Perfect on Paper by Destiny Moon Read Free Book Online Page B

shirt in the laundry hamper back home. He merely shrugged in acknowledgment of her comment.
    “Just a side to me you haven’t seen yet,” he said.
    “Hmm,” she said. “What’s next? Are you going to cut your hair and shave your beard?”
    “This?” David tugged at his wolverine pelt. “Never.”
    Nadine smiled as though she approved of his choice to keep the beard. He couldn’t help but notice how truly uncharacteristic this conversation was for Nadine.
    “So, I’ve got a skid for you,” Nadine said, gesturing to the plastic-wrapped gigantic cube in the middle of the room.
    “Cool. I’ve missed this.”
    “You have not,” she said.
    “You don’t know that. I have. I dream of clearing skids for you,” he said, wondering if he was laying it on too thick. She laughed, so it was probably okay.
    “Well, then…”
    “Uh-huh. Gimme the price gun and the paperwork and I’ll get ’er done.”
    “Dependable. I like that.”
    She was torturing him. It was awful and delicious and horrible and fantastic, all at once. He wanted to sweep her into a wild and passionate embrace and kiss her like they were in the movies, but they were not. He had a job to do. She had expectations. She went and sat at her desk and did not, as far as he could tell, look at him again.
     
    * * * *
     
    After a few hours, David was sweating from hauling books off the skid onto the cart. He stopped working and took his sweater off. Underneath he wore a T-shirt that showed off his built frame. He was surprisingly muscular. He tossed the sweater on the utility table next to him.
    “Did you go shopping recently or what?” Nadine asked, looking up for the first time in ages.
    “Yeah, actually.”
    “Well, good choice. The sweater, I mean. But don’t dress up for this place,” she said.
    “You do.”
    “Yeah, but I’m not lifting all those books off the skids.”
    “You make a point.” He didn’t want to tell her that he’d expressly changed his appearance for her. That would never do. Instead, he kept on working in silence.
    Nadine finally interrupted. “I miss shopping.”
    “Why? I hate shopping.”
    “You do? No! You did such a good job of it. Don’t tell me you hate it. It’s shopping. Everything about it is great.”
    “Not to me. I’d sooner live in a communist country where there are more important things to worry about than the latest fashion.”
    “You don’t mean that,” Nadine said, getting up. She sat on the table next to him, dangling those perfect legs of hers in front of him. She was ruthless.
    “I do indeed,” he insisted.
    “Wow. A genuine hippie,” she said in a teasing voice.
    “Busted.” He shrugged. “Material possessions are overrated—that’s all I’m saying.”
    “You wouldn’t say that if you were homeless.”
    “No, I wouldn’t. But above a certain socio-economic level—and not even a very high one, like I’m talking roof over your head sort of thing—you don’t really need much.”
    “Oh, to be young again.”
    He looked at her. She was smiling, having her fun with him.
    “Let me ask you something,” David said.
    “Sure.”
    “Why do you work so hard?”
    She looked taken aback. “Why wouldn’t I?”
    “Well, why would you?”
    “Um, I have to. Stability. Health insurance. Home. Car. Clothes.”
    “See, that’s the foundation of consumer society—all that crap.”
    “Oh, and are you going to try to undo centuries of Western capitalism with your philosophy now?”
    “Not at all. But I would like to point out that we all have a choice. I try not to overcomplicate my life with too many belongings. I’ve never wanted to own a lot of stuff.”
    “Yeah, but that’s what it’s like to be your age.”
    “Any age.”
    “You’ll probably change your mind. You’ll see.”
    “Don’t condescend.”
    She put her hands up like she was caught in the act of doing something illegal. Her lips curled downward.
    “You know, one thing I’m really curious about is why