Elements of Retrofit Read Online Free Page A

what the fuck I wanted him to think.
    Needing the distraction, I grabbed my keys. “Come on, we’ll go out and grab some lunch,” I told him. “I need to grab some coffee anyway.”
    “Uh, Mr Elkin?” Cooper’s voice stopped me as I neared the door. I turned to face him, and he looked down to my feet. “Shoes?”
    Fuck.
    “Does Alzheimer’s kick in at your age?” he asked with a laugh.
    My mouth fell open. “I’m not that old, thank you very much!”
    He laughed again, then tried to hold it in. “I’m sorry, was that out of line?”
    “What for?” I asked. “Making fun of Ryan’s father, or your boss?”
    “Neither,” he said. His eyes shone and he grinned. “For making fun of the elderly.”
    I rolled my eyes and pulled on my shoes. “So, the attitude? Is that a hunger thing?”
    “Yep,” he replied cheerfully. “That’s an ‘I’m on my lunch break and can say what I want’ thing.”
    I walked to the door and held it open for him. “Oh, is that the same as ‘you work for me, you’ll watch your mouth or you’ll spend the rest of your internship sorting mail’ kind of thing?”
    He laughed as he walked to the elevator. “You win.” He pressed the button and as the doors opened, he stepped inside. “So, the lack of humour? Is that a hunger thing?”
    “No,” I said with a smile, stepping in beside him. “It’s an old age thing.”
    Cooper laughed. “Such a vicious circle.”

Chapter Four
     
     
     
    I shook my head but couldn’t hide my smile. I liked his banter. He had a certain arrogance and boldness that came with age. Or lack of it.
    When the elevator doors opened, Cooper stepped out into the foyer and gave a smug smile and cute little wave to Lionel the doorman.
    I rolled my eyes. “Cut it out. He didn’t let you up to my apartment because he was doing his job.”
    Ignoring the jibe, Cooper smiled as we walked from the foyer out onto the sidewalk. “So, what are you buying me for lunch?”
    “An attitude adjustment,” I replied quickly.
    Cooper laughed. “I heard the little Vietnamese place up here is one of the best.”
    “It’s one of my favourites.”
    “Where else do you go out?”
    “I don’t, really.”
    “Not at all?”
    “I work a lot. The people I’ve dated don’t understand the long hours.”
    We walked in silence for a bit, while Cooper obviously thought about what those long hours meant in the career he’d chosen.
    “Does that scare you off?” I asked with a smile.
    “What?” he asked quickly, looking at me. Then he shook his head. “No, no. Not at all. I don’t mind the long hours.”
    We walked into the little café, I ordered some steamed vegetable rolls and a noodle salad to go, and I bought some ground coffee from the café Cooper had bought coffee from this morning.
    The walk back to my apartment was quieter, his banter was gone. I grabbed some plates and dished up lunch for us both. The dining table had our work all over it, so we ate at the kitchen counter.
    I was about to ask him where the impressive Generation Y mockery had gone, when he said, “Ryan told me.”
    “Told you what?”
    He stabbed his noodle salad with a fork. “About your divorce from Mrs Elkin.”
    I put my fork down and frowned. “And what else exactly did Ryan tell you?”
    He took a mouthful, seemingly oblivious to my discomfort. “That it was hard on him, that it was hard on all of you.”
    “It was,” I said quietly, still unsure of his point.
    “He said you’ve dated a few… people , but nothing serious.”
    I cleared my throat. “Really. Is that what he said?”
    Cooper nodded, took a drink from his water bottle and pushed his empty plate away. “You know, it’s not easy for anyone,” he said. “Jesus, I remember when I came out to my parents, I thought they’d flip their shit.”
    I blinked. Twice.
    I remember when I came out…
    “What?”
    “When I came out,” he repeated, as simply as discussing the weather. “When I told my parents I was