His Three Wishes ✔️

13. Bond

Sara Woodwords

"So, you did it or no?" Jasmine asked as she stuffed her face with the Chinese noddles.

"Jas, no. We just cuddle each other to sleep." I said and she rolled her eyes.

"Ya boring!" She said in a Jake Peralta voice.

"Shut up." I said and concentrated on my dumplings.

"No, Ra, seriously. You know you can't casual date a man like Darius Ariti, right?" She said and I kept my chopsticks down on the table.

I heaved a sigh and rubbed my hands on my face. She is right. This is big. I can't just go around messing with a fellow mafia head. I don't know wether we're a 100% serious with each other but I know that even he recognises the gravity of this relation.

"I'll talk to him later on." I said dismissing the topic tentatively.

Jasmine and I had a good lunch at a Chinese restaurant downtown and after paying the bill, we made our way to the hotel.

I was a bit tired when I reached my room and decided to take a warm shower. I stripped and stood under the running water. As soon as the hot water hit my bare skin, a relieved sigh escaped my mouth.

I lathered the loofa with the body wash and started washing my body with it. I gave myself a little massage while in the shower and after I cleaned myself off the soapy foam, I took some shampoo. After washing my hair, I got out of the bathroom and dried my body and hair.

I got changed into a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable top. I sat on my bed, took my iPad and opened Netflix, streaming Elite. Chloe suggested it to me a few days back when I was getting bored. It's one of the best shows I've ever watched. Gorgeous cast, Interesting character and gripping storyline.

I was on the second episode of the second season when I got an incoming FaceTime call from CERCHIO INTERNO group chat. I received it with a smile and sat on the couch in the room. I kept my iPad on the coffee table and waved at my cousins.

"How're you, Ra?" Adam asked. He was in his home having breakfast. The time difference between NYC and Budapest is roughly 6 hours. They are late, compared to us.

"I'm good. How're you all?" I asked.

"Rose and Enzo are out of the town for a small vacation so didn't join the call and I'm hosting everyone tonight for dinner." Leila answer. It seemed as if she just got out of the shower.

"It's been 3 weeks since I last saw you guys." I said. I miss these people terribly.

"And whose fault is that?" Adan said and got a small slap from a very pregnant Courtney.

"I'm sending gifts, souvenirs and lots of love with Jasmine. She's returning to NYC tomorrow." I said and everyone instantly got happy at the mention of gifts.

"How're you Court?" I questioned.

"I'm good. Have been getting a lot of mood swings lately though." She replied.

"Can't believe I'm gonna be an aunt soon." Ava said and we all agreed.

"Our first niece or nephew." River said and I sighed dreamily.

Adan and Courtney prefer surprise. No one except for Dr. Westons know the baby's gender. Yes, plural. The son and daughter of our family doctor, Dr. Weston Sr., are the only ones who know the gender of the baby.

"I hope I'm not intruding." I heard Darius' voice from behind me.

I turned around and saw him standing there with his hands in his jeans' pocket. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, looking gorgeous.

How is he allowed to look so good without even trying?

"Not at all." I said and invited him to meet everyone.

"Hey, everyone. I'm Darius Ariti." He said, waving at the iPad screen.

"Hello." Everyone said with a smile. I introduced Darius to everyone one-by-one.

"How're you Mrs. Stalin?" Darius asked and both Chloe and Courtney replied with a, "Good."

Duh, both of them are 'Mrs. Stalin'.

"I meant, Courtney Stalin." He said with a small awkward smile.

"Drop the formalities, Darius. You may call me by my name. I'm good by the way, thanks for asking." Courtney answered.

"Glad to hear that." Darius replied.

He joined our chat for the rest of the FaceTime call duration and to my utter and pleasant surprise, Darius gelled really well with all of them. It didn't feel like he was intruding or anything. It was all pretty smooth.

After some time, we disconnected the call since everyone back in NYC need to attend to their businesses.

"Hey, Sara, thanks for letting me join in on your chat and sorry for imposing myself on you all." He said and I shook my head sideways.

"Not at all. Everyone enjoyed your company." I said. A genuine smile graced his features.

"I've never experienced family love or bond. I guess it feels good to know how much you all care for each other."

It felt like a hard topic for him to discuss so I didn't push it any forward. I eyed the clock on the wall and saw it was almost 8.

"Do you wanna have dinner together?" I asked as I took both his hands in mine.

"Sure." He replied.