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“Then we’ll just grab a new one as soon as you’re safe at my place,” he said.
I didn’t want to argue with that logic, so I grabbed my purse, my rolling suitcase, and Kevin’s carrier, and we were heading out.
My heartbeat was hammering in my chest as we rode down to the lobby, sure some men all in black would come charging out of the shadows or around the corner and shoot me.
In the end, though, it was an uneventful trip into the lobby where he instructed me to stand with the group of concerned neighbors who wanted to ask about my ordeal while he stuffed everything into the car.
And then, finally, he was shuffling me into the car, positioning his body in such a way as to try to block me from view.
“Slump down into the seat until we’re moving,” he told me as he tried to turn out into traffic.
It was a surprisingly short drive from my apartment building to his. He lived in a smaller building than mine. Older. With a classic limestone exterior, complete with ornate details that made me a little envious.
“He’s not a fan of that thing, huh?” Elian asked as we climbed out of the car as Kevin hissed and shrieked as I accidentally jostled him around.
“I think the only time he was ever in a carrier when my grandfather had him was to take him to the vet. He’s making his objections to getting his temperature taken known,” I told him.
The lobby of Elian’s apartment building was a lot less assuming than mine was, but I figured that had a lot to do with the fact that it was a much older building.
We rode up silently, save for Kevin’s incessant shrieking, to the top floor, then exited into a hallway that bisected through the two apartments that took up the entire floor.
“Wow,” I said, looking between the two. “Only one neighbor.”
“No neighbor,” Elian said, shaking his head. “When that went up, I bought it too,” he said, waving to the door opposite of where he was sticking a key in a lock.
I think I was gaping at that when he turned because he gave me a little smile. “I want a family one day,” he explained. “I’m gonna need the space. And I like this building. It seemed like a no-brainer.”
I wouldn’t pretend to know everything about real estate prices in this area, but given the neighborhood and the sizes of these condos, he had to have spent at least a couple million to own both of them.
“I figure I can hire someone to connect the condos when the time comes,” he told me as he pushed open his door, and reached inside to flick on a light. “Let that poor guy out before he has a stroke,” he said when I stood there in the hallway, still a little in shock over the idea of him having millions on hand to spend.
I moved in the door.
And went ahead and did some more gaping.
I guess some part of me was expecting more of the usual hyper-modern, all white and marble everything. It was the design of every apartment I’d checked out when I’d been ready to move into my own place after college.
And while a part of me had really grown to like the clean, bright feel of it since moving in, I had to admit that Elian’s place had a little more, I don’t know, charm.
The gray lime wash walls, wooden kitchen cabinets and floors, and concrete countertops seemed like they should feel cold and industrial, but it somehow managed to feel welcoming and warm.
There were floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall that must have let a lot of gorgeous light in during the day.
Elian’s decor was almost nonexistent, save for the charcoal gray sectional, a wooden console table under a large TV, and a dining room table that felt almost comically large for a condo in Brooklyn.
“I have my family over on occasion,” Elian explained, catching me looking at it. “And I plan to have a wife and kids one day.”
I had to admit it was kind of refreshing to hear a man talk so openly about wanting a wife and family one day. While I still had a few years of plugging away at my career ahead of me, I liked the idea of having a family myself. Though maybe not as many kids as it seemed like Elian was looking forward to.
I put Kevin up on the island, unzipping the bag, and waiting for him to peek his head out, dubious about his surroundings. Then, spotting his tree stand, he was off.
“I’ll show you to your room, then go grab the box and litter for Kevin,” he said, leading me through the living room and into the hallway that featured two bedrooms and a hall bath.
If I thought my bedroom was reasonably roomy, given the average square space of apartments in Brooklyn, then this guest bedroom was absolutely massive.
The same warm wooden floors carried on into the bedroom, but the walls were painted a cream color. The bed was queen-sized and covered in a linen cream and white striped comforter.
“Do you want me to move Kevin’s tree in here, or do you think he’d rather have it in the living room?” Elian asked, placing my luggage near the closet.