Eden (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Five

The morning came, along with a pounding headache. Amy was still passed out when Nick awoke. His head throbbed, but he got up anyway.

Walking over to the window, he drew back the curtains to allow the sunlight to fill the room. He then opened the door of the balcony, allowing the warm afternoon breeze to circulate in the room.

"What are you doing?" Amy moaned.

"It's past noon, we have to get up."

"We don't have to do anything. Close the curtains," she demanded, her voice still groggy.

Nick closed the curtains, but left the balcony door open. The breeze, still entering the room, caused the curtains to flap.

After grabbing a fresh towel, Nick stripped and walked into the shower. He turned on the water and adjusted the knob to the perfect temperature. Six powerful jets blasted him from every direction with hot water.

For the next twenty minutes, hot water and steam cleansed his body. He had never felt so invigorated after a shower before. Once he was done, he towelled off and walked into the closet.

Hanging in front of him were a vast array of clothing items to choose from, mostly new, and all very expensive — Burberry, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent... These were not the brands, nor styles, that Nick would typically wear. In addition to the clothes, there were watches for every occasion as well as cufflinks, tie clips, and rings.

Frozen from the paradox of choice, Nick scanned the rows of suits and high-end accessories. He began pulling open the drawers until he eventually found a basic t-shirt and a simple pair of pants. Fortunately, he also came across some brand new socks and underwear. He didn't bother with any of the fancy accessories, but he did opt for nice watch and a few sprays of Polo Red Intense cologne, primarily because he figured Amy would like it.

Nick quietly reentered the dark bedroom and looked at Amy. She was still asleep.

"Hey, hun, I'm going out for a bit," he whispered as he kissed her on the forehead. She made some kind of noise to acknowledge him, but was still half asleep.

Nick unlatched a set of keys that dangled from a hook in the kitchen and headed toward the garage. His level of excitement was high and he gleamed with joy. He could hardly contain himself.

Entering the garage, he stumbled over himself and bumped into the SUV. "Jeez, I hope I'm still okay to drive," he said to himself.

Nick walked to the far end of the garage, and opened the classic Lamborghini scissor door. The door rose like a wing on an exotic insect. He entered the car and sat there, taking it all in. He had been anticipating this moment ever since he set eyes on the stunning auto, in fact, even much before that. As a kid, he had posters of these kinds of cars on his walls. Now he was sitting in his very own. Through no doing of his own — good fortune perhaps — he had been bestowed with this incredible gift of life and unlimited opportunity. He was adamant about making the most out of his situation and didn't want to take any of it for granted.

Since first experiences can only happen once, Nick relished the moment. He was afraid that the novelty of driving exotic cars would one day wear off, so he took things slowly.

The interior of the car resembled a spaceship more than a car. In between the driver and passenger seat was a large obtrusive centre console with plenty of buttons that Nick was clueless about.

Gripping the steering wheel, he savoured the feel of it in his hands. He had yet to even start the car. He just continued to sit in the fine leather and inhale its scent. When his excitement was at an all-time high, he was ready.

He pressed the start button and the loud V12 engine came to life with a ferocious roar. He released the brake and slowly stepped on the gas pedal. The car crawled forward onto the winding stone driveway.

Nick exited the property and drove at a relatively slow speed to the large security gate at the entrance of the community. He was preserving the moment as long as possible, but once he reached open road, he was going to let loose. Before the gate could even close behind him, he slammed his foot on the gas and accelerated like a rocket. His head snapped back in the seat and he let out a sound of exhilaration. "WHOAA!"

Amy was home, catching up on her rest. The peace and tranquility put her in a deep state of relaxation. The world was much quieter than she was used to. There were no sounds from planes flying overhead, no noise of traffic, and no neighbours mowing lawns. But when Nick raced through the city, the whiny howl of the dual exhaust blasted through the open balcony door and woke her up. She didn't know what it was at first. It sounded like a fighter jet was ripping through the city. Eventually, the fog began to lift from her brain. With Nick's absence plus the sound of a fighter jet, she drew the only logical conclusion — he was out with the Lamborghini.

She didn't want to get out of bed yet, but she forced herself to. On her way to the kitchen, she passed by the garage. Sure enough, the Lambo was no longer there. She smirked. "Boys will be boys," she said.

Amy sauntered into the kitchen at a sloth's pace, dragging her feet on the cold tile floor. She was feeling the effects of the alcohol after their night of partying. The kitchen looked like a disaster zone, so she habitually started to clean it. It wasn't until she was about halfway done that she realized that cleaning the kitchen was pointless since they would soon leave this place and never come back. Nevertheless, she continued to clean, intent on finishing what she had started. Part of her was desperate to hold onto some sense of normality.

Meanwhile, in the town core, Nick was redlining his new toy. He pretended he was in the midst of an alien invasion. He treated the adventure like a real-life video game. He disabled the traction control and drifted around the corners of ordinary streets at high speed. The backend of the wide Lamborghini fishtailed recklessly as Nick struggled to maintain control. He let out an uninhibited celebratory cheer, "WOO HOO!"

The tires found traction and Nick straighten the wheel. He now faced an unobstructed stretch of road and he again had every intention to push the car to its limits and reach a top speed of over 200 kilometres per hour.

Amy, on the other hand, was still busy in the kitchen. She had chopped an assortment of vegetables and was cooking them in a large pot. There was no telling what Nick was up to or when he would return, but when he did, there would be soup ready for him.

Amy had been drinking water all morning and her headache had dissipated. She left the pot of soup to simmer and walked upstairs to run a bath. A warm relaxing bath was exactly what she needed to dissolve her remaining tension.

Before returning home, Nick made a few stops to pick up supplies. The Lamborghini wasn't the most practical choice of vehicle for the job, but he made it work. 

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