Chapter 23

The soothing sounds of the gentle waves lapping against the shore filled Mila's ears, creating a serene atmosphere. As she ran her hand over the smooth surface of the water, she felt a sense of calm wash over her, yet a nervous excitement also coursed through her veins.

Archer's strong arms wrapped around her, holding her securely as he lowered himself and pressed a tender kiss to the center of her chest. Mila's body shivered as a thrilling wave of sensation spread throughout her entire being.

"Put your legs around me," Archer whispered, his voice sending a delicious shiver down her spine. His hand moved into her hair, gently pulling her closer until their bodies were entwined. The connection between them felt magnetic. Mila's heart pounded in her chest as she reveled in the intensity of the moment. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself surrounded by a beautiful garden, with dappled sunlight filtering through the high branches of the trees. Confusion crossed her face as she looked around, noticing the pool in front of her.

"I don't remember the pool being here," she mused. "This is a great place to have a pool... it's romantic."

"Do you want to take off your saree?" Archer's playful voice brought her back to the present, and she turned to face him, her heart racing in his presence. Mila looked down at herself, noticing for the first time the lilac saree she was wearing.

"W-what?" she stammered, feeling his nose softly caressing the side of her face.

"You're so wet," Archer chuckled seductively into her ear.

Mila glanced down at her drenched saree, her frown deepening. She looked back at Archer with a mixture of frustration and longing.

"You let me get in the water with this saree on?" she asked.

"Did you want me to take it off?" Archer teased, his lips inching closer to hers.

"Yes!" Mila protested, attempting to push away. But Archer held her firmly, not allowing her to escape.

"Don't you dare move," he commanded, his voice low. "It's going to rain."

Mila's breath caught in her throat as his lips began to trail kisses along her neck. Her head tilted back, and she couldn't resist the intoxicating sensation of his touch, losing herself in the dream's allure and the storm of emotions swirling around her.

"Mila."

"Yes..." Mila sighed, feeling content.

"Mila," Archer shook her.

"What?" Mila frowned, missing the sensation of his lips on her skin. "Come back here."

"Mila, get up!"

Like being thrown off a building, Mila's eyes snapped open with a loud gasp. She couldn't stop herself from shouting as a small figure loomed over her in the darkness.

"It's me!" Emily jumped back. "It's me."

"Em?" Mila questioned with her hand over her beating heart. "What the hell? What are you doing?"

"Archer asked me to come to get you," Emily said, shifting her weight.

"What? Why?" Mila's reached for the bedside lamp. "What time is it?"

"Leo and Sophia are sick," Emily's worried face came into view as the golden glow of the lamp lit the room. "They're throwing up."

"Oh my god," Mila's eyes widened.

"I can't wake up our mom," Emily's eyes watered. "She's going to be so pissed. Archer is with them. He asked me to come get you."

"Shit," Mila rushed out of bed and grabbed her phone. She ran out of the room behind Emily as they hurried across the house to Leo's bedroom.

"They're in there," Emily said, pointing to the attached bathroom.

Mila ran in and halted at the door. Her eyes widened as she spotted Archer sitting by the toilet holding Sophia on his lap as she cried and gripped the toilet bowl. Leo sat on the vanity with his head over the sink and tears in his eyes.

"You have to let it out, baby," Archer said to Sophia as she pushed her hair out of her face and moved her closer to the toilet.

"No, no, no," Sophia protested. "I can't."

"You got this," Archer said.

"Oh man, I think that's blood," Leo cried from the sink.

Archer looked up with panic in his eyes. He spotted Mila standing at the door and his shoulders dropped with relief.

"I got him," Mila said, hurrying over to the little boy. "Leo, baby? That's not blood. That's the dye from all the candy you ate today."

"I want water," Sophia cried.

"I'll get it," Emily ran out.

"What the hell is going on?" Mila asked, looking back at Archer as she held Leo's forehead and rubbed his back.

"I don't know," Archer said. "Em woke me up saying Leo was sick. I came in here and Sophia started throwing up too!"

"It's probably all the junk food they ate today," Mila shook her head. "I told you not to buy them so much candy!"

"I didn't think this would happen!" Archer panicked. "I wanted them to have fun!"

"Do you ever think?" Mila snapped.

"Stop fighting!" Leo threw his hands over his ears. "Stop fighting!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mila turned towards the boy and rubbed his back harder. "How do you feel? Are you going to vomit again? What about you, Sophia?"

"I might," Sophia said, her head on the toilet seat.

"This is all my fault," Archer's face was pale and etched with worry.

"No shit, Sherlock," Mila retorted.

"What do we do?" He asked. "Should we take them to the hospital? Should I get the car?"

"Give me a second. I'm going to call Nani," Mila pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen.

"What is your grandma going to do?" Archer asked.

"She's a pediatrician!" Mila glared, putting the phone on speaker. "Hello? Geetu?"

"Mila?" Geet's voice rang out in the small bathroom. "What's wrong, beta? Who are you shouting at?"

"Nani, Leo, and Sophia are throwing up," Mila explained. "They ate a lot of junk food today at the carnival. What do I do?"

"Where's their mother?"

"Not important right now," Mila said. "What do I do? Leo's about....Leo, how old are you?"

"Eight," Leo groaned, holding his stomach.

"He's eight and Sophia is ten," Mila informed her grandmother.

"Okay, are they vomiting?" Geet asked.

"Yes," Mila nodded.

"Diarrhea?"

"Lots of runny poop," Leo said.

"Not for me," Sophia shook her head.

"Any fever?" Geet inquired.

Archer quickly checked Sophia's temperature as Mila checked Leo.

"No," she informed her grandmother.

"Beta, all you can do right now is replace their fluids, monitor them to make sure they don't throw up for too long, and get plenty of rest," Geet said. "No heavy food. Maybe some light crackers. Absolutely no dairy products. Maybe some lemon ginger tea. Make sure they're constantly taking sips of water or any beverage to keep themself hydrated."

"Okay," Mila nodded. "Anything else?"

"Clean them up," Geet said. "Have them wash up. Take a shower and then tuck them in. They need their rest."

"Got it," Mila said.

"Are you alone with them?" Geet wondered.

"No, Archer's here," Mila said. "He's having a heart attack thinking it's his fault."

"No, no," Geet laughed. "It's no one's fault. These kinds of things happen all the time."

"I shouldn't have bought them so much fried stuff and candies," Archer shook his head.

"They'll be fine," Geet assured him. "Just do what I said."

"Thanks, Geetu," Mila pulled Leo off the counter. "I'll call you if I need anything else."

"Okay, shona," Geet said. "I'm here."

"Thank you," Mila ended the call and pulled off Leo's dirty shirt. She steered him into the shower and stepped aside as Archer helped Sophia off the floor.

"I'll take her," Mila said. "You stay with Leo."

"Go it," Archer nodded.

"Bring him to my room when he's done," Mila said, taking Sophia under her arm and walking her out. "You're going to be just fine."

"Thanks," Sophia and Archer said at the same time.

"I was talking to Sophia," Mila laughed. "Come on, Soph."

Holding the sick child tenderly, Mila walked her to her room. She helped Sophia into her shower and closed the door to give her privacy as Emily rushed to her sister's room to get her a change of clothes. Mila moved around her pillows and fluffed them up as Archer carried Leo in after a few minutes and sat him down on the edge of the bed.

"Archer, his hair is still wet," Mila clicked her tongue. "He's going to catch a cold."

Archer stepped back as Mila grabbed a towel and roughly dried up Leo's hair. She handed him some water and tucked him into bed as Sophia came out of the bathroom, shivering.

"Get her an extra towel," Mila directed Archer, looking over her shoulder.

Archer snapped into action and grabbed the girl a fresh towel.

"Dry her hair," Mila gave the next set of instructions.

Archer followed Emily and Sophia into the bathroom and plugged in the hair dryer. He had no idea what he was doing as he blew around the poor girl's hair. Emily tried to help and brush down the frizz as Archer struggled. After a few minutes, Mila stepped in and brushed back Sophia's hair, and walked her to the bed.

"Em, you can stay here if you want," Mila said.

Emily climbed in beside her brother as Mila made herself comfortable next to Sohpia. Archer sank down in the armchair beside the bed and sighed loudly.

"God, that was stressful," He muttered under his breath. Mila stared at him as he rubbed his forehead.

"You don't have any experience with this, do you?" She asked.

"With what?" Archer looked up. "With kids? Hello, no."

"No," Mila shook her head. "With taking care of people."

Archer frowned, "No.....I....I have no idea how to do any of this."

"What about when you get sick?" Mila asked, laying her head down on the pillow.

"I don't get sick," Archer shrugged and Mila rolled her eyes.

"What about when you used to get sick?" She asked. "Like as a kid?"

"I don't know," Archer shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Mila asked. "What did you like when you got sick?"

"I was in a boarding school in Scottland," Archer said. "If we ever got sick, we were sent to the nurses' office. She was this big lady who always smelled like onions. No one liked her so we never let anyone know if we were sick. We just stayed in our room."

Mila frowned, "What about other times?"

"During winter vacations, my mom would hire a nanny," Archer explained slowly, his face illuminated by the little glow from the bedside lamp. "And during the summer, I would be here, with your family."

"Oh," Mila frowned. Her heart clenched thinking about young Archer moving around from place to place, having to hide out in his room, or staying with a different family.

"Silvia used to give me popsicles," Archer smiled. "Orange ones."

"They're the best kind," Mila smiled.

"Yeah," Archer nodded. "Thanks for all this, by the way."

Mila nodded, "Of course."

"I don't know what I would have done if you didn't show up," Archer confessed. "I was panicking."

"I could tell," Mila laughed quietly.

Archer leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling. He rubbed his eyes as he stretched his legs and then went back to rubbing his forehead. Mila watched him in the darkness, feeling sleep coming back to cover her.

"Archer..." she called to him quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" Archer looked up.

"What happened to Ben?" Mila asked, her voice soft and cautious.

As she watched, Archer's eyes clouded with sadness, and a distant look settled in. His usually confident demeanor seemed to crumble under the weight of the memories that flooded back.

"Ben was my best friend," Archer began, his voice so low Mila thought she imagined hearing it. "We did everything together. He was always there for me, no matter what."

Mila listened attentively. Her hand tenderly laid over Sophia's shoulder as her eyes peered at Archer.

"We were inseparable," Archer continued, his gaze drifting into the distance as if reliving those cherished moments. "He had this incredible sense of humor, and his laugh... it was contagious. He could brighten up the darkest days with just a smile."

A sigh escaped Archer's lips. Mila wanted to close their distance and place her hand in his. She hardly recognized the man sitting before her. It was strange seeing Archer be so vulnerable to her.

"But then... he was gone," Archer said. "A car accident... it happened so suddenly. I never got a chance to say goodbye."

Mila's heart ached for him, seeing the grief on his face.

"I miss him every day," Archer admitted his voice now barely a whisper. "There's this void in my life, and no matter how much time passes, it never really goes away. I wish I could have done more, protected him somehow."

"It's okay to feel sad, Archer," Mila whispered. "Losing someone you love is never easy, and it's okay to miss him."

Archer nodded slowly, "The night the car crashed....I was in the car with them."

Mila listened patiently. She would have never thought Archer would tell her so much. But he was and she wasn't going to stop him.

"It was raining," Archer continued. "My dad lost control of the car. It drove off the side of the road and fell into the water...."

"Oh my god," Mila's heart began to ache as she listened.

"My dad couldn't get out," Archer stared at his hands. "Ben....he...he pulled me out and pushed me to the surface. The currents were too strong and we got swept out into the sea."

Mila slowly began to push herself up. Her eyes filled with pain as Archer continued.

"Ben kept my head above water," Archer said, his eyes distant as if he wasn't even in the room. "It was running. There was thunder and lightning. It was dark....very dark."

Mila quietly climbed out of bed and walked over to where Archer sat. she lowered herself and took his hand as he looked up at her.

"I don't know how long we were out there before he pushed me up onto a rock," Archer said, his voice tightening. "All I knew was that I was holding his hand...trying to pull him up but he wasn't budging. He wasn't talking to me....he wasn't moving...he was just.....holding my hand....like he was asleep."

Mila couldn't stop herself as she wrapped her arms around Archer's neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. Her head began to spin knowing why he was so terrified of storms.

"The police didn't find us until the next morning," Archer said.

"I'm so sorry," Mila felt her eyes water. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that."

Archer pulled Mila closer and wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her shoulder as she let him pull her onto his lap. Archer fell back against the armchair, pulling Mila down with him. Neither one let go of one another as they sat in silence. Mila's heart ached inside her chest as Archer's words painted terrifying images in her mind. She felt the tears in her eyes run down her face as her head rested on his shoulder and he relaxed beneath her.

After several long minutes, when Mila grew still and dozed off, Archer picked her up and carried her over to the bed. He carefully laid her down beside Sophia and tucked her in before turning out the light and walking out of the room.

________________________

"Did you know Angelo's guys were going to be there?" Giovanni asked, looking up from his phone.

"I had a feeling," Archer said, keeping his eyes locked on the road ahead.

Now that Giovanni was back from his trip, Archer could finally breathe. He was ready to hand back the responsibility of keeping Mila safe. It was stressful and not to mention a huge headache since the girl listened to know one. Archer didn't have Giovanni's skills to think ten steps ahead and plan everything out to make sure Mila's path was cleared. Keeping her away from trouble for one weekend was enough for Archer.

"I know some of them and I knew Anthony was going to invite them to the party," Archer explained.

"You didn't take Mila with you, did you?" Giovanni asked.

"No, of course, not," Archer said. "I didn't tell her about the party or anything. I didn't want her there with them present."

"But she was there," Giovanni said.

"Only for a few minutes," Archer said. "No one saw her."

"Not that you know of," Giovanni corrected him. "How did she find out about the party?"

"Drew," Archer's brows furrowed.

Giovanni sighed and leaned his head back against the seat.

"So, how was New York?" Archer asked, hoping to shift the spotlight off himself.

"A mess," Giovanni said.

"Did you see Ms. Malhotra?" Archer asked.

"No."

"How come?"

"There wasn't any need for it."

"You didn't want to ask her why she didn't tell you about Mila?"

"I don't need to," Giovanni said. "I know why she didn't tell me."

"Why?" Archer asked curiously.

"She didn't want to be a part of this life," Giovanni said, shifting his attention to the road outside. "She didn't want Mila to be a part of this life."

"But she's here now, right?" Archer said.

"Doesn't mean she has to be a part of anything," Giovanni said. "That's why I asked you to keep her away from the parties and everything else. I don't need her walking into something she's not supposed to see."

"Noted," Archer nodded, his thoughts drifting to Mila.

He found himself growing increasingly impatient to get home. He tapped his foot restlessly, wondering if Mila wanted to restart her swimming lessons. With Giovanni back, he felt as if he could finally breathe again. Archer hated having to handle all that responsibility. It wasn't his thing.

As the minutes dragged on, he finally pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. Jeremiah greeted Giovanni as Archer casually made his way inside the house, doing his best to disappear out of Giovanni's sight. He successfully made it inside and headed straight for Mila's room when he spotted Sophia running down the hall with a bowl full of popcorn in her arms.

"Soph," Archer called to her. "Where are you going? Where's Mila?"

"We're watching a movie," Sophia said.

Archer felt a wide grin spread across his face. He climbed back down and made his way over to Sophia.

"I like your hair," he said, his mood giddy.

"Thanks," Sophia smiled, touching her braid. "I wanted to look nice for Seth."

"For Seth?" Archer raised his brow.

"Yeah," Sophia nodded, walking into the family room.

Archer followed her and stilled at the entrance.

"Hey, man," Seth waved at him.

"What are you doing here?" Archer's eyes narrowed.

"I invited him, Archer," Mila clicked her tongue, her eyes glued on the TV screen as she searched up her movie.

"Why?" Archer asked.

"To plan your murder," Mila smiled before dropping it. "To watch a movie. Why else?"

"You want to watch?" Emily asked.

"No, thanks," Archer muttered.

"Are you sure?" Leo asked. "Look at his man."

Archer looked down as Leo held up the movie poster on his ipad.

"How are you feeling?" Archer asked the little boy.

"I'm fine," Leo said.

"Oh yeah?" Archer laughed, picking him up and stealing his seat. "No more runny poop?"

"Just a little bit," Leo said as Mila started the movie and turned toward the audience.

Archer held his breath as her eyes danced between the two open spots for her to sit. One was right beside him, a tight fit but cozy and comfortable. And the other was next to Seth.

Mila weighed her options. Her gaze met Archer's and he swore he saw her eyes twinkle with a spark as she did the exact opposite of what he wanted her to. Archer fought back his frustration as Mila took the seat beside Seth and smiled at the boy. He rolled his eyes as he put Leo back in his seat and pulled his phone out, convincing himself he wasn't interested in the movie. But as the singing and dancing filled the room and Mila began to laugh and explain all the significance of the scenes, Archer couldn't help but watch her.

"Look, look!" Mila said with excitement as she grabbed Seth's arm and shook him. "Look at what he does!"

Archer looked at the screen as the male lead climbed up the vines and appeared on the balcony of his lover. Mila squealed as the two actors embraced in a passionate kiss. When he looked back at her, Mila's face was red as a rose.

"I do that almost every night on her balcony," Archer muttered, nudging Leo.

"What?" Leo looked up, not hearing what Archer said.

"Nothing," Archer looked away.

"They're actually married in real life," Mila explained to Seth.

"No way," Seth laughed. "Explains their chemistry."

"Right?" Mila exclaimed. "They're so cute! And the cinematography! My god! To die for."

"What's that on her hand?" Emily asked.

"It's henna," Mila explained. "It's a natural plant-based dye."

"It's beautiful," Emily said.

"I'll do it for you one day," Mila smiled. "I love the smell of it."

"Can you draw me a spiderweb with it?" Leo asked.

"Sure," Mila laughed.

Archer sat quietly rubbing his forehead. He scrolled through all his unanswered texts as Mila's voice drifted towards him over and over. His frustration began to grow with each passing minute as she explained the movie to Seth. When he couldn't handle it any longer, Archer stood up and walked away.

As Archer headed to the door, he caught Mila turning back to look at him in the mirror on the wall. Their gaze met and a deep frown formed on his face. Archer stared at her, wondering what the strange look was in her eyes when Giovanni suddenly called him from the hall.

"Fuckin' hell," Archer muttered. "What now?"

Walking out, Archer headed towards Giovanni's office where he found the man standing outside with Jeremiah.

"What's up?" He asked, letting out a long sigh.

"What do you know about Seth?" Giovanni asked.

"What?" Archer asked in confusion. "Why?"

"I want to know who my daughter is hanging out with," Giovanni said. "Is he a nice guy? How's his family?"

"Seth's...." Archer hesitated. He felt his chest begin to burn as if someone had forced him to swallow hot coal. Giovanni waited for him to continue as Archer struggled with his words.

"You don't approve?" Giovanni asked, noticing Archer's hesitation.

Fuck, no! Archer wanted to shout.

"He took Mila to the carnival," Giovanni said.

"I was there too," Archer added. "She wasn't alone with him."

"Is he a good guy?" Giovanni asked again. "Is he respectful?"

"Yeah," Archer nodded and tried to breathe through the pressure in his chest. "Yeah, he's fine."

"Hmm," Giovanni nodded. "Jeremiah, see what you can find out about his family."

"What? Why?" Archer asked. "They're just friends. It's not like you're going to marry her off to him......right?"

"I just want to know who my daughter is hanging out with," Giovanni said.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Archer said. "He's not going to try anything if I'm around."

"Fine," Giovanni said. "You do that. But I still want to know who this kid is."

Archer clenched his jaw as he headed back to the family room. He glared at Seth and Mila sitting on the sofa as he took back his spot beside Leo. Archer counted every minute and every second in his head until the movie finished. By the end, while the girls cried over the tragic ending, Archer rose to his feet like a spring, ready to show Seth the door. But when the guy declared he was ready to hit the pool, Archer's blood began to boil.

"You invited him to the pool?" Archer hissed from behind Mila as everyone hurried out of the room.

"Yeah," Mila nodded.

"You can't even swim!" Archer reminded her.

"I can float," Mila said. "Thank you for that."

Archer groaned.

"What?" Mila asked, her brows furrowing.

"Your dad's not happy with this," Archer said.

"Dad's home?" Mila gasped.

"Yep," Archer nodded. "And I'm only telling you this because I care but I would be careful if I were you."

"What? Why?" Mila wondered.

"The last time Airanne brought over a friend to the house to hang out, your dad ended up getting them married," Archer teased. "So think it through, princess. You want that to be your husband?"

"You're messing with me," Mila's eyes narrowed. "Dad wouldn't do that."

"Go ask him yourself," Archer said. "Actually, go ask Jeremiah. He's currently doing a background check on your boyfriend."

"Seth is not my boyfriend," Mila's eyes narrowed. "And why is Jeremiah involved."

"You know why," Archer whispered. "He has connections."

"To the mafia?" Mila whispered back.

"I don't know," Archer shrugged. "All I can say is that I saw him whispering with your dad while you were cozying it up with Seth during the movie. They were defiantly talking about you two."

"What do I do?" Mila wondered.

"Do you want to marry him?"

"Of course not!"

"Then stay away from him," Archer said. "It's that simple." 

Oh Archie, smh 

I have Covid and I'm stuck in bed, post comments in the story to keep me alive and entertained LOL