After a slow morning of chilling, Vic pulled up.
Vic and I rolled up to one of the biggest luxury car dealerships in the city. The kind of place where the salespeople wore suits, and you couldn't even see price tags on the cars.
I had never owned my own ride before. Back in New York, I just took the subway, my father's car or got rides with people. In Orlando, the team always had drivers for us.
I have already taken some for my parents, even a new house for them, but now? Now it was time to pick something for me.
The moment we walked in, a salesman—an older guy, maybe mid-50s, slicked-back hair, Rolex on his wrist—spotted us and rushed over.
"Mr. Lincoln!" he said, way too excited. "It's an honor to have you here."
"Appreciate it," I said. "I'm here to find my first car."
His smile got even bigger. "Well, sir, you've come to the right place. We have everything—Bugatti, Ferraris, Lamborghinis…"
I spent the next two hours testing out cars.
Lamborghini Aventador – Fast as hell, but felt like I was sitting in a spaceship.
Ferrari 488 Spider – Beautiful… but I wasn't sure if I was a Ferrari guy.
Then, I saw it.
A Bentley Mulsanne Speed.
Blacked-out, pure elegance mixed with power.
I opened the door, the leather seats felt like a throne. The V8 twin-turbo purred like a beast ready to be unleashed. I've never been much of a car connoisseur but I think I've found my style.
I smirked. "Yeah… wrap it up. This one."
The salesman smiled. "Excellent choice, Mr. Lincoln. Would you like to take it for a spin?"
An hour later, I was officially a Bentley owner.
Vic and I cruised through Orlando, windows down, speakers blasting. Then we started talking in the car.
I smirked, gripping the wheel. "We can go anywhere. We should bring Asher too."
Vic nodded. "Yeah, yeah, we gotta hit him up. Where you thinking?Asia? Europe? Bro, we got options."
I chuckled. "Man, I don't even know. I just wanna move around, see things."
Vic pulled out his phone. "Lemme call Asher, see what he's on."
Vic put Asher on speaker, and his voice came through the car's sound system.
"Yo, what's good?"
I grinned. "What's up, Ash? We were just talking—thinking about moving around, enjoying the offseason. You free?"
Asher chuckled. "Man, I'm out in San Diego right now with my girl. Y'all should pull up sometime this week."
Vic whistled. "San Diego, huh?
"Nah, you have a girl, Ash" I say.
Asher laughed. "Just hit me up when you're coming through."
I nodded. "Bet. We'll figure it out and let you know. Enjoy your time, bro."
"Always. Y'all stay up."
Asher hung up, and Vic stretched his arms. "San Diego, huh? I could rock with that. Yeah, we gotta pull up."
"Yeah we'll move on quickly, then I'll go do other things."
3 days later...
As the plane touched down in San Diego, I leaned back in my seat, stretching after the short flight.
We grabbed our bags and made our way through the airport, I was covered.
As soon as we stepped outside, I spotted Asher waiting for us near the pickup area, leaning against his car—an all-black Dodge Charger. He had on a hoodie and joggers, but his usual laid-back energy was there.
"Look at y'all, fresh off the jet like some celebrities" Asher said with a grin as he dapped me up.
"Man, stop playin'" I laughed.
We all laughed as we threw our bags in the car.
"Aight, where we headed first?" I asked.
Asher tapped the steering wheel. "Figured I'd show y'all around a little first. Then we'll hit a spot to eat—good food, ocean view, real San Diego vibes."
Vic nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get it."
With that, Asher pulled out of the airport, and we were officially in his city.
Asher pulled up to his house in La Jolla, and Vic let out a low whistle.
"Damn, Ash… you really living like this?" Vic said, stepping out of the car and taking in the view. The house was modern, sitting on an elevated lot with a clear view of the Pacific Ocean. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a sleek driveway, and a small infinity pool in the backyard.
Asher smirked. "Man, I had to treat myself a little. Y'all not the only ones making moves."
Vic grabbed his bag from the trunk. "Yeah, yeah, alright, Mr. G-League Star. You better make sure you get that two-way contract soon."
"You're the guy talking." I say to Vic shocked at his audacity.
"Come on in, get comfortable."Asher said, unlocking the door.
We stepped inside, the place smelling like fresh linen and expensive candles. A few pairs of sneakers were by the door, and a large flat-screen was mounted on the wall, paused on some Netflix show.
Asher's girl, Paige, I think I know her she played in power something like that, she walked out of the living room, wearing some lounge clothes. She smiled when she saw us.
"Y'all hungry? I made some food earlier."
Asher shook his head. "Nah, we about to head out. I just wanted them to drop their bags first."
She nodded. "Alright, cool. Y'all be safe. Don't let Asher do anything dumb."
Vic smirked. "That's literally impossible."
Asher waved us toward the door. "Man, let's go before y'all start talking too much."
Asher and I walked toward the car, the warm San Diego breeze hitting just right. Just as I reached for the door handle, Vic suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Wait, hold up" he said, turning around. "I gotta hit the bathroom real quick. Y'all wait up."
I raised an eyebrow. "Man, you serious? You couldn't go before we left?"
Vic shrugged. "My bad, bro. It just hit me now. Give me like two minutes."
Asher sighed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead. But if you take longer than two minutes, we leaving your ass here."
Vic just smirked. "Man, shut up. I'll be quick."
As he jogged back toward the house, Asher gave me a look. "You believe him?"
I scoffed. "Hell no, bro. He probably tryna flirt with Paige."
As Asher took a step toward the house, clearly ready to storm in and drag Vic out, the front door swung open.
Asher stopped in his tracks, shaking his head. "Took you long enough, man."
Vic raised his hands. "Bro, I was in and out."
As we pulled out of the driveway, the usual energy wasn't there. Normally, when the three of us linked up, it was nonstop jokes and good vibes. But this time? The car felt… off.
As the hours passed, the tension never fully left. Even as we hit up a few spots in San Diego—grabbing food, checking out the beaches, just cruising around—something still felt off.