Visionaries

nine

// NINE //

Cyrus' apartment is not too far from the park and maybe holds the same distance from the university. He lives in a tall, beige coloured building, and his apartment is on the 17th floor. Walking in the building made me realize that I've never really been able to see the lifestyle, architecture and trademarks of Lugano. Just by walking in, I could see it, and feel it.

Some people just go unnoticed and blend into the crowd whereas almost everyone was a familiar face back home. The buildings are taller and the streets are longer. It's so much more crowded even if it's just a bit bigger than St-Moritz.

All the tables in the lobby are marble and the floor is carpeted. Facing the double doors we came through are two elevators and there are hallways on either side of them.

Cyrus greets the middle aged, dark haired doorman and leads us around the small seating area to the elevators. It's just as clean as the lobby. One wall of the elevator is a mirror and a classical song plays.

The ride to the 17th floor is done pretty quickly. The walls of the halls are a very pale sky blue and the floors are, like the lobby, carpeted. We take a right out the elevator and walk to the far end of the hall which is Cyrus' apartment.

"The apartment is a little bit messy," Cyrus starts as he puts his key in the lock. "I don't know how much she was able to clean while I was out."

"She?" I whisper to Darius as Cyrus leads Cass inside.

"You'll see."

He walks in behind Cass and Cyrus beckons me inside before him.

The apartment is very cozy. We walk in the living room. To my left, touching the wall, is a couch and another smaller one, placed vertically, that forms an L with the first one. A single couch faces both with a coffee table in the middle. To my right, is the TV on a stand touching the other wall. Behind the single couch is the dining table and beside it is an opening in the wall that leads to the kitchen that also has an opening on the other side leading to the living room. Behind the couch is the bathroom and then theres a hall between the kitchen and bathroom that probably leads to the rooms.

"Wow, you did a pretty good job around here, hun," he says walking in the kitchen and the sound of a kiss answers my question. A sweet looking woman walks out with Cyrus by her side. She has short, wavy black hair thay reminds me a bit of a 20's style especially with her bold red lip colour.

"I find first impressions really important so I couldn't leave the flat to be the same dump it was before. I'm Emily. You can call me Em."

She hugs me then hugs Cass.

"It took you long enough to introduce the girls to me," she says as she goes over to Darius, standing behind me, and hugs him.

"It just never was the right time."

"It never is with you, Darius. Is it?" She says this with a smirk, but Darius' expression falls in a frown. He looks disappointed in himself. I don't quite know what she means, but I'm curious.

"Come, sit at the table. I'll bring snacks."

"I'll help you," Cass says, jumping to the oppurtunity to make a new friend. Cyrus goes in his room, probably to change. I just stand in the doorway with Darius.

"Cyrus? As in Cyrus the Great?" I question. "Your mom, yeah?"

He smiles. "Yeah. She was fascinated by history, especially the persian empire. I think it's because of the image of Iran created by media and society now. She needed to see who the real Persians were and are and not the extremist dictatorial government that is all that is shown to the world."