When he returned to the upstairs loft space, I asked, “What do you think?”
“I like it. Do you like it?”
“I’m not buying it.”
“But I need you to like it.”
“Just tell me what you think.”
“I think this place is perfect and has damn near everything I’m looking for.”
“But?”
“This is a huge purchase. When I bought my mom’s house, I didn’t really think. She loved it so I bought it. But this is permanent and it’s a lot of house for two people.”
“Two?”
“You and I equals two.”
“No this is going to be your place. So you need to love it whether I’m here or not.”
“Not possible, because I can already envision glimpses of you throughout this house. Take this loft for instance, it’s nice and spacious but if we’re not sprawled on the floor vibing to classic R&B music together it just doesn’t work. Walking from room to room all I can think about is you, me, and our future. The room off the primary gets a ton of sunlight and would be great as your office.”
We both wanted to make the other happy. But I wasn’t buying this house he was, and if I never called this place home he would have to be content with his decision. I reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Do you want to put in an offer?”
“Oh my God. My stomach hurts. This would be the biggest purchase I’ve ever made.”
“You can sleep on it no need to decide now.”
“I could always move in with you.”
“No.”
“What?”
“Absolutely not. I don’t move in with men I’ve only been dating for months. It’s one of my rules.”
“I’m not just any man.”
“You could be Clark Kent and the answer would still be no.”
“Well Clark Kent was a flake and living a double life. Says he’s going to meet you for dinner and then after hours of waiting, you find out he’s halfway across town fighting Lex Luther.”
Aldridge leaned against the railing. “Could you see yourself living here someday?”
He was trying to pin me down, get me on record declaring this house was the one to help him feel better. But I wasn’t going to take the bait. “It’s possible. But this is about you.”
“It’s important to me that you like it too. I want this to feel like a place you can call home. Because for me home is where you are. So, I could live in a coffin apartment and still be good if you were laying on top of me.”
“You’d probably have to fold yourself in half to make it work.”
“And I’d gladly endure it with you because I love you that much. But in this house the possibilities are endless. We could get a green couch right there.” He pointed to the living space below.
“What do you know about green couches?”
“I know Black women go up for them. Point out a baddie and I can almost guarantee she has an emerald-colored couch back at the crib. Maybe we could get one with hidden storage to hide the blankets and all the kids’ random toys.”
“Kids, plural.”
