𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

X

M

I looked outside the window, taking in the clouds painted across the clear blue skies while I absentmindedly toyed with my engagement ring on my necklace.

Was it too soon to say that I missed him?

I felt I still had so much to say to him before leaving and now those words left unsaid were taunting me. Not wishing to dwell on them any longer, I later pushed those anxious thoughts aside, trying my best to raise my spirits.

The excitement I felt paralleled by my fear of the unknown came in the form of butterflies in the pit of my stomach. They eventually settled once the girls and I began to talk more on the flight with Ragi lingering in the back on his phone.

Just an hour into our flight with many more to go, Olympia informed both Cori and I that we would be landing in Palermo, Sicily first. We'd be staying there for a day before leaving for Favignana the day after.

"I can't wait to show you guys the Villa! It's so beautiful and it has a great view of the beach close by." Olympia enthused with an elated sigh, her lips curving up into a toothy smile. "The island gets a lot of tourists around this time of year and the beaches are always so packed too." She explained.

"Hopefully not too packed." Cori mused, resting her head onto her propped up hand as she sat beside Olympia, the two of them on the opposite side to me. "I hate crowds." She added and I hummed in agreement.

Olympia raised a jewel adorned hand dismissively. "Don't worry the Villa is pretty secluded which is perfect for us and the beach closest to us has a private area that's closed off from the locals and the tourists." Olympia replied. "It'll be like our own private resort."

"That sounds good." Cori grinned, lifting her head up to look at the air hostess who offered her a glass of champagne. "Thank you!" She took the glass, taking a slow sip.

I kindly declined when the air hostess asked me if I wanted one too. She later dismissed herself after handing Olympia her glass. Olympia took note of me not drinking but she didn't comment on it. "Is it your family's holiday home?" I asked, curious to know.

She leaned slightly forward in her seat, taking a quick sip of her drink before speaking. "It was my nonna's on my father's side. It was one of her wedding gifts that her parents gave to her when she got married to my nonno." She answered, brushing her dark hair to the side as she tilted her head slightly. "After she died..nobody really used it and it was abandoned for a very long time. When my father was old enough he dedicated his time to having it renovated and rebuilt. He gave it to me on my 15th birthday as a gift." She summarised.

"I can't even remember what I got for my 15th." Cori breathed out, shaking her head. "A house is insane!"

"It is insane now that I think about it." Olympia let out a brief laugh. "I mean what was I going to do at fifteen with a house? But I guess he was just investing for the future—I mean it worked. I use it every year now." She shrugged.

"My father always went big for my birthdays to make up for how busy he was. That still hasn't changed. A house to make up for his absence is pretty fitting. I know he'll have some expensive gifts sent to me on the island which I'll just ignore..." She stated with a slight frown as she momentarily reflected on her past birthdays. "I guess the only thing different now is that I won't have to spend my birthday alone like usual this year. So, thank you guys for agreeing to come..." a smile of gratitude quickly rose to dance on her lips, growing wider as she looked between Cori and I.

"How could I say no to a holiday?! Especially with you two." Cori chimed in. "After everything that's happened these past few months, a girls trip is definitely needed. I'm happy to spend the next three weeks with you guys. It'll be so much fun!" She added.