his claim: that the love he offers her & asks from her is not just any love, but a solid article, something that can stand up to weekday use, with a trustworthy warranty, mutual, unselfish, productive. she has her doubts, & reasons for her doubts. his game, however, has never been to offer free samples. why buy the cow? he goes for a little ass slap; when she says, “i don’t think you can do that,” he lightly says, “looks like i can.” he says she’s lost weight, “take off your clothes, so i can decide whether you look better or worse.” he doesn’t act remotely stung when she does not. of all these overfamiliarities the most baffling is his insistence that she watch with him a youtube video he’s been obsessed with. the other stuff she could brush off deftly but this she actually acquiesces to. they sit together for three minutes and forty five seconds (not including ads). two people watching a youtube video together with equal enjoyment is rarer than true love. when he’s like, “wasn’t that great?” she laughs and says no.
it’s hard to fault this candidly self-interested behavior even while dodging it. he wants the pair of them to be good to each other, but that is not the deal in place. like a politic courtier, he bows to the current ruler even while he lobbies for a coup.
"two people watching a youtube video together with equal enjoyment is rarer than true love"...so true
beautifully written, thank you!