“Wow, that’s… I’m not sure what Sophia sees in you.”
I laughed loudly as I pulled the door open to the next apartment building for her. “Interesting comment from someone dating a guy whose idea of dressing up means putting on shoes.”
“Brody’s a perfect gentleman.” She adjusted her hat as we entered, and she smirked a little. “Most of the time.”
“Where’d you get that thing anyway? You look like you’re going to the Kentucky Derby, not shopping for an apartment.”
She paused and looked at me with the same disgust she probably would’ve given me had I accused her of drinking someone else’s blood. “I’d never go to a horse race.”
We followed signs toward the sales office through the lobby of the building, and for once, Aamee looked impressed. She’d pulled her oversize sunglasses down low enough on her nose that I could see her eyes for the first time today. At the other apartments, she hadn’t bothered to take them off once, as if removing them might ruin whatever mystery she was trying to maintain.
To me, she appeared ridiculous.
But now her eyes were practically sparkling from the small recessed lights and the two decorative chandeliers that were positioned in the lobby. Then she saw the small coffee bar, complete with a self-serve Starbucks machine for lattes and espresso.
“This is it!” she declared. “This is the place.”
I eyed her skeptically. “The place that’ll take me to court for the rent money when I can’t pay it, or…”
I let my question go unfinished as I took in my surroundings: light marble tile, a pool table, a small sign that pointed toward a fitness center and outdoor pool.
“Yeah, there’s no way we can afford this,” I said. “Did you even look at the prices online? This is a waste of our time.”
“Of course I looked. But there’s always room to negotiate. You should learn that if you plan to open a real business.”
I resisted telling her that Nite Bites was a real business, because I knew Aamee well enough to know that she didn’t mean the comment as an insult. It was just a suggestion she thought would help.
“This is a high-end apartment building, not a used car lot,” I pointed out. “I don’t think there’s going to be room to negotiate.”
“Well, we’re here now, and I wanna see the place.” Before opening the door, she lowered her voice. “Now don’t say anything embarrassing like we can’t afford this.”
I gave her an eye roll, even though I wasn’t as annoyed as I let on. I kind of wanted to see the place too.
We were greeted immediately by a man wearing a nametag that said Jon, who was surprisingly younger than I’d expected. If he was older than we were, it couldn’t have been by much. He dressed in a way that most guys in their mid-twenties couldn’t come close to pulling off: fitted dark jeans, a button-down shirt, a bow tie, and a tweed blazer. He looked like some sort of hipster college professor, but somehow all of it worked.
“Drew Nolan,” I said as I shook his hand. I was just about to introduce Aamee when she spoke.
“Aamee Allen. We spoke on the phone yesterday, I believe?”
“Yes,” he said at her reminder. “I’m glad you could make it in. Why don’t you have a seat, and I can review the floor plans with you? Can I get either of you something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?”
When we both declined, Jon took a seat behind a desk and slid a folder toward us. He went through the handouts one by one, pointing out the various locations and amenities.
I knew the rent would be astronomical. I just didn’t know how astronomical. Still, I was surprised when he revealed the cost of their smallest two-bedroom.
I felt my eyes bug out of their sockets, and I whipped my head toward Aamee. “Are you insane?” I asked. At her blank look, I added, “Yup, you’re insane.”
“Drew,” she scolded. “Stop it.”
“This isn’t even remotely in our price range.” I’d wanted to see the place, but now that we were actually here, I felt guilty about asking to see an apartment we couldn’t come close to affording. Or at least I couldn’t. I felt like I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t. And I’d had enough of that to last me a lifetime.
Starting to stand, I said, “Sorry for wasting your time.”
Aamee put her hand on my wrist to stop me, squeezing me like a boa constrictor might its next meal. It took everything in me not to yank my hand away and look like a complete asshole. So against my instincts, I sat back down.
Jon smiled. “We have several spacious one-bedroom models. There’s plenty of storage in each of them, so you may not feel you need the second bedroom. The master is larger than most, and there is a his and hers closet.” He pointed to a floor plan on the paper between us. “This one has a small office area that could easily fit a daybed or another compact sleeping option.”
“Oh, we’re not together, so a one-bedroom wouldn’t work for us.” I was eager to clarify, and I’m sure it showed.
“My apologies,” Jon said.
“We’re not together now,” Aamee answered. “It’s complicated.” She turned toward me. “The one-bedroom with office space might be enough for us.”
Jon pulled open one of his desk drawers and withdrew a set of keys. He looked them over to find the right one before standing and heading toward the door.
“Come on,” he said with a wave to follow him. “I’ll give you a tour.”
And as I reluctantly followed Jon and Aamee, who was already by Jon’s side, I wondered if the unit had a balcony I could throw her off.
The unit was gorgeous. Modern neutral gray decor, crisp paint, and hardwood floors. It was a shame I’d probably never get to live here.
I took my time, noticing each detail, from the crown molding to the built-in shelves that provided extra storage. There was even a small laundry room off the kitchen.
Aamee, on the other hand, was eager to see all of it as quickly as possible. She tore through the apartment with such speed and excitement, I wondered if she was going to roll into a ball like Sonic the Hedgehog so she could more easily move from room to room.
Jon followed closely behind, attempting to point out things she might have missed.
Finally, she stopped at the balcony doors and pulled them open. Stepping outside, she leaned against the black railing and looked out at the view.
Jon remained inside but said very few words to me. He probably knew there was no changing my mind on this.
I was thankful when my phone rang and I saw Sophia’s face on the screen. “Hey, Soph.”
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Eh, it’s okay. I’m working on dragging Aamee out of this luxury apartment that’s way out of our price range.”
“Oooh, you’re there now? Let me see. Now I’m curious. Why don’t you give me a tour?”
When I was showing Sophia the small area that would be my “room,” I heard Aamee come back in. By the time I made it back into the main area, Jon was nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Jon?” I asked.
“I asked him to give us some time to discuss what we wanted to do.”