In the cab on the way back to the hotel, I called Ciri and told her to be ready and wait downstairs so I wouldn't have to go all the way up. A short while later and I was at the hotel. Paying the cab driver, I exited the car and saw Ciri waiting outside.
"How'd it go?" she said after a kiss.
"Good. She said yes, and just from the little I showed her, she's already coming up with a plan. She's much better than I thought." I said with a smile.
"Good, I'm glad to see everything going well. We'll talk about it more later, right now we have more important things to do."
"Yes, dear." I said causing her to roll her eyes, playfully.
"Should we walk or do you want to take the subway?" I asked.
"Subway. Don't really feel like walking all that much."
"Okay, then. That way." I said as I grabbed her hand and we made our way to the subway, stopping to buy subway cards before hopping on the train.
The subway of New York City is almost like an entirely different dimension. Some people minding their business while others talk really loud, a homeless man talking to himself, a musician playing his instrument hoping to make it big, and occasionally you'll see something so outrageous it's hard to believe. Like we were experiencing at the moment.
"Alright listen up everybody. This is a robbery. We don't want to hurt you, we just want your money. So, do what we say and everyone gets to go home." said the man wearing a ski mask pointing a gun while his two accomplices did the same.
"Get your wallet out! Hurry up!" shouted one of them to a grandma as she shakily pulled her wallet out. Seeing this Ciri was about to do something when I patted her on the leg, as I had a plan.
Sneakily tying their shoelaces together with my tk, I then pulled their pants down simultaneously.
"What the fuck?!" said the three of them while some of the passengers laughed.
"Shut up!" said one of them pointing his gun at me, making everyone quiet.
Then I used my tk to switch the safety on all their guns before pulling at their feet, making it look like they all tripped. That's when a few brave passengers stood up and kicked the guns away before sitting on top of them and beating them up.
Once the subway reached the next stop, the passengers dragged them out and left them there before going on their merry way. That was our stop so I called the cops and waited for them there which didn't take long, thankfully. After giving them the story of what happened, they thanked me and asked for my number just in case they had any follow-up questions.
Done with that, Ciri and I made our way hand-in-hand to the first apartment we were looking at.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"That was so weird." said Ciri as we walked to our destination.
"That's New York for you. You're bound to see even weirder things the longer you stay."
A short walk later and we were now standing in front of 15 Central Park West, a luxury residential condominium along Central Park West.
"Isn't this the super expensive one?" asked Ciri as we looked up at the building.
"Relatively speaking? Yes. But even if we're not getting this one, I think it's still fun to just check it out. Besides, I already set up a walkthrough tour so we can't not do it." I said as we walked in with the door held open by the doorman, whom I thanked.
"Mr. Garetty?" asked the real estate broker who was waiting inside.
"Mrs. Kern, nice to meet you." I said shaking her hand.
"It's nice to meet you as well, sir. Madame." she said shaking Ciri's hand.
"So, tell me about the building."
"Of course. The building was developed by the Zeckedorf brothers and designed by Robert A.M. Stern in 2007 replacing the former Mayflower Hotel. It's a 202-unit apartment building, clad in limestone, from which its name "Limestone Jesus" derives, reminiscent of the glory of the Empire State Building in the gilded age.
A private driveway, around-the-clock staff, a 20-seat cinema, the children's playroom, a 14,000 square foot fitness center with a 75-foot skylight swimming pool, a private restaurant, and an in-house chef are here to satisfy your every whim. But, I'm sure you already knew that and that's not what you're here for." she said.
"Of course not. Let's see the penthouse shall we?"
"Right this way." she said before leading us to a solo elevator that could only be accessed with a card, and we rode it up.
"Is this the only apartment on that floor?" asked Ciri.
"Yes, it is. The whole floor to yourself sounds wonderful doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does." said Ciri as the doors opened.
"As you can see the penthouse has its own private elevator only accessible by security card that opens up to its own private landing. I should also mention that it is always being updated to offer the most security possible in the market." she said as we stepped out of the elevator and into the landing with glass panels to see into the apartment.
"This is the gallery and the living room both overlooking the beautiful sight that is Central Park." she said as we stepped into a black and white decorated room.
"Forgive my bluntness, but can we take a look ourselves without the commentary? We saw the pictures online along with the floor plan so we get the gist of where everything is, but we'd like to see it in person." I said.
"Not at all. I'll be waiting here in case either of you has any questions." she said with a smile.
"Thank you." said Ciri before we started exploring the place.
"That was a little rude, don't you think?" whispered Ciri as we made our way through the gallery and into the master bedroom suite.
"I know, but I didn't want her to keep on selling us the place when we don't even know if we're going to buy it. Plus I like to see things for myself without someone bothering me." I explained as we stopped in front of the windows overlooking Central Park.
"Gosh, this view is gorgeous." said Ciri.
"That's one point to this place, but I think it's a little gaudy."
"That's the taste of the rich for you." she said as we walked into the dressing room.
"A lot of space for your clothes."
"That's good. But it's a little far away from the university isn't it?"
"That's not really a problem for you is it?"
"No, but I don't want to do that all the time. I might want to walk there."
"Well the next one is a lot closer so let's just finish taking a look and leave."
~
After spending the whole day looking at apartments for sale, both of us were tired. So, we went back to the hotel and slumped on the couch.
"So?" I asked her.
"None of them stood out to me."
"Me either."
"Ugh."
"Let's just rent a place instead. That way we don't have to worry about buying one we really like. We can just rent a place we like and live there until we find a place we do like." I said while stroking her hair.
"Why didn't we do that from the beginning?"
"I don't know. I must be blinded by my infatuation for you." I said with a smile.
"Well, that's good too."