Perfect on Paper (13 page)

“Where are you taking me?”

“Do you want to know? I can tell you if you do, but I was going to surprise you.”

“Okay, surprise me.” Nadine looked out of the window.

Before long they were in a neighborhood she didn’t usually come to. David drove through the streets like a pro. It was easy to see that he felt comfortable here. Nadine’s voice was low, like she was reluctant to say anything. “David, you’re really romantic.”

He glanced over to her for just a second and gave a flirtatious smile. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s a pleasure to have the privilege of taking you out,” he said.

She felt like the luckiest woman in the world. His attention was intoxicating. She put her hand on his leg as he drove. He covered her hand with his and held it there, pressing into him. She was in heaven.

They pulled into the parking lot of a strange place she hadn’t been to.

“Isn’t this a museum?”

“Yep. And planetarium.”

“But it’s closed.”

“To the public.” He grinned.

“What?”

“I told you. You can’t tell anyone. This is a special privilege.”

“We’re not breaking in, are we?”

“Would that be romantic? Getting a criminal record together?” His smile was playful and Nadine felt foolish for blurting out the first paranoid thought that had come into her mind.

“This is an unusual date destination, you have to admit.”

“I’m an unusual guy,” he said.

“So I’m learning.”

They walked hand in hand up the concrete steps. Nadine was surprised that she didn’t feel nervous. This was fun. So far this was easily the most exciting night she’d had in ages. She’d grown accustomed to guys taking her out for the tired old dinner and movie or dinner and lounge. This was the first original date she’d been on since… Well, for as long as she could remember.

They circled around to the back of the building and climbed another flight of stairs. Then David took out a key and unlocked the door. A beeping sound followed. David bolted inside and Nadine, from outside, could hear him punch a code into the alarm. The beeping stopped. How he had managed to gain access to this place, she did not know, but it sure was thrilling. She followed him inside. There was just a tiny lamp on at the back, where they were. It felt like they had entered a dark theater after the movie had started and that an usher was lighting their steps. But then David turned on the dim overhead lights and Nadine saw that they were actually inside a massive dome.

“Whoa!” she couldn’t help but exclaim. “This is incredible.”

She looked up at what appeared to be the night sky, but fainter. They were inside the planetarium, a place she’d never visited before in her life.

“Just you wait,” David said. “Come. We’re taking the best seats in the house.” David took her by the hand and guided her to a seat in the middle of the room. She took her coat off and put it on the seat next to her. There was really no reason not to spread out. It was the only time she’d ever experienced being all alone in such a huge public space. It was so strange and silent.

“I’ll be right back,” David said. He ran up the aisle, flicked a switch then the lights went out and, for a moment, they were in total blackness. Then the stars lit up and overhead, it was as though the night sky lit their way. It was completely unlike the real night sky, though. It was so clear.

David came back and sat down next to her. He took her hand in his as they looked up together.

“This is incredible,” Nadine said.

“I thought you might like it.” David leaned back and got more comfortable. He also took his coat off and he put his arm around Nadine’s seat. She felt herself get tingly everywhere. It was like it was the first time a guy had ever put his arm around her.

“So you come here a lot?” she asked.

“I’m president of the astronomy club,” he said. “That’s why I have the key and the code. Plus, I know all the security guards. I asked if we could come here tonight and it was fine.”

“Wow,” Nadine said. Teasingly and flirtatiously, she turned to him and said, “I had no idea you were a nerd.”

“No idea? Really?” He laughed. “Come on. What part of studying philosophy isn’t nerdy?”

“You don’t look like a nerd.”

“I filled out. You should have seen me in high school.”

“I would have loved to have seen you in high school.”

“No way. A girl like you. You would not have given me the time of day.”

“How do you know?”

“Trust me. I remember girls like you. I wouldn’t have had the nerve to even say hi to you back then.”

“Well, there you have it. That’s about you, though. Not me. I’m sure I would have thought you were adorable.”

“Nope, you wouldn’t have. I can show you photos.”

“I hope you do.”

He squeezed her close to him and kissed the top of her head. It was a sweet and innocent moment, and Nadine perceived perfectly the kind of guy David had been in high school.

She looked up again. “So, president, can you point out some constellations?”

“Sure.” David smiled. “This sky is actually not the sky we see outside. Right now we’re looking at the southern hemisphere’s sky.”

“It’s different?”

“Ye-eess,” David said, drawing out the vowel sound. “Were you a cheerleader in high school?”

“As a matter of fact, I was,” Nadine said. “But I wasn’t a walking stereotype. I got good grades, and I didn’t date jocks. My boyfriend was in the drama club.”

David nodded knowingly. “This sky image is taken from New Zealand in January, so the constellations are different.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. That’s Taurus right there”—he traced the pattern with his finger—“and over there is Reticulum. And that’s Mensa. Oh, and you probably recognize Orion.”

“Jeez, no wonder they made you president.”

“Actually, I think it’s my perfect attendance record. I haven’t missed a meeting yet, except for the two years I spent on the beach.”

“In how long?”

“Oh, um, let’s see. Eight years.”

“Did you say you spent two years on the beach?”

David nodded. “After graduation.”

“So, you didn’t go to university right away?”

“No.”

“Phew,” Nadine said. “How old are you? I’ve been wondering.”

“Twenty-one.”

Nadine was relieved. At least her worst fears weren’t true.

David reached into his backpack and pulled out another plastic container.

“You’re like Mary Poppins,” Nadine said. “What have you got there?”

“I made a couple of sandwiches. These are
bocconcini, prosciutto
, tomato, basil, caramelized onions and grainy mustard.”

“Yum.”

He smiled.

“I’m impressed.” Nadine unwrapped her sandwich from the parchment paper that enveloped it. She looked at the baguette. It smelled and looked delicious.

“Incredible!”

“Glad you like it.”

“You’re quite the talented guy,” she managed between bites.

“Thanks. I try.”

The silence and awe of the overhead view allowed Nadine to probe further into what was truly on her mind. “What do you mean you spent a couple of years on the beach?”

“Well, I almost didn’t graduate. After I lost my family, I couldn’t concentrate and my grades dropped. I almost left high school, but my grandparents urged me not to. So I got through, but I didn’t have the grades for university and I wasn’t exactly motivated. So I went and lived out of my car for a while because I needed to think and clear my head. Got my grades up by doing some online courses.”

“Wait, but you lived on the beach. How’d you get Internet access?”

“Libraries. I only went to town to hand in assignments and take tests. It was great, actually.”

“So you lived out of your car? The same car you’re driving now?”

“The one and only.”

“But it’s so small. I mean, for a home.”

“Not really. I can stretch out in the back and I kept a cooler on the front seat and had my gas stove and all that in the back beside me.”

“But where’d you cook and make coffee?”

“Picnic areas.”

“Bathroom? Showers?”

“Rest stops. Community centers. The ocean.”

“Wow.”

“I seem like a hippie, don’t I?” David asked. “Well, I’m over it now, but back then I had no idea what direction I wanted to go in. I had to figure some stuff out.”

“But, how did you get by? I mean, how’d you live?”

“Oh, I made some money. No big deal. Actually I did some pretty odd stuff to get by.”

Nadine shook her head. Never before had she met anyone like David. She could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it and she knew that the best people could take a long time to get to know. She didn’t want to push him too hard. This was, after all, their very first date. There was lots of time, she reminded herself as she leaned into his embrace and adjusted herself to the reclining seat. This was so comfortable—resting her head on David’s arm—that she couldn’t think of anything that’d make the moment more complete.

Chapter Fourteen

Hours later, the two arrived back at Nadine’s apartment. She’d long since abandoned the vision of a tender and sweet goodnight kiss on her front steps. She’d have been deeply disappointed with a first date scene from a romantic movie. She wanted the second or third date—the one that involved inviting the guy in.

She unlocked her door and led David inside.

“Let me take your jacket,” she insisted.

“Sure,” he said. He followed her upstairs.

Nadine had tried to make the place cozier. There were candles set up and ready to be lit. A blanket covered the sofa and she had tidied up the magazines that otherwise littered the coffee table.

David had gone to great lengths to make sure that Nadine knew he had taken their date seriously and he could see now that she, too, had put in a great deal of effort. Like a sprite, she zipped about lighting candles and even an aromatherapy pot of essential oils. Just then, he perceived a hint of neroli and lavender. It was very sensual and it made him feel both comforted and on edge. He could tell that she had expectations, and he didn’t want to disappoint. He also didn’t want to overstep or move too fast. The biggest mark of success, he reminded himself, was to get a second date.

“Can I get you anything?” Nadine asked.

“Sure. What are you having?”

“I got a bottle of New Zealand wine that I absolutely adore. It’s a cabernet sauvignon, but I have other stuff, too, if you’d rather.”

“You got something special for us?” His face lit up. “I’ll have that.”

“Great. Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”

While she was in the kitchen, David took out his iPhone and plugged it into her speakers. He played Billie Holiday, figuring that a woman like Nadine would enjoy the depth and brilliance of her voice.

Nadine emerged with two oversized glasses on a tray. Next to the glasses there was a plate divided into three and in each compartment there was some kind of snack, but David couldn’t make out the exact nature of the edibles in the soft light.

Nadine set the tray down and sat down next to David on the couch. She smiled at the choice of music.

“I haven’t listened to her in ages.”

“I hope you like it.”

“Great choice. I love Billie Holiday.”

Nadine tucked her legs up onto the seat. She reached for David’s hand and took it in hers, guiding his arm around her. “There,” she said. “I love that.”

He gave her a squeeze to let her feel how badly he wanted to hold onto her. She turned to him and he didn’t hesitate. He gave her a bold kiss on the mouth.

David was all over Nadine, exploring her face, the back of her neck, her creamy skin above the neckline of her shirt.

“Mmm,” Nadine moaned. “I like this side of you.”

David wanted to make sure that he understood exactly. “What do you mean?”

“You’re so…different suddenly, like, more aggressive.”

“Do you want me to ease up?”

“No, I like it.”

“Good, because there are so many things I want to do to you.”

“Oh good,” Nadine purred. “Maybe I should take you to the bedroom.”

“I’d like that,” David said. “Maybe I’ll take you there.” And with that, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder as though he was a caveman dragging his lady back to his dwelling.

“Take me,” she said.

“That’s all I need to hear,” David said. They headed to the bedroom and David skillfully navigated his way to the bed in the darkness. He avoided turning on the overhead lamp, as the sense of the moment guided him. Somehow he knew to reach down to the switch on the soft lamp that sat atop Nadine’s dresser. There was a warm glow. He placed Nadine on the bed. She was still wearing her clothes, but he hoped it wouldn’t be long before they were in a heap on the floor.

David took control of the situation. He surveyed the landscape of her room as he watched her with careful attention. He noticed the candles she had on her dresser and went to them. He struck a match and lit the wicks, blew out the match and placed it carefully atop the box, so as not to leave a mark on the surface. He felt, as she did, that furniture was something to be treated with respect.

David turned back to face her, his eyes as concentrated as ever. He unbuttoned his shirt.

To Nadine, it seemed like he had just come from a week out in the woods, and he had an eagerness and roughness that suggested the same. Nadine watched him as though he was her very own male stripper, her boy toy.

“Are you going to take it off?” she asked.

He pointed to the tight white shirt. “This?”

She nodded.

“Do you want me to?”

She nodded again.

“Nadine Baxter, you naughty girl. You want to check me out, don’t you?”

“Oh yes.” She bit her lower lip.

“All right, you asked for it.” He slowly lifted the shirt up over his chiseled chest revealing an incredibly fit abdominal region. She’d seen washboard abs in magazines, but never in person—not like this. He had the body of an athlete. She’d had no idea that he was that fit. He was so nonchalant about it, so unlike most of the jock types she’d come across over the years. He had the kind of physique she imagined artists would want to sculpt. His skin was tan and looked especially alluring in the soft lighting. She couldn’t wait to touch him.