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"𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤"

"I'm going to miss you!" Kara wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. I returned her hug with equal enthusiasm.

"I'm going to pay you a visit, and we're all going!" Kara said as she backed away. "I don't think I can survive four months on my own with those two," she remarked, gesturing behind us at Nicolo and Aydan.

I laughed and agreed with a nod of my head. "I don't blame you,"

"You have to promise to call me when you guys fuck on a terrace in Paris," Her words caused my eyes to widen, and she grinned heartily.

"That was oddly specific," I grumbled, averting my gaze from her. "He seems like he'd fuck the lights out of you on a terrace in front of the Eiffel Tower or something," she said with a laugh.

"Again, oddly specific," I muttered and eyed her suspiciously. She grinned and kissed my cheek, pulling me off my bed with her.

"Guys, Arabella needs to get ready, Roman will be here soon," Kara said, winking at me. I shook my head at her as I stood there watching her and the boys walk away.

I walked slowly towards my closet, inspecting the yellow sundress I had chosen for tonight. In about thirty minutes, Roman is picking me up to take us to the private plane.

Normally, I would take ours—that is, my family's—but because Roman was the one who invited me, we will be taking his.

Although the anticipation excited me, I was unusually curious as to where we were going.

My arms glided through the sleeves, the fabric adhered to my curves, and at the bottom—just above mid-thigh—it spritzed out freely.

The top of the dress formed precisely around my breasts, as did the other part of the dress, which shaped about my waist and then flowed freely at the bottom.

I tweaked the straps until they were perfectly positioned on my shoulders. Then I clasped on a single necklace—with a sterling diamond butterfly etched in the centre.

After, I placed on a couple of rings. One is my matching ring with Nicolo, and the others are just random silver ones.

Since the day he came to tell my parents about the situation, Roman and I haven't seen each other.

But I'd called him a few times in the previous few days, seemingly coming off as that annoying ass girlfriend. Though he didn't mind, at all.

Contentedly, I slipped on my shoes and then grabbed my duffle bag that had everything I needed for the flight.

I placed my phone into my other hand and then took a few steps back from the room. I sighed sadly as my eyes scanned the area.

"I'll miss you," I mumbled and blew a kiss into the air. Turning, I left my room and walked down the stairs.

Seeing all of my family and friends, including my brother—all already at the bottom. They all turned to me and gazed at me solemnly as I slid over to them.

Uncle Eliot was the first to embrace me with a hug. "I'm going to miss you," he sighed and I patted his back. "I'll miss you more though," I whispered back and he chuckled, pulling away.

Next, Aunt Vi drew me into her warm embrace. "Use protection, kiddo. We don't need another pregnancy," I felt my breath catch in my throat as she spoke into my ear.

She drew back while winking at me, then returned to her husband, Uncle Eli.

I stared at her absentmindedly but then got cut off when Kara wrapped her arms around my neck, tightly.

We stayed in each others embrace for a while.

"Don't worry, I'll see you in a few weeks; I'll have Theo keep me informed," She stated. She kissed both of my cheeks with a smile. I blushed and walked over to Aydan.

He encircled me with his large arms and rubbed my shoulder. "Whatever Kara said includes me as well," he grinned and kissed the top of my head, "Have fun," he said as he walked away, and then it was my Uncle Dre's turn.

I could've sworn I saw tears in the man's eyes as he wrapped his buff arms around me—exactly like a bear.

"My little girl's all grown up," He sighed and shook me side to side, I giggled as I heard my father scoff from behind him.

"I'm her fucking father, Andre," He muttered. "I'll miss you buttercup," Andre said as he flipped him off and kissed my cheek. He gave me a wink and walked away.

My mother was the third last. She gave me a happy yet sad smile. I knelt down and encircled her with my arms. She returned my hug and kissed me twice on the cheek.

"I love you, Arabella."

I smiled. "I love you too."

She started to back away, but before she did, she murmured something into my ear. "Take whatever Aunt Vi suggested." She patted my shoulder twice and stepped away.

Oh, Jesus.

After that, my father took her position. As he peered down at me, my head tilted up—emotion was not imprinted but still was present at the same time.

Both of his arms raised ever so slightly and I immediately jumped into his embrace. It was a little more emotional for me, being a daddy's girl and all.

As I savoured the moment, I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek on his chest. I felt a kiss press against the side of my head as he slowly pulled away.

"Be careful, Arabella, yes?" I nodded and looked up at him. "Yes."

He gave a small smile and nodded approvingly. "Love you, precious," I smiled giddily at the nickname he used to call me when I was a little girl.

"Love you too, dad,"

Moving away, last but not least, was my twin. He leant against the entrance, arms crossed over his chest, longingly looking at me.

After the others had gone, it was only the two of us, so I stretched my arms wide for him to hug me.

He chuckled and stepped away from the doorframe, bracing himself in my arms. I nearly sighed in his brotherly embrace, thinking about how I'll have to adjust not seeing him every day for the next four months.

"I'm going to miss you a lot," I mumbled in his chest.

"Not as much as me," He answered, his grip tightening. We remained in this position for another minute or so before the sound of doors closing behind us separated the two of us.

When I turned around, Roman came into view.

His shades were covering his eyes, and he was dressed casually in a red hoodie (crimson)—and black sweatpants with two white stripes running down each side.

As he approached the threshold, my lips transformed into a smile. "Ready?" He asked, his usual bland tone and accent intact. I raised my thumb and returned my gaze to Nicolo.

"I love you," I said as I raised my fist to him. He grinned and bumped my fist. "Love you, Bells."

I picked up my duffle bag, but an arm wrapped around the strap and snatched it from my hand before I could throw it over my shoulder.

Looking up, Roman shook hands with my brother, the duffle slung over his shoulder.

"Keep her safe," Nicolo said, curtly. Roman looked down at me emotionlessly, his eyes hidden by the shades, but I could still feel his piercing gaze. "Always," he said as he took his hand away.

I waved at my brother once more as we walked away, and he grinned. "See you soon," he said and I smiled.

While the mansion's doors closed behind us both, my stuff was already being loaded into one of the black SUVs. Roman guided me back down the stairs with his arm on the small of my back.

Arriving at the car, Roman went over to his sports car and opened the passenger door for me. I slid in and he shut the door, easily jogging around to his side and sliding in.

My head falls back against the car seat as I watch him start the car. Sensing my gaze, he looked at me with a small smirk on the edge of his lips.

He took my resting hand to his lips and kissed my palm.

"Excited?" He asked as he pressed his foot against the accelerator while keeping his hand in my lap.

"Very." I replied, "Though, if I knew where we were going then I would be much more excited," I said with a toothy smile.

As we approached the roads, he gave me a sidelong glance before shaking his head playfully and ignoring the question.

"Have you eaten?" As he rounded a corner, he asked bluntly. I rubbed my filled stomach with a nod of my head. "I have,"

He smirks and nods once before speeding down the road.

It took us nearly an hour to get to the suburban area, which consisted solely of grassy fields and meadows.

He drove down a route until he came to a set of high-rise gates, where he grabbed a little remote and clicked a single button, which magically opened them.

As we passed through, there was a noticeable single jet parked in the middle of the concreted area, where flight attendants' and perhaps the pilot himself arrived upon the staircase.

Roman stopped the car just to the side of the jet, the other SUV behind us stopped directly next to our car while some other men started to unload the luggage.

Returning to my door, he opened it and assisted me out, as before, taking my bag for me.

He led us to the air-stairs, his arm around my waist. As we moved on, excitement rushed through me.

I believed the man at the bottom of the staircase was the pilot—who was waiting for us both, smiling at me and Roman.

"Good evening, Mr Agnello and Ms Malik; we hope you have a pleasant flight,"

I patiently waited for the man to say where he would be flying us to, but he didn't. I groaned and looked up at the boy next to me, who had just knowingly smirked.

"Sorry, baby," He shrugged and waited for me to continue moving. I huffed and smiled at the man—not wanting to be rude—before walking up the steps.

My eyes widened slightly when I boarded the plane. It was enormous, and the jet was nearly encased in gold and adorned with white furnishings.

It's similar to ours, which refers to my family's, however, this was almost gold all around.

Moving inside, two female flight attendants, both around our age—stood at the tail end of the plane, conversing.

Roman was the first to move ahead, walking confidently and powerfully in front of me.

It was intimidating at times, watching how he could make anyone bend down to him as if he were some sort of king.

He directed us to a single bedroom. A king-sized bed was in the centre, with a television mounted on the wall across from it.

The bed appeared to be as soft as ever, and I had to restrain myself from leaping on it and falling asleep immediately.

Roman dropped my bag onto the bed and placed his next to it. He nodded towards the door behind me right as he turned to face me. "Settle in, I need to speak with the pilot,"

I gave him a quick nod and moved to the side to allow him to pass. Rather than passing me, he grabbed my waist and pulled me up into his chest.

I looked up at him, reddening sheepishly, while he stared at me emotionlessly.

One hand on my waist tugged under my dress, slowly trailing up to the top of my panties and then his two fingers curled around the strap.

He looked at me impassively, leaning down to my ear, my chest heaved upwards as his minty, cool breath caressed my skin.

"Mi piace il tuo vestito." His voice had come out low and was huskily spoken.

Translation: "I like your dress."

The words flowed like gold from his lips. I clenched my thighs together—the heat beginning to develop.

He tugged upwards on the hem, causing a gasp to escape my lips, and his other hand patted my bottom twice before pushing past me and bumping his shoulder with my own as he went out of the room.

Tease.

Swallowing wholly, my breathing managed to get back to normal as I skidded over to the bed.

I took my phone out of the bag, plugged it into the charging port, and went about my business.

After that, I went back out of the room and sat in one of the white leather chairs. I sighed contentedly as I sunk completely into the lounge.

My gaze was drawn to the nearly dark sky. I noticed the full moon sticking out in the sky as I looked over the tall trees. Along with a few stars too.

I smiled at that.

"Arabella?" I was cut off from the view by a masculine voice, and I turned to face the other.

With a smirk on his face, a man in his mid-twenties or so stood in front of me. He had light brown hair that was dishevelled and fluffy. Brown eyes that matched his hair colour, and he had a muscular build.

"Yes?" I replied with a small smile. I accepted his hand when he extended it to me. "I'm Jackson, a part of the flight crew," he nodded.

"Oh, nice to meet you," I said as I smiled and shook his hand before retreating. With a little shrug and a smile, he replied, "Let me know if you need anything or have any inquiries."

"Will do," I said, matching his smile. He nodded and looked at me once more before turning and heading out of the room.

Jackson walked right past Roman with his head down, as Roman hadn't even given him a glance before coming over to me.

He took a seat next to me, and the plane began to move gradually. I grinned broadly as my feet started tapping away on the ground. I looked out of the window, excitedly.

Takeoffs were my favourite part of the flights. I was truly enthralled by the scenery and the exhilaration of just soaring off into the sky.

Given my fear of heights, I've always found it unusual that I could appreciate anything like this.

As the pilot rode the plane, carefully turning onto the runway, I peered out the window, intrigued.

I returned my gaze to Roman, who was already staring at me. His amber eyes were almost curiously peering at me.

"What?" I asked, a sheepish grimace on my face. He sucked on his bottom lip and shrugged innocently as he looked aside.

"Nothing." He responded nonchalantly. I narrowed my eyes at him but shrugged it off as I felt the aircraft start to take off.

I tucked my hair behind my ear so it wouldn't get in the way of my vision.

The plane began slowly, then accelerated, skidding down the runway, while my heart rate increased in tandem.

I took a peek around as the plane rose above the ground.

"Roman, look!" I exclaimed, grabbing his arm from my side and pulling him towards me—without looking at him.

I felt him slowly lean down and glance in the direction I was staring at. The city is clearly visible, with its lights glowing in the darkness.

"It's so pretty isn't it?" I said, giving him a sidelong glance. His gaze was fixed on me, and I averted my gaze so as not to miss the breathtaking sight.

He hummed, his chilly, plump lips kissing the side of my cheek and lingering near my ear.

"Beautiful," He whispered again, and I blushed slightly before turning to face him and seeing his eyes nowhere near the sight I was perceiving.

His lips formed the faintest smile, erupting my own to form. He leant down slowly and gently kissed my lips with his.

He caressed my lips with delicacy as if they were the most fragile thing on the planet. Inside my body, butterflies and sparks coexisted happily.

With the view of the city and the man of my dreams in my arms, I felt that I had it all.

Everything was soothingly placed together in the midst of New York.