Page 23 of Switch Pitching

“Hey, I’m coming down tomorrow, let’s figure everything out later.”

“Sounds good, man,” I reply. He hangs up, and I’m alone with my thoughts, silently pacing the cavernous living room. I decide to do a walk-through of the entire apartment since I haven’t seen anything beyond the living room and the kitchen. Getting a feel for the place might help me calm down.

But as I move through the rooms, my nerves only get worse. “Ethan’ssogonna freak out,” I confess to a support pillar.

The balcony wraps around the entire floor. It’s complete with a fire pit and the skeleton of an outdoor kitchen. Just add a grill and you’re all set.

I move on, wandering down a hallway to explore one of the four bedrooms, and I’m thinking that this one might end up as a gym. It’s attached to a freaking spa that contains the hot tub. And a sauna. Of course there’s a sauna. Everything in this place screams luxury, and now it’s starting to freakmeout.

As I head up the stairs to the second level, I can’t stop thinking about how to explain this to Ethan. The apartment is incredible, but it’s also over the top. He got nervous from seeingthe fancy molding on the ceiling. He doesn’t know the layout of this place, and he hasn’t seen the private freaking elevator.

Ethan was going to stay in Portland to save money. I almost had to beg him to move here with me, and he only agreed when I said that I’d find a sensible place. And here I am, about to tell him he’ll be living in a ridiculous penthouse rent-free.

Slumping down on the hardwood floor in one of the two master bedrooms, I stare out of the window at the city. What if he decides that it’s too much and that he can’t live with me?

What I need to do is chill out and act like everything is normal. I’m not even doing him a favor because I already built up this idea of living with him and having a blast.

It’s no use tying myself up in knots.

I’ll leave the apartment and head back to my hotel. Tomorrow, I’ll play this off like it’s no big deal. That might be gaslighting, but I think it’s justified.

9

ETHAN

With a soft, melodic beep, the garage doors of my new apartment building slide open. After driving down, I park my truck in one of the four spots assigned to our unit and pull my phone out to tell James that I’ve arrived.

The sheer silence of the parking lot, coupled with the fact that it’s decorated with freaking gold-plated accents, makes me swallow a nervous lump that’s rising in my throat. I’m not used to this kind of place at all.

My phone buzzes.

James Hernandez

Go to the lobby. I’ll meet you there

I follow the signs for the elevators, walking further into the parking lot away from the entrance. After taking the elevator up one floor, I’m met with a vast, marble expanse. The ceiling stretches up, and it’s like the space is swallowing me whole. Then, I spot James across the lobby, and I smile without realizing it.

We’re just friends. That’s why you’re smiling.

“Hey,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

“You seem lost.” James sounds amused, and I make a noise in agreement.

He hands me a ring with an electronic fob and two metal keys on it. “Follow me.”

We walk around a corner and step into a different elevator. It’s kind of small, but the interior is modern and minimalist. James beeps his key fob, and as the doors close, I glance at the buttons. There are three of them.

Parking. Lobby. Residence.

What. The. Hell.

James just grins at me.

The elevator dings and we walk into a tidy entryway. There’s an emergency exit off to the left, and an imposing, heavy gray door straight ahead. James steps forward and beckons me in.

The apartment opens up into a cavernous living room with more natural light than everywhere I’ve ever lived, combined. I can’t help but stare. And wonder if I can even afford to breathe in this place.

“What do you think?” James asks, his eyes scanning my face for a reaction.

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