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I have been thinking a lot about Xava these last few days. I can’t help but remember the deep conversations we had at Lom and Emily’s wedding. I’m still having flashbacks of the night when we were together.
I wish there was a way she and I could communicate, but I don’t know if there is. I only have that note from her… but there might be a way for me to track down her information. If I could get my hands on her number, I could send her a text.
“I am your father, and I have the right to force your hand whenever I see fit. Don’t test me, Ambros.”
“That’s too bad because I’m testing you. I’m not going to marry Zoe Drakos, and there’s nothing you can do or say to convince me otherwise. Now, if you’re going to keep up with this shit, then you might as well go home. I don’t need you ruining my meal,” I snap, looking right into my father’s eyes.
“Ambros!” My mother chastises me, but I will not apologize.
“I mean no disrespect, Mom, but I’m serious.”
She wonders why I don’t speak to my father. This is why. Because every time the two of us get together, we bicker. Now, this has been one of the worst fights we’ve had, and I seriously doubt it will be the last.
Chapter Eight
Xava
“I really appreciate you taking the time to show me some places.” I know how busy Emily is on a day-to-day basis. I’m not just talking about her being a mother and new wife, either. She works full-time, too.
“Are you kidding? If anyone’s showing you some places, it’s going to be me, not someone else who’s going to try to upsell you something that you don’t need. Now, before we go anywhere, I want to know what’s important to you in a condo or house. Do you know which you’d prefer?”
I lick my lips nervously. The fact I’m actually going out to look at a place to live blows my mind. “I don’t really have a preference.” I don’t know what I want. I don’t even know how I will afford any place Emily shows me to begin with, but that’s something I’ll have to figure out. Maybe I can get a job doing something in the city to make the monthly payments.
“Okay, so let me ask you this. Do you feel like dealing with the maintenance required in owning an actual home, even if it’s a townhome?”
I think she means mowing the lawn and those sorts of things. “I mean, I don’t want to go out of my way to do those things, no.”
Emily nods. “Okay, that’s exactly what I thought. I think we should keep our search limited to condos right now. Are there any amenities you know you can’t live without?”
I ponder what my sister-in-law is asking of me, and one thing really jumps to the forefront of my mind. “I’d love to have a bathtub. I don’t have access to one at Mona and Nazyr’s. Mona’s told me I can take a bath in their bathtub, but I think that’s kind of weird, so I don’t want to do that.”
“Okay, that should be easy enough to find. Are you looking for a certain number of bedrooms?”
I don’t have any kids, and I really don’t see why I’d need more than one bedroom. Well, wait… whenever Yara comes to visit, it would be nice to have an extra bedroom. “Two bedrooms would be fine, I think.”
“All right. We’ll look for two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominiums with plenty of space. I don’t want you being shoved into a place the size of a shoe box. I’ll try to make sure the closet space is more than accommodating.”
“Sounds great. I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me. Like, you have no idea.” I offer Emily a soft, thankful smile. She really doesn’t have to be doing any of this for me, and yet she is.
“Stop it. You’re family, and I always look out for my family. Now, I believe Rolando is going to be driving us today, right?” Emily looks past me at Rolando, and by the time I turn to look at him, he’s giving her a curt nod. “Perfect. Rolando, I need you to take us to The Caucasus.”
“Certainly.”
The group of us leave the house and head to Rolando’s car. It’s only a short five-minute drive before we pull up at the historic-looking building Emily called The Caucasus. “Is this it?”
“Yes, it is.” Emily beams proudly.
Rolando manages to find some street parking, and the three of us get out of the vehicle and then walk up to the massive building. It runs two city blocks, and there’s even an extension on the next street. The exterior of the building is a cream stone, while the roof is a burnt amber color. “How far away is this from the city center?”
“A five-minute walk, give or take, but I’m sure since Rolando’s driving you, you’d get there a lot sooner. You’re only a few minutes away from the entire family, which is awesome. Now, come on, I can’t wait to show you this one. I actually think you’re going to appreciate a lot of the interior design. Most of it is original, but the current owner did put a few newer updates into the apartment.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” I comment, and Emily takes us inside the building. We head down a hallway and then find the elevators, where we go up one floor. The unit is located on the second floor, and as Emily slides the key into the door and pushes it open, I’m intrigued by the unique design.
The floors are a newer, almost white wood, while the walls are made up of various stones. As soon as you walk into the home, a cream and white-colored stone stretches across the living area wall. But the alternate wall features black and gray stone, which expands to part of the ceiling. Right where the black and gray stone comes to a halt on the ceiling, there is a blue light coming from the edge of the stone, which lights up about a few inches of it. It’s such a unique artistic feature, and I like it a lot.
“You can change the color of the light to whatever you want. The current owner obviously likes blue,” Emily continues, leading me through the place, and we head into the kitchen next.
The same flooring and lighter stone are on the walls, and the kitchen cabinets are quite unique. They’re almost quilted looking on the outside, and I’ve never seen this before. It’s beautiful and adds a feminine touch to the place. “Are these something the owner did as well?”
