Eastern Lights (Compass 2)

I blankly stared at him for a few moments, blinking rapidly. “Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t ask you to tell me about myself. I was asking about Aaliyah.”

“Oh. I already looked into her weeks ago.” He shrugged. “I like her. She’s a good one.”

The only other person I’d ever heard him say that about was my mother, and she sent him care packages every month.

“Anyway, I gotta get back to work. Also, did you see the email from Walter?” Damian asked, standing up from the chair. “He replied about five minutes ago about the Queens property. It’s all but a done deal. Just need to draw up contracts and sign on the dotted line. Congratulations, Con. It’s yours.”

Holy shit.

I got the property.

Ever since Damian told me the good news, my mind hadn’t stopped spinning. No, the great fucking news. I’d been working for years to make this happen, and the fact that it hadn’t fallen through like all the other locations made me want to cry like a damn child.

It was really happening, and I knew exactly who I wanted the first person I told to be.

“Do I really need to be blindfolded for this?” Aaliyah asked, laughing. “This seems a bit dramatic, and I’ve watched a lot of true crime, so if you are going to murder me, just tell me now so I can say a few prayers to try to get into heaven.”

I snickered. “Don’t be dramatic. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it on Halloween night.”

“Well, that’s comforting.”

“We’re almost there. Luis is pulling up right now.”

Luis parked the car, and I hopped out quickly then guided Aaliyah out of the vehicle, with only a few fumbles and hiccups. The whole time she laughed, making me chuckle, too.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she said, standing straight as we stepped onto the sidewalk. “Now, do I get to take it off or…?”

“Wait. Let me set the scene. I thought this would be great for the article. You remember how you said you wanted to showcase the past, present, and future of who I am?”

“Yes.”

“Well, we’ve only covered the present day. You’ve seen me in my work element, but I wanted to share the next chapter with you for myself. The future of Roe Real Estate is here.” I moved behind her and began untying the blindfold. The second it fell, Aaliyah looked at the run-down building in front of her.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the building, then at me. “Is this it? Is this your location for your low-income luxury apartments?”

I nodded.

Her face filled with a level of excitement as she began jumping up and down, grabbing my arms and forcing me into her leaps, too. “Oh my God, Connor! Oh, my God! You did it! It’s happening! Ohmygoodness!” she screeched, her excitement level rocketing from the sidewalk and straight to Mars. The way she celebrated my dream made me almost choke up. The only other person who’d ever shown so much excitement for me was my mother.

“Shit, Red, you’re gonna make me cry,” I semi-joked.

When I looked at her, my heart, which already beat faster whenever she was near me almost exploded. The tears I felt were falling from her eyes.

She blushed as she wiped them away. “Sorry, but Connor…you did it.” She stopped her quick movements and placed her hands on her hips, looking up at the building, the broken windows, the graffitied walls. It looked like a disaster, but somehow, she was able to see past its current brokenness and focus on its potential.

She turned to me, and her smile felt so warm. “You did it, Connor. You did this, and I’m so proud of you.”

Cue the fucking tears.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and cleared my throat. The tears were on the brink of falling. Something about her saying she was proud of me struck a chord I hadn’t even known could be reached.

“Thanks, Red. That means a lot to me. Now, off the record, I got the seller to loan me the keys for three hours.”

She held her hand out toward me and smiled. “Come on, then,” she urged. “Show me.”

The skies of the city were dark, a clear sign that a storm was going to be moving in soon. Even still, I swore I could feel the sun when I looked at Aaliyah.

I took her through the seven-story building, stopping on each floor to explore. Each level had ten apartments, so we’d be able to house seventy families. We stopped in every unit of the building, too, because Aaliyah wouldn’t allow us to do anything else. Even when she seemed short of breath, she kept a smile plastered on her face.

Her happiness made me happier.

“Do you see it, Captain?” she asked as we stood in the final apartment on the seventh floor. “Right over here, the family can put their entertainment center. That over there will be little Timmy’s bedroom, and over there is Sara’s. The parents’ bedroom suite will have a soaking tub with all the luxury amenities, with locks on the door so Mama can get a few moments to herself. They’ll make memories over here,” she said, dancing on her tiptoes to the dining room area. She pretend-sat as if she were at a table. “They’ll laugh here, over dinners. They’ll discuss life, do homework, and love one another right here.” She stood and walked over to me. “All because of you.”