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“So what? Lots of perfectly happy couples don’t have an intimate knowledge of what their partner does for a living.”
“Name one.”
“Umm… Bill and Melinda Gates.”
“Okay, worst couple you could’ve brought up.”
“Why? They seem happy and there’s no way anyone understands what Bill Gates did for a living.”
“First of all, they’re divorced. Second, do you even know how they met?”
“No,” he says, sounding slightly sheepish.
“She worked in product development at Microsoft, so I have a feeling she understood exactly what Bill did for a living.”
“And see how unimportant that was? They’re divorced. If anything, not knowing what your wife does is a plus.”
“Nobody’s getting married here. It was one kiss. And when we left, we both realized it wasn’t going to go any farther.”
“Seriously? Nothing? You didn’t give her the old hot beef injection when you got in the limo?”
“Oh my God, how is it that I let you manage my money?”
“Don’t change the subject,” he says. “You clearly like this girl and so far you’ve provided no good reason not to give it a go.”
“She’s already married to her job, and since my career is teetering on the edge, I can’t exactly move up to San Jose, now can I? And don’t bother suggesting we have a fling because she’s not that type of girl.”
“Why not? She’s an adult—a highly intelligent one at that. She can make up her own mind about that, can’t she?”
I chew on my lip for a second before I answer him. “She’s not built that way. For meaningless flings.”
“How do you know? Did she tell you that?”
“She didn’t have to. I just know.” Standing up, I walk across the living room and stare out the patio doors. “She’s not exactly sophisticated when it comes to relationships. She’s been hurt before, and I can’t be just another guy to…”
“Hit it and quit it?”
“Exactly,” I say, running my hand through my hair out of pure frustration. “Which is why I never should’ve kissed her in the first place. In public or not.”
“So why did you?”
I think back to the desperation I was feeling when she asked me to read to her. Not wanting to admit that, I say, “I guess I was overcome by the moment.”
“And clearly she was too, which, if I’m not mistaken, could be the sign that you have some serious chemistry. You can at least give it a try,” he says. “And before you say it, don’t give me the ‘I’m too stupid to date someone like her’ bullshit because in case you don’t know, you bring a lot to the table yourself.”
“Yeah, like trolls and raving maniac fans who will make her life a living hell.”
“So she’ll have to delete her social media apps or learn to ignore it. Every relationship has trade-offs.”
“She won’t have to because there is no relationship. I’m only here for another couple of weeks, then I’m leaving and she’s staying here to do her important work and probably marry a fellow genius so they can eventually populate Mars.”
“Wanker.”
“Asshat.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Fine, but do you know what the saddest two words in the English language are?”
