It was around October when I met you. October Sixteenth, to be exact. A friendly conversation turned into, “So.. are you single?” “What’s your favorite movie?” The common flirtatious chatter of two teenage loners. The conversations became steady. Every day after school, the first thing I’d do is text you, saying I was home.

“Hey! How was school?” The words I waited to hear every day. Any free time I had, was dedicated to you. I’d even make time for you, despite the minimum five hours we’d talk. This would be the pattern for two whole months. Not a boring second either. Always a new conversation to bring up, always a problem I could help with.
The biggest problem, was your utter lack of self confidence. “So what if you think you have a ‘manly’ voice? I bet it’s wonderful.”

You had lost your voice in a car crash. You blame yourself for the crash that not only crushed your voice box, but also took the life of your sister Aubrey. You constantly blame yourself, but you shouldn’t. If she didn’t want you to go, she wouldn’t have asked you to. Things happen.

(Think of second experience. 2-3 paragraphs)

It’s Christmas Eve. We agreed to stay up until eleven to call, just to tell each other Merry Christmas. I heard my phone ring, and immediately picked up. I got my laptop set up, and waited. “Merry Christmas!” I saw pop up on the screen. “Merry Christmas, Kate.” I said. As you would type, I would contemplate asking you to try speaking again, try your hardest to believe in yourself.

“Kate.. Can you try again? You did really great last night.”
“I don’t know.. my throat is really dry.”, you typed.
“Come on. It’s Christmas!”
By now we had been talking until four in the morning. Officially Christmas.
“I love you.. Kate. You know that?” I said, after about thirty seconds of solid silence.
“I love you too..” You SAID.

You SAID it. You used your real voice. The voice you would hide from me, whether intentionally or not. The voice I’d waited three months to hear, was used. Clearly. In fact, you were happier than I were. I could hear the smile in your voice, hiding behind the tears. I was proud of you.

“Kate.. Did you just..”

At this moment I hear you breaking down. The silent tears running down your face.

“You know.. you’ve just given me the only thing I wanted for Christmas. For you to love yourself, just as you love me.”

I didn’t need a reply. All I needed was to hear it again. Even hearing you cry, I heard it in YOUR voice. The rest of the two hours we spent talking, in BOTH of our voices.

Around 6:00AM, my father woke up, and was forced to leave. But I left that night proud. Proud of your accomplishments. Proud of you, Kate.

One night, I believe it was in February. We were talking, and you said something that confused me.
“If I start coughing, like, badly, I want you to hang up the phone.”

“Why’s that? Scared I’ll laugh at you?” I said, jokingly.

“No.. When I get sick, due to my condition, I get really bad and, well, need my parents help to stop it. You’ll know if it happens.”

“Whatever you say. But, until then, you’re mine.” My smile after that could’ve been seen from the moon.
You had coughed a couple times, and said sorry. Clearly just a normal cough. Even though, every time I heard it, I prepared. Then it happened. You had been coughing a solid twenty seconds, and I couldn’t stand to hear the rest. Every cough was more and more violent. So I hung up. For the last time.

(New ‘ending’)