking apart with one touch. The apple pie was the most delicious part of the dinner. The house smelled of apples, black coffee, and bonbons. 

That was the most vivid memory I could summon as I was remembering Chris. 

What was I supposed to tell him about Alicia?

That I just heard her voice yesterday?