She locks the door behind me and offers to take my coat. “Brad knows a guy and he hooked me up.”
Spinning around to face her my jaw drops. “Wait, you guys didn’t move in together did you?”
“Hell no! You know I ain’t ready for that.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god. I was about to say…”
“Please. I’m not that stupid. We just started dating a month ago. Come on, let me give you the tour.”
She shows off her two-bedroom apartment and I’m jealous. The apartment is located in the heart of the East Village in a cute little brownstone. It’s an older building, but that gives it its character. We first walk into the living room, which has crown molding trimming its walls and light fixtures that look to be a century old. Hardwood floors span across the entire apartment, the high-coated gloss reflecting the light and making the floor shine.
The kitchen is a little tiny for my taste but it has modern stainless steel appliances and a working dishwasher. Damn, I want one of those. The marble countertops shine as the recessed lighting in the kitchen sets a calm mood. The view from the kitchen is incredible. Peering out, my eyes see the entire neighborhood below and just a couple blocks away is the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge. “This view is insane!”
“I know! Tell me about it,” she agrees as she continues the tour.
We chat for about an hour or so, filling each other in on what’s been happening at work.
She passes me a soda. “So Easton’s been asking about you.”
“What, why now? All of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. I just ignore him. He’s a dick. The other day, I overheard him telling one of the other physicians that he’s trying to grow a beard, so I quickly chimed in that he needs to eat more pussy.”
The soda I had just sipped spews out of my mouth. Gia bursts into laughter. I scoff. “You did not say that in front of other people.”
“Damn right I did. He’s a tool.”
I move to clean up my mess. “What am I going to do with you?”
She smacks my ass as I stand up to get a towel. “You love this bitch. Don’t deny it.”
I call back to her from the kitchen, “Yeah, you’re right.”
Once I’m all cleaned up, I return to the living room and continue our conversation. I tell her about Roman’s new attitude toward me and she hints that he might have ulterior motives, but I shoot her down real quick. She continues to nag about it but finally gets the hint.
“So, there’s this Venezuelan place that I’ve been dying to go to. Wanna go?”
“Sure, how far is it?”
She stands up to get my coat and hands it to me. “Not far, about a five minute walk.”
“Okay, let me pee first.”
Seven minutes later, we arrive at the restaurant. It’s a little hole in the wall, but sometimes those are the best kind. It’s much smaller than the Greek restaurant she took me to, but this place has way more customers. Right when we walk in, the aroma of spicy food hits my nostrils, causing my stomach to roll in tumbles.
We grab a seat at the first empty table we find and within seconds the waitress comes over to take our drink orders. Looking over the menu, I can’t even decide where to begin. Everything sounds so good, so I take a quick peek at another table’s food to check out what they ordered. It smells likes heaven but looks as though it would tear up my stomach and I wouldn’t want to have an emergency during my ride home on the subway.
I take a look at Gia as she scans her menu. “What are you getting?”
“I’m actually going to order one of the arepas. The grilled chorizo with spicy cheese, jalapenos, and sautéed peepers sounds delicious. It better be good. What are you getting?”
“Eh, I don’t know yet.”
“Well, hurry up cause the waitress is coming over.”
I look back at my menu. “Order first while I decide.”
After Gia orders, the waitress glances at me. “And you miss?”