Asia found two really amazing places that she wanted Nick to see, so she called him and set up a time for them to do the property tours.
It was a soggy, rainy Tuesday in Atlanta. She sat inside of the St. Regis Hotel lobby looking out of the window at the pouring rain as she waited for Nick to arrive. 45 minutes later, he came bustling in through the glass French doors of the hotel without an umbrella, dressed in a burgundy Prada suit with his locs hanging down and glistening wet with rain drops.
"Glad you made it here safe...and late!" Asia spoke with her arms crossed. Nick flashed her a big pearly smile full of perfect teeth in an effort to lighten her agitation with his charm.
"Aye, I told you I was on tha way! You seen tha traffic." He explained.
"Yeah, alright. Well, I have the key code, we can go up now. Follow me." She directed.
They walked through the plush elegant lobby and took the elevator to the 19th floor. The elevator door opened into a stunning chef grade kitchen with mahogany hardwood floors. The living room featured 30ft ceilings with a window wall that boasted breathtaking views of Buckhead, downtown Atlanta and Stone Mountain. They walked up the glass and concrete staircase to the second floor where the living quarters were held. The master bedroom was huge with the same impressive views of the city as the living room, and featured a private terrace. The master bathroom was Italian marble from floor to ceiling, complete with a rainforest shower, a sauna, a bidet in the toilet room, and a marble soaking tub. The master closet was big enough to live in. The guest room was the perfect size to convert into a studio, just like Nick envisioned. He was speechless as they passed through the interior spaces of the penthouse.
"Asia, dis right here is perfect. I want it." He finally spoke.
"Nick, it's a bit over your budget, but-" Asia started to explain before she was quickly cut off by Nick's hasty decision making.
"Nah, you know me real well. Dis place is everything I wanted. Wrap it up and put a bow on dis mutha fucka! I'm payin' in cash!" He shouted with excitement.
"Nick wait! You didn't even see the other properties yet. And why are you still walking around with that much money on you? That's so dangerous." Asia asked, heavily concerned.
"Asia relax, my security guard is right behind us. He took the next elevator up, we good." He reassured her as she flashed her an award winning smile.
"Alright, well at least think on it for 24 hours to be sure this is what you want. In the meantime, I'll place a contract on this property and start working up the legal documents for the sale. Once the offer is approved, we should be able to close in about 15 business days since you're paying with cash." She explained.
"Look at chu, bein' all professional wit a nigga and whatnot." He teased.
They both laughed before stepping out onto the bedroom terrace where Nick pulled a spare blunt from the pocket of his suit pants, lit it up, and took a puff as he stood in the open air. The rain had stopped and the warm humid breeze whipped through Asia's hair as the sun peaked through the clouds, giving way to a refreshing sense of renewal as the two friends stood together looking out over the hazy city.
"Aight, now let's go eat!" Nick yelled out, breaking up the poetic moment. He did a little two step dance toward the terrace doors as he patted his empty stomach with both hands.
"You are such a greedy ass." Asia said as she shook her head and followed him back into the penthouse.
They rode the elevator down to the 10th floor to a fine dining restaurant named Atlas for lunch. Nick requested a private room that had a table big enough to seat 20. His security guard sat at the far end of the table while he prompted Asia to sit next to him.
"Now Nick, why do we need this big room for just the two of us?" She asked.
He leaned back in his chair, took his glasses off, and stared deep into Asia's eyes. He held his glance on her for a bit too long, so lost in her beauty that he could hardly catch himself.
"Nick, are you feeling okay?" Asia questioned.
"Yeah, you know, just hungry. You know how I get." He laughed, playing off the awkward moment. They placed their orders and made small talk while they waited to be served. When the food arrived, Asia watched a man that she'd witnessed with her own eyes attack a plate as if he were Wolverine, place a napkin in his lap and properly use his knife and fork to calmly and cleanly cut and eat his steak without smacking, burping, or licking his fingers.
"I see you left your prison manners at home today, huh?" Asia joked. Nick grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"You know, a nigga know how to flip it when need be." He winked at her.
They finished their meal and talked for a while longer about the plans Nick had for his new place.
"Ugh, we better head back or we'll be caught in 5 o'clock traffic." Asia warned.
"Yeah, you right." he said while pulling a stack of cash from his black Goyard crossbody bag.
"Ma'am!" He called as he lifted his hand to signal the waitress.
"Will the check be separate or together Sir?" The waitress asked.
"Togeth-" Nick began to answer.
"Separate!" Asia yelled, cutting him off and handing the waitress her credit card.
"There you go wit dat bullshit Asia. When you wit me, I got you, stop playin." Nick scolded.
She rolled her eyes as he grabbed her card back from the waitress and handed over the cash.
"The extra is for you. 'Preciate cha." He said to the waitress before helping Asia up from the table and walking her outside to wait for the valet to bring her Tesla around.
"Ok! I see you Miss Model Y! Dat shit clean, pearly white and Godlike." He joked with her and handed the valet attendant a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
"Ugh, Nick stop it! I can pay my own way, you're driving me insane." She whined.
Nick smiled and ignored Asia's cry for financial independence. Nick helped her into her car and stared at her through the open window.
"I always got you." he said in a serious tone.
"Call me when tha paperwork is done?" He asked.
"Of course." Asia said, smiling up at him.
Nick tapped twice on the hood of her Tesla and watched her drive off. He stood in the valet lane of the St. Regis, shifting his feet from side to side, toiling with the unfamiliar emotions that were stirring inside of his heart. Emotions that threatened his friendly view of Asia and gave way to feelings of a more amorous kind.