It was a hot night as I tossed and turned in someone else's bed. I woke and turned to my phone to see it was 3:15 am. A quick turn to my right told me that my partner in bed was still asleep. Her smooth stomach went up and down at a slow rate. I decided not to bother her and slipped out of bed. I walked in the darkness only in my briefs towards her window balcony.
Daisy was her name.
Daisy's apartment was located on the top floor of the condo in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles. We weren't dating, we just occasionally fulfilled each other's needs. I quietly slid open the door and stepped onto the balcony and rested my elbows on the cool edge. As I gazed at the beautiful LA skyline I began to think about what had happened recently.
A guy from a juice company came to my store one day to make me an offer for my store. At first I was entirely against it, that store was my baby. I put in my blood, sweat and tears into making that store thrive. Plus it was part of the community. There would be a void if it disappeared. But the neighborhood was changing at a fast pace. Wasn't sure how much longer a skate shop would last. The guy was quite attractive though. He looked to be older than me but not by many years. Possibly late 20s early 30s. The money was substantial and definitely more money that I had invested. I told him I would think about it and I had a meeting with him in a few days. But my decision still hadn't been made.
The other issue I was dealing with was Jason. He had recently told us that he was planning to move out of the house to some new house in Pasadena. Apparently, he was inducted into this sex cult and he said he really liked it. I was not a fan of it at all. We had all moved in together and not even a month in, he was already planning to leave. Javi assured me that the money wasn't the issue, which he was correct. I just felt that Jason was acting too quick on this. He barely knew these people and now he was going to move in? Were we not good enough for him? What was he not telling us? I didn't like it one bit.
My thoughts were cut short when I heard the snap of a lighter opening. I turned to see Daisy walking towards me with a recently lit cigarette. She too was only in her underwear, a pink set. She smiled and stood besides me, "Couldn't sleep?" she said pushing her raven hair aside.
"Yeah, it's a bit too hot in there."
"I guess I'm used to it," she was referring to her previous home. Which was Belize, a country in Central America. We had been friends since high school. She moved to the states in my junior year and we became friends instantly. There was never a romantic love between us, but we sure did like to fuck. We kept in touch after high school and hung out a lot. I even helped her with her citizenship test; which she passed.
She took a long puff from her cigarette and then spoke, "You seemed like you have a lot on your mind."
"Is it that obvious?"
Her answer came in the form of a nod.
"Was just thinking about life choices and such," I confessed.
"Maybe I can help," she wrapped her arm around mine.
"Maybe," I gave her a warm smile. I began telling her my current situation. It had been mentioned in passing the past, but we never really talked about it. She stood there smoking her cigarette while I continued. And when I was done, she turned to me and said, "Don't sell the store."
"Oh that was easy."
"Back home, my parents own a small store. My grandfather built it and it had been handed down in the family since then. My father would rather die than sell that store."
"My store doesn't have a legacy."
"No," she shrugged, "but it's something you built. Money is always great, believe me I know. My family was never wealthy but we had money to get by. Our lives growing up could have been better with more money, but that store is our legacy."
"You're comparing apples and oranges. Your family store is part of your legacy and your home. Mine is just a skate shop in the side communities of Los Angeles."
She turned away and took another puff from her cigarette, "Then sell it if it's just an apple."
I smiled and turned to her, "I never said it was an apple."
She smiled back, "I don't like apples and I'm not going to call my family's store an apple."
I sighed, "I don't know."
She put her cigarette out in the ashtray and wrapped her arms around me, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. As for your friend, Jason," she said his name in a Spanish accent, "You should talk to him. He is clearly being driven by his dick and not his head."
"Yeah, you're right. It's just a matter of when."
"You can't do anything about it right now, so come back inside with me," she said with an inviting smile.
The two of us walked back inside and lied in bed.
A couple of days later I was at the skateshop waiting for the guy to come from the company. While I waited, I tended to a customer who had recently started coming by. His name was Max. He was a year or two older than Jason and was pretty attractive. Today he wore black torn skinny jeans, which showed off his cute butt and a loose sleeveless Slipknot T-shirt. He had a small goatee and black shoulder length hair.
He had come in to buy a new skateboard for his nephew who was just starting out. I had been helping him out and at the same time learning more about him. I couldn't tell if he was straight or gay, but I didn't feel like asking just yet. After a while, he found a skateboard perfect for his nephew and I went to ring him up.
The guy from the company had entered the store when I finished with Max. As he approached I quickly tried to remember his name. Thankfully he did the job for me as he stuck out his hand and said, "Hello there, Richard. You remember me? Daniel from Juice8?"
Max gave me a nod and left. I shook Daniel's hand and said, "Oh yes, I remember you."
"Good, how have you been?" he asked with a warm smile. His grip was strong. So clearly he worked out. He had a clean shaved face with slick back blonde hair. He was tall and thin, but clearly had some muscle under his clothes. He wore a light blue buttoned up shirt that was tucked into his slim black slacks.
"Great, actually. How may I help you?" Didn't want to have small talk with the person who wanted to buy my store.
He turned his head towards my office and said, "Can we talk privately?"
I pointed to my office and the two of us walked towards it. I let one of my employees know that I was taking a meeting and that they were in charge. Daniel sat down on the chair across from my desk while I closed the door, locking it, and sat down at my desk. I only used the office for the security cameras and sometimes to write out checks. It came with the building when I got it, but didn't know what to do with it at first. Since the building had a back room for repairs. I just made it a personal office.
"So, Richard," Daniel began to say, "My company really wants your location. You're not that far from a school. Plus you're next to one of the busiest freeways in Los Angeles," he paused to see if I would give him an expression. Which I didn't, my plan was to not sell the store. Daisy and my brother were right. It was mine.
He licked his lips and continued, "Juice8 is willing to pay 50% more than they originally offered you."
I raised an eyebrow and mentally calculated how much that would be. That would be a significant amount of money. It was enough money to buy a new building in a new location and then some. It was a tempting offer. But I had to stick to my choice to not sell.
"That's a lot of money," I began to say. Daniel sat up and rested his elbows on my wooden desk, "But, I respectfully declined."
At first he had a plain expression but after a few seconds a smile grew on his face. "I see, are you sure about that?"
