The doorbell rang hours later. I had made my decision and stuck with it. I open the door, Nathaniel wearing a very nice suit, his hair perfect, and a smile that made my insides bubble.
"You ready?" He holds his hand out.
"Of course." I grab his hand and walk out, locking my door.
"Nice tie by the way." He says before turning around.
"Thanks."
We walk out of the building and to a Rolls Royce with a driver. He opens the door for me and closes it after I take a seat, going around to enter the other side.
"You ready?" He looks to me, smiling the cutest smile.
"For what?"
"You'll see. Do you have the items I sent you?"
"Of course." I take them out of my pocket.
"Great. We have one-stop before dinner if that's alright of course."
"Yeah, that's fine." It is silent and awkward as we drive.
Both of us keep looking over to each other, looking away when the other notices. This continues for the rest of the drive. I want to say something, but I just can't think of what to say. Nothing I come up with seems good enough. But then the car stops. It stops right outside of a very large building.
"Come on." I'm so in my head that I don't even realize Nathaniel left the car and opened the door for me.
"Oh, sorry."
"Are you okay?" He asks as we walk to the sidewalk.
"Of course. It's just been… it's been a long day, week, month." We both laugh.
"I understand." The doorman lets us in. "And I'm hoping I can help you with that." I'm confused, but follow him through the very swanky lobby to an elevator. "Use the key card."
I grab the keycard and slide it across the sensor, the doors opening. Nathaniel walks in the elevator and looks back at me. He just smiles and puts his hand out. I grab his hand and walk in, both of us chuckling a little.
"Is...is this your place?" Nathaniel just laughs at that.
"Yes… and no. This is my building. I bought it last year, fixed it up, modernized it, and reopened it just last month."
"It's really nice."
"Thanks. We're headed up to the presidential suite. This private elevator goes to it and it alone. The suite also takes up the entire top floor, having 360-degree views of the city."
"That's amazing." The elevator doors open and my jaw drops at the beautiful apartment.
The place is modern, yet cozy. There are high ceilings and windows. The kitchen is the stuff out of dreams. There's a TV you only see in professional ballers movie rooms.
"Wow."
"I thought you would like it." Nathaniel walks me over to the kitchen island, sitting me down on a stool.
"What are we doing here though?" My mind went to one place and one place only.
"This is your new place." Not where my mind went, not even near it.
"What?" This is the first time my brain has ever felt so still and empty.
"This place is for you. To live in."
"I… I…"
"When I learned of where you lived, I thought that there was no way I could let you live there." He grabs my hands. "I know this may sound very strange, even creepy. And maybe you'll run out of here the second I say it, but it's worth the risk. I like you. I like you a lot. And yeah I get I only met you for a few minutes, but you make quite a first impression. Plus, I did a little research on you. You're a hard worker, I like that. And I want to help you. You deserve better than what you have. So here is a nice and very free place for you to stay, to save your money, to focus on your career."
"Oh shit…" My body doesn't move.
"And don't worry. I don't want anything out of this, except for a chance. I just want you to give… to give us a chance. Go out with me every once and a while, see if you have any feelings, and see where we go from there."
"This is a lot for just meeting you earlier today." My heart is racing.
"I know. I got it from my family. We do things quickly. I've been taught to go for what I want, and I want you."
"Why me?"
"It's a gut feeling." He then lets go of my hand and reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out his wallet. "I also don't want you to worry about anything else." He grabs all the cash in his wallet, nearly a thousand dollars, and two credit card, both thick and black, putting them on the counter. "Each of these cards has $100,000 limits. Feel free to buy what you need, want, whatever. Redecorate this place, buy a car, travel. Whatever your heart desires."
"This is a lot." I stand up, stepping back.
"It's very very little of what I have. And why not share it to those who need it?"
"I just… I just don't get what's going on."
"You're very smart. You're a fighter. You are what I want to be. I was handed everything, and though I like to believe I'm not entitled and that I still work hard for what I have, I'm not like you. You work ten times harder than me, yet get nothing from it… until now. I want to reward you for your hard work. I want to give you the chance to live the life you want, not the life you have to have. I can tell you don't really want to be a lawyer, but it was the best way for you to get money and get over to the other side. Now you're on the other side. Now you can figure out who you really are, and hopefully, I can be apart of all of it."
"You…" I step up to him. "Are amazing." I grab him by his head and pull him down towards me, our lips meeting.
"No. You are." He says as our lips separate.
"I know." We both laugh at that before we begin kissing again.
He grabs my hips and lifts me onto the island. I run my hands through his soft hair, he slides his hands up my back. Our tongues slither into each other. Every part of my body gets electrified. Each time his hand squeezes my body just slightly, my entire brain explodes like it's the fourth of July.
"Wait." Nathaniel stops the kissing. "Not yet."
"Why?" I jump off the island.
"Well I… I don't... I don't want this to just be about sex or the thrill of the money. I want us to wait a while."
"How long's a while?"
"I don't know. I think we'll know." Nathaniel grabs the wallet from my pocket and starts putting the cash and cards in it. "Plus, we still have a date to go on, and we're running late."
"Late for what?"
"You'll see." We kiss before Nathaniel walks to the elevator, smiling.
