❝I told you I'd take you to the stars.❞
"I CAN'T BELIEVE my only child is getting married in Italy and I'm not even invited!" Gianna fakes a sob and sniffles with devastation into the receiver.
"I'm sorry, Mama," Ria drags. "It was a split second decision and it's something we really wanted to do as soon as possible."
"I understand, but I'm so sad! You're my baby and you're already starting your life so soon. First, you get engaged and pregnant. Now, you're getting married in Rome? If your father knew, he'd be so angry to know he can't walk his only little girl down the aisle."
Ria's heart sinks and she looks across the airport to where Ashton is talking with Dea and Sophia. "I know. We can still have a ceremony... We just want to do this now. I'm so sorry."
"Oh, don't be. You're young and reckless and impatient. Perhaps the apple does not fall too far from the tree. Your father and I eloped when we were twenty, and back then it had a very different meaning."
Ria rests her chin in the palm of her hand. "Really?"
"Si, tesora. His family thought I was the mattress of Rome. They were awfully stuck up Frenchmen. They believed I let any young or older man lie in my bed...which was true."
"Ma," Ria laughs.
Gianna sighs with light humor in her tone; Ria can only imagine how rosy her cheeks must be reminiscing about her scandalous past. "Well, no use being a liar. I loved men, but I loved Julius even more. When he proposed, I said yes and we got married the next month at a little church. I was pregnant with you at the time and thank goodness we did it so soon! Could you imagine how silly I would have looked in a large dress?"
Ria giggles and touches her stomach, still flat without a hint to give away proof of the life growing inside her. "Well, looks like I'm going down the same path as you. I haven't gotten any bigger yet so I can still fit into a nice dress."
"Oh, you will, honey. Just wait. Your breasts will get huge. Your feet and hands might swell a bit, but the breasts...your father loved it."
"Ew! Ma, stop it." She cringes and quickly disregards the thought. "Tell Papa I love him, okay? Tell him not to get mad and that I love Ashton dearly and we make each other happy."
"Mhm. I'll tell him, tersora. You're lucky you told me while he is conveniently at work. Ah! I wish we could see you. Take plenty of photos, okay? Good luck with Ashton and tell him that he is welcome into the family and he needs to be fluent in Italian within the next year."
Ria chuckles to herself. Unlikely. "Okay, Mama. Ti amo."
"Ti amo, tesora."
Ria hangs up with a smile and holds her hands to her heart. In several hours, her and Ashton are going to be looking into their future. She'll be going back home. They'll be getting married.
Elation crackles through her veins like snaps of pure electricity. The high of not thinking and just doing makes her feel more alive than anything.
Forget about Chris. Daniel. Vincent. Everything. Just taking the time to capture their own happiness.
She prances over to the group and beams at them. "I'm ready to go."
Ashton wears a humble smile and slips a hand around her waist. "I bet you are," he mumbles against her ear before kissing her cheek. "I can't wait."
"Ugh." Dea touches her heart and blinks back what can only be tears of joy. "You two are so precious. Even after everything, you're finding happiness. I'm so sorry about my brother." The glint in her eyes weakens for the briefest second. "What he did-"
"Don't apologize for him," Ashton grumbles. "You did nothing wrong."
"I know, but I know how he can get." She rubs her arm and glances off to the side. "He caused you guys so much pain. You lost so much. The worst part is, he thinks he's right. I know he does. I'll definitely be talking to him about this."
"Dea-" Ria starts.
"Ah." She holds up a manicured finger. "He's my brother and partially my responsibility. We don't have to forgive him, but I think he needs some real mental help."
Ashton folds his arms. "I could not agree more."
Sophia shuffles into the circle grinning like a fool with what looks like a tablet tucked under her arm.
Ria arches a brow. "Why are you so smiley?"
Sophia flips the tablet over and shoves it towards them. "Jared and Vivian are very disappointed that they aren't invited to your wedding."
On the screen is a slightly static video chat. Vivian is peeking over Jared's shoulder as he leans in to see them.
Ria's heart soars and her hand flies to her mouth. "Hey, guys! We were going to call you when we landed."
"How am I not invited to my best friend's wedding?" Jared demands and pushes his glasses up his nose. "You're the first one out of all of us to get married."
"Ashton and I just want to take the time that we can and just" — she shrugs — "celebrate our love away from everything. In Italy." Every time she says it, she can hardly believe herself.
She's dreamed of going back home since before she moved to America. In fact, the night she met Ashton that's all she could talk about until she fell asleep.
Jared huffs and mulls this over, rubbing his smooth jaw. "I guess I understand. I was just really looking forward to being your maid of honor."
"Excuse me?" Sophia demands and flips the screen over in her small hands. "That is my position."
Ria giggles at her friends and takes the tablet back. "How about after we come back and I have the baby, we'll have another ceremony for everyone? You and Sophia can both be my maid of honor."
He pretends to think and looks up toward the ceiling. "I suppose..."
Vivian pops her head in from the side and waves at them with a wide smile. "Hi! This technology is amazing. I can't believe you're getting married, Ashton. Congratulations to both of you. Is everything going to be okay?" she rambles on. "Can you take pictures? I'm really happy for you guys. I wish I could go."
"Thank you, Viv." Ashton chuckles. "We'll take plenty of pictures for you guys. We'll just have to find a photographer at the very last minute."
"I'm sure we can hire a college student eager to add something to their resume."
"This is so exciting," Vivian gushes. "Just think, in a couple weeks, we'll all be free."
"Yeah," Ashton breathes, suddenly becoming somber at the mention of what he has to do to free them of Vincent's horrors.
Vivian must be more relieved than anyone. Out of all of them, she's suffered the most by her brother's hand. Ria can't imagine the horrors of being haunted by own her flesh and blood; of being tortured and abused in so many ways just for his own pleasure and revenge.
Once Vincent is gone, they can all take the next steps into their lives. Free themselves from danger. They can be happy together. Vivian can finally live the life that was stolen from her.
Ria smiles and blinks back tears. "I can't wait. I hope you and Jared make each other very happy."
Vivian nods with a smile of her own and wipes her eyes furiously. "I'm so glad I found you guys when I did. I-I was so close to giving up..." She bites her lip as if ashamed of her own sudden emotions.
"I'm glad you found us too, Vivian." Ria wishes she could somehow embrace her and make her feel loved and safe like she deserves. "You can always count on us. We all care about you."
"Thank you, Ria. Take care of Ashton, okay?"
"I'll try my best. Love you guys!"
Jared sticks his head back in the camera. "Bye. Good luck. Have fun. Send pictures. Be safe. Don't give strangers your credit card information."
"Bye, Jared," she laughs.
"Love you." He grins and the video disconnects a moment later.
Ria heaves a blissful sigh and leans into Ashton. "This is going to be amazing."
"Yes, it is." He kisses the top of her head. "Going to a foreign country on a whim with my soon-to-be wife has never sounded better."
"Aww." Dea throws her arms open. "I'm so happy for you guys." She flings herself around them, basking them in her flowery perfume.
Sophia squeezes in from the side and soon all four of them are laughing and hugging and sniffling. Ria gathers in the warmth and takes in the sensation of pure friendship and the love they provide.
"Have an amazing time," Sophia muffles against them. "Don't get lost in Italy. If you guys aren't back in a week, I'm flying in after you."
Gentle laughter rumbles in Ashton's chest. "Ria might try to stay, but I promise I'll bring her home."
"Unless I make you want to stay too," she teases.
"No one is staying in Italy," Dea announces. "At least, not until we can follow you there."
Too soon their flight gets called overhead, breaking them from their embrace but not bringing them to Italy fast enough. They share their final goodbyes, kisses, and hugs before Ria is tugging Ashton towards their gate. More than ready to finally be free of the stress of New York and find her way back to Italy, a home she's dreamed about for years.
Ria can't sleep. Neither can Ashton, she's noticed. The entire seven-hour flight has been filled with overzealous smiles and whispering like they're going on a secret mission to a fantasy world. She tells him everything she can possibly remember about Italy that he hasn't heard already. Going to school, her old friends and boyfriends, her family that travels during the fall and winter but resides there in the spring and summer.
Remembering them is like she's reliving her early teenaged years. She tells him about her favorite spots to take pictures and when she first started teaching herself how to paint.
"I spent over two hundred dollars on art tools when I first started."
Ashton's eyes widen. "Why so much? How?"
She bites her thumb guiltily. "I didn't know what I was doing and I just got everything I found listed on the internet. My dad was pretty livid since I didn't have a job and couldn't pay him back."
"Wow." Ashton shakes his head. "If I would have known you, I would have been able to tell you all the inexpensive but effective products."
"I'm sure you would have." She nudges his leg.
"Hey, look." Ashton points out the window next to her and Ria turns her head. "It's beautiful."
Her lungs stop working and her heart implodes as the outline of the land rests below them. Magenta and the softest pink hues are painted along the skyline. Clouds hug each shade of the heavens as night eases into day, royal blue resting over fuchsia. Stars, tiny and scattered, linger over the horizon like specs of heaven peeking through the blanket of night.
Stars. She hasn't seen a star in so long.
"We made it," she breathes and holds nervous fingers to her lips. She whips her head to Ashton as tears fill her eyes. "We're here."
Ashton smiles with his own teary gaze. "I told you I'd take you to the stars."
Something ethereal and otherworldly floods her chest. Something more than just love. Fulfillment with life itself. "Thank you...so much, Ashton. You have no idea what this means to me."
"Of course. Anything for you, princess." He grabs her hand and squeezes and she squeezes back.
Ria finds herself getting lost in the sky that rests over Italy while holding the hand of her lover. Stars in her eyes. Love in her heart. Nothing in the world can touch just how perfect this is to her.
When their plane lands, the first thing Ria notices is the increase of Italian and French slipping through the air along with English. She grins as they shuffle through the airport and swings Ashton's hand. Everything feels different. Smells, tastes, sounds.
She's home.
Not a single word can describe her euphoria. It's as if the world has gifted her. For years she's suffocated under the air of New York and now she can breathe. For years she's been starved and dehydrated and now she stands before a buffet.
Time seems to fly as they gather their luggage. When they finally touch outside, Ria only wishes daytime would come a little faster so they can drop everything and explore the land.
"I can't believe we're really here," she whispers as a spring breeze kisses her skin.
The charming allure of Rome surrounds them with aged structures lit by soft glowing lights. Tourists fill the area, hailing for taxis and looking for directions to the nearest tram or bus. Warm air falls over their electric skin and Ria falls in love with her home all over again.
She shivers when Ashton kisses her cheek. "Me either. It feels like a dream."
She turns to him and caresses the side of his face, so in love she has no idea what to do with herself. The azure of his gaze, pink of his lips, strength of his jaw, faint freckles over his nose, eccentric beauty of his whitish blond hair, they're all stained in her memory in this moment for an eternity.
"Ashton, you have brought me so much happiness. Even after all the bad thing-"
He places a finger against her lips. "We don't think about that. Not while we're here."
"Of course." She places her head on his shoulder as she confesses, "I'm just so happy and it's because of you. I only wish I could make you as happy. There'll never be a greater gift to me besides our little one."
His smile falters but he kisses her lips and holds the side of her face to rest his forehead against hers. "You are the greatest gift to me, Ria. I'm happy you joined my reckless adventure."
"I'm happy too."
"So...do you think my Italian is good enough for the locals?"
She snorts. "Not at all. Luckily your fiancée happens to be quite fluent in that language."
"Thank goodness. I thought I'd make a fool of myself."
"Oh. There is plenty of room for that." She giggles and pats his grinning cheek.
Together, they gather their luggage and head off to the nearest tram, floating on air like living in a fantasy. As they pass alluring structures and travel along sidewalks holding history, easing past tourists and locals alike, Ria can't help but smile and squeeze Ashton's hand a million times.
This isn't a dream. He took me to Italy. He took me to the stars.
Suddenly she wants to stay here forever. A week doesn't seem long enough. Their wedding is too close. How hard would it be to pretend that only they exist in this world? They could stay here forever.
Guys. Guys. Guuuuys. These two just have my whole heart!
Now, let's sit back and enjoy AshRia's time in Rome 😊💕
-bri✨