Page 70 of Full Court Crush

“Everything alright, love?” he asked, concern on his face.

“It is now,” she said brightly, then cut up another roast potato.

Chapter 21

Amelia

Thewintertemperaturesdroppeddrastically overnight. Amelia was glad that her heated windshield had meant she hadn’t spent too long scraping ice off the front of her car. She made use of the staff parking permit at the hospital, left her car there, and walked over to Roath Park. It wasn’t cold enough for the lake to have frozen over, but each blade of grass had an icy coat, frozen in time. Amelia leant against the railing, appreciating the beauty of the lake. In the spring, hundreds of birds came here, including geese and ducks, with goslings and ducklings trailing behind them. But now, the lake was quiet, save for the odd robin high in the tree branches, singing its lonely song, its red breast stark against the bare trees. Someone approached the railing and leant on it too, mirroring Amelia’s posture.

“Hey,” Keira said shyly, looking sideways at Amelia.

“Hey.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Keira smiled wistfully out at their view.

“Cardiff is a beautiful city,” Amelia agreed, before pushing off the railing and beginning to walk. Keira dropped into step beside her.

“So, how was Christmas on the ward?” Keira asked, hands buried deep in her pockets.

“Oh, you know, the usual. We had a Father Christmas come around and drop presents off to the kids, which cheered them all up, even the older ones. Something about that red suit always brings a little bit of magic.”

“Definitely.”

“How about you?”

“We went to my uncle’s, and it was absolute chaos. Loud, wonderful chaos.” Keira chuckled. “My entire extended family was there. I have no idea how we all fit in the house.”

“That sounds lovely,” Amelia said wistfully. She thought back to her own ‘family’ Christmases. Their barely decorated house, the four of them around the table, and her parents discussing business while Amelia made faces across the table at her sister, inevitably getting them both in trouble. Her sister would stay up with her late into the night, trying to catch Santa in the act. Then she would make sure Amelia got safely back into her own bed once she fell asleep. Amelia always woke up with a stocking at the end of her bed with a handful of presents and would rush into her sister’s room in the morning, clutching her treasures.

Amelia couldn’t remember when they stopped celebrating together. Her sister never really came home once she left for university, and her parents stopped inviting her. Her Christmases became colder; her parents continued discussing business at the table, but there was no one for Amelia to make faces at. She sighed. The longing for her sister was always stronger at this time of year.

“Hey, where’d you go?” Keira gently nudged her.

“Oh, I was just thinking about my sister.”

“Still haven’t heard from her?”

“No.” She sighed again.

“Hey, it’s Christmas…maybe you could use that to reach out? Help break the ice?”

“I don’t know.” Tightness started to build in her chest. She wasn’t sure she could handle another rejection right now.

“C’mon, you can’t let your parents keep driving this wedge further between you. You can take control of your relationship with your sister.” Keira was right, but the idea of reaching out terrified her. "If you miss her even a tenth as much as I miss Sonia, you need to reach out."

Amelia sighed. She knew Keira was right. But somehow, it felt safer not knowing if her sister would be open to reconnecting. It would remain Schrödinger's relationship, potentially both dead and alive at the same time.

“Is this her?” Keira turned her phone to show Amelia what was unmistakably her sister’s social media page. She looked older, obviously, but she seemed happy. In her profile picture, she was being embraced by a man. It could be a boyfriend, or even a husband. Their rift ran so deep, her sister might have got married without her knowing. That thought stung.

“Yeah, that’s her,” she said and looked away.

“So, message her,” Keira implored. “If the last few months have taught me anything, it’s that life is too short not to tell people how much you care about them...”

Keira trailed off. Amelia wondered if they were still talking about her sister.

“I get that. I see that every day,” Amelia said softly.

“So, what are you waiting for?” Keira challenged.