Coming to Italy had always been fun in the past- it meant seeing the sights, seeing family, and reconnecting with her roots. But since the plane had touched down for the last leg of their school trip, grief had stubbornly knotted itself in her heart. Despite its constant presence, Riah had done her best to act like her normal self. She knew that she couldn’t leave Italy without visiting her great grandfather’s grave, but the thought of doing so was nearly unbearable.
The days slipped away quickly, and now with the trip about to end, there was no more time to put off the inevitable. As she stood in her room at the hotel, eyes sweeping the area to make sure everything was packed and put away, her fingers tapped against the screen of her phone. She typed up a message to Noah, asking him to go with her and deleted it with a click. She brought up the group text with Mei and Lia, and poured out an apology-ridden plea for someone to keep her company. Sighing in frustration at herself, she deleted it. Riah thought about calling Poppy, already settled in their apartment in New York, but that would only end in her crying about the situation. So that was out.
There was really only one person she needed to help her face this. Her fingers moved automatically, and it was only when she heard the ringing in her ear that Riah realized she’d actually called her boyfriend. She punched the end call button before the call could connect, her heart beating so loud it sounded deafening to her ears. She didn’t want to drag Jay into this sadness again. She knew that he wouldn’t see it that way, but if going alone to the grave meant protecting everyone from what she was feeling, then she’d do it.
Riah summoned up the last shreds of courage she had and grabbed her purse, turning on her heel and walking out of the room and down the hall of the hotel. She tried to smile, could tell it didn’t happen, and kept her eyes focused on the carpet as she walked.
