Following our conversation in Central Park, Olivia took off, and I did the same.
I drove back to MIT, and there I was, spending New Year's Eve flying solo.
But, surprise surprise, I wasn't the only one.
When I hit the dorm, Rick was right there, locked in a CS2 session with his high school friends.
As soon as I entered, I shot him a question, "Rick! You wanna help me buy a house"
Rick's eyes didn't leave the screen as he mumbled, "Ymm... Right... Sure. Wait, what?! You want to buy a house? in 2023?"
"Yea, what's the problem"
I casually shrugged, "Yea, what's the problem?"
He finally tore his gaze away from the game, a perplexed expression on his face. "There is a lot of problems... but mostly the cost. It's not as easy as it was 3 years ago. Banks won't give you a million for a house, just cause you have 50k and a stable job."
It felt like he might be projecting his own experience.