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CHAPTER 5
Denise
He lives in a skyscraper downtown.He lives on the freaking top floor, the entire top floor. Not just a corner of the building, but the entire top floor. Once inside his building, I was provided with a number to input on the elevator panel, rather than selecting a specific floor. There were no floor numbers, aside from the first three floors.
Weird.
Then, when the elevator doors opened, they opened up directly into his home. I had to pick my jaw up from the floor more than once. First, when he stood in front of me, barefoot, in jeans and a white t-shirt. And again when he gave me a tour of his palace on top of the city. That was hours ago, and now I’m standing on his balcony after midnight, wrapped in his arms with his mouth on mine.
All night, he’s been great. He narrowed down ways for me to learn the material and then walked me through the steps to figure out a lot as well. He didn’t lose his patience with me the ten or so times that I almost had a meltdown, and he seemed to enjoy helping me.
As I lounged on his couch, with my feet resting on his lap, I realized he was truly absorbed in reading a textbook. I would look around his living room, which was furnished in plush, rich fabrics. He had two oversized sofas in the room we studied in and in another room; he had another sofa with two armchairs surrounding a grand piano, sitting poised and elegant with its polished ebony surface.
This place is a home, and also no. It’s insane that all this space is for one person. At least, as far as I can tell, it is.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of this penthouse is its outdoor space. The balcony that we’re currently standing on is a sprawling oasis high above the city streets. He has lush greenery cascading from towering planters, creating a paradise amidst the urban jungle below. A benefit to his space is that along the other side of the home, lays a heated pool with its crystal-clear waters shimmering underneath the light of the moon. He has plush lounge chairs along the outer edge and a seating area surrounding a flameless firepit, the perfect spot to enjoy a night with friends.
As the evening has come to a close, and our tongues tangle, I pull away and take in a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air.
“Everything okay?” he asks with concern.
“I’m good. It’s just late, and I need to get home.”
“Yeah, I guess we should call it a night. I’ve gotta be up early too.”
“Gotta make some super high-tech stuff happen tomorrow?” I tease.
“Something like that. C’mon, I’ll drive you home.”
I want to continue. I want to feel his arms around me, pulling me tight to him. But it’s late, I’ve got my test in the morning and I need to get some rest. Being with him tonight would distract me from what I need to focus on, and that’s acing this test.
We ride the elevator down to the parking garage and he directs me to a sleek black matte Model X Tesla, opens the door for me, and then slides in behind the wheel.
“Ready?” he asks.
“As I’ll ever be. Wait, you’re going to drive, right? Not let the car drive?”
“I prefer to be in charge when I’m driving. I don’t allow the computer to do those things for me. At least not yet.” His hand rests on the top of my knee.
We cruise through the streets with his thumb tracing a pattern on my knee, with a smile planted on my face. It’s not long before we’re pulling up to the loading zone in front of my building. He steps out of the driver’s side after hitting his hazard lights button and I watch him round the front of the car and open my door. His hand reaches in and my hand fits perfectly in his. I grab my backpack, and we walk to the front door of the building.
“I would ask you to come up, but -.”
“Another night. You get your rest and let’s celebrate tomorrow.”
“Celebrate?”
“You passing your test.”
“You know I won’t know right away,” I ask with a tilt of my head.
“Of course not, but you will radiate confidence and we’ll celebrate that.”
“I like how optimistic you are.”
“Thanks. I prefer to look at the lighter side of things.” He smiles at me. His smile almost making me want to say screw it and invite him up, ignoring the fact that I need rest before this exam. Almost.
I did it.
