The ride out of state was stifling. Sophie was keeping a tight grip on Keefe's hand to keep herself from falling apart.
Her grandma Calla had passed away a few days ago. She lived a couple of states away, so they were taking the trip out for the funeral. Keefe was there for emotional support.
"We're here," Grady murmured to the backseat as they pulled into the church parking lot.
Sophie forced herself out of the car. Keefe took her by his arm. She turned and buried her face in his shoulder to hopefully stop herself from crying. It wasn't working very well.
Still, she went ahead and took her seat. The service started quickly. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They had started talking about how she would cook in the kitchen with her grandchildren.
Sophie knew exactly what they were talking about. Her grandma would always let her help cook her famous starkflower stew whenever Sophie came over to visit. It was always one of her fondest moments she would bond with her with.
Keefe wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry into his chest. But, one thing that the pastor had said about her grandma had her pause. Keefe did too.
She had died of a heart attack.
Sophie was too distraught after finding out about her death, that she hadn't even thought to ask how she died. That explained why Edaline asked her if she wanted Keefe to go.
Speaking of. He caught it, too. His arms had stiffened around her. A far off look on his face. She squeezed him as tight as she could. She was afraid that if she didn't keep a hold on him, he would go away. If she didn't have a physical hold on him, he would be gone, like her grandma.
Everything that happened in the past year made her afraid of what would happen if she didn't always know exactly what was going on with the people she loved. Two scary examples. Both that could've had dire outcomes. One did. The other, so painfully close, it might've just hurt worse.
"I'm ok," he whispered, like he knew what she was thinking.
"I know."
Still, she couldn't quite seem to make herself let go.
At the end of the service, they were taken to the burial site. Sophie's grandmother had requested in her will that a willow tree be planted at her grave site. So, once she was in the ground, a small sapling was moved to be planted into the dirt.
Sophie knew it would grow into a beautiful tree. That's what her grandma deserved.
She glanced back up at Keefe. He still had that apprehensive look on his face. She leaned up to kiss his cheek. He seemed to snap back to reality. He tightened his grip on her own as they watched the last bit of dirt be packed around the tree.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Heart/Broken Mind
Random(Human AU) Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay. As the years pass, they wind up being in the same c...
