Chapter 97

• Alicia felt the pain in his voice at the last words. He was washing her hair, but she stood up in the bath and turned around, sitting back down so that now they were facing each other. She reached and caressed his face, water staining him. “Hey, it was an accident.”
• “I know,” he smiled, “I understand, but it didn’t stop me from feeling lost that day when you opened the door and looked at me like a stranger. Then you have hidden behind your brother and wouldn’t even come close to me, no matter what anyone said.” His smile was pained, and it tugged on Alicia’s heartstrings. “I know I could have gone back and made friends with you again, but…I just couldn’t. The first time we became friends, you were the one who came after me, you kept following me around and all that, so, having you run from me was different, and I didn’t know the best way to react or act around you.”
• “Then you didn’t visit again.”