Written in the Stars *EDITING*

Chapter 32: Leah

After a few minutes, Nathan stood up. Holding a hand down to help her up, he said, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" she questioned as she grabbed the wooden basket while Nathan grabbed the blanket.

"I was wondering if I could take you to the cemetery?" he asked, the hope in his eyes clear as he caught her gaze. Mia nodded, holding his hand as they walked back to his car. The drive there was silent. When they arrived, close to thirty minutes later, Nathan gripped the steering wheel, needing a moment before going past the rusted gate.

"We don't have to go in right now. If you want, we can sit here for however long you want."

That was all the encouragement he needed, knowing Mia would be right by his side. "I'm ready, I just needed a second." When they got out of the car, Nathan held her hand almost as tightly as he had held the steering wheel. Mia didn't mind, knowing he needed the reassurance that she was right there. They walked along the brown path for a few minutes, going farther and farther in until Nathan took her to the left. They stopped at a newer-looking gravestone. It read "Leah Crane. Loving daughter and friend. The prettiest flower in the field."

Nathan stood in front of it, lost in thought. "Hi, Leah. I know it's been a few weeks since I last visited. I'm sorry I've been gone so long. There's someone I want you to meet. This is my friend, Mia." He turned to Mia and noticed that she was staring at him, the sadness etched on her face clear as day. "I know it's weird that I still talk to her like she's here and can respond. You don't have to-"

"Hi, Leah. My name is Emilia, but everyone calls me Mia. I'm happy that Nathan brought me here to meet you," she smiled as she sat down. "Would it be ok if I talked to her alone?"

Nathan felt his heart glow at the gesture. "Yeah, of course. I'm going to go talk to Tommy. He's the groundskeeper. He helped me through a lot of shit the first few months after she passed."

When Nathan returned around half an hour later, he saw the tears streaming down Mia's face. In the time he had been talking to Tommy, she had placed a flower on top of Leah's grave. Mia looked up at Nathan through her tears. He sat down next to her, wanting to talk to Leah. Mia held a hand out for the car key. "I'll go wait in the car while you two talk. Bye Leah. It was nice meeting you. If it's ok with Nathan, maybe I can come back again."

For the hour that Nathan had been at Leah's grave, Mia had opened her notes app and wrote her emotions down before deciding to scroll through social media. As Nathan slid into his seat and turned on the car engine, he let out a shaky breath, the tears still on his cheek. "What did you two talk about?" he inquired, needing a distraction.

"I mostly told her about how she didn't deserve to go through anything she did. I told her about how I've been through something similar. I talked to her about how big a personality Ash has. I talked about some of our adventures and how much you've been there for me. I thanked her for letting me borrow her guardian angel," she divulged in a soft tone. "You."

The dam holding his emotions back broke once again as Nathan started to sob. Mia wrapped her arms around his neck over the center console as she too cried and he held her waist, a ring buoy he needed to stop from drowning in his tears. They sat in each other's embrace for as long as they needed, the only way to keep the harsh reality of the world at bay.