The Party Boy's Guide to Dating a Geek (Clumsy Cupids) (24 page)

will," Ash said, giving Jack a hug.

"What about Fee?" Jack asked.

"What about him?"

"You're going to bring him, aren't you?"

"You don't think it's too soon?"

"You guys have been going out for how long

now?"

"Uh, about a month and a half?"

"Jesus, that's like a century in Ash years."

"That's not even counting the month or so it took

him to agree to go out with me after we met here."

"Well, if it helps, Mari thinks you've been good

for him."

"
Me
good for
him
? How is that possible?"

"She says he's more laid-back now. He got …

intense for a while."

"Intense? What does that mean?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. More cranky than

usual."

"When was that?"

"The week after he met you at that club, I think."

"He told you about that?"

"He told Marisol he was going, and he

borrowed that T-shirt Carley gave me."

"We thought that shirt looked familiar."

"Whatever happened, Marisol was about to rip

you a new one."

Ash sighed. "I think I know what was

happening." Ash had been through that night, and

what Fee must have thought of him, about a billion

times in the days that followed.

"Well, he must have worked it out, because she

said he started getting better a week later, and

now, he's happier than he's been since he started

there."

"I still think it's the other way around. He

grounds me. I'm more focused now. I'm even taking

that class Dad wanted me to."

Jack looked at Ash and smiled.

"What?" Ash asked after a minute.

"Nothing," Jack said. He shook his head, but he

kept grinning at Ash.

"There's something."

Jack shrugged. "Just happy for you, bro. Even if

you had to pester me and Mari to get there."

"Well, the book helped, too."

"What book?"

"You're going to think it's stupid." Ash got up to

take the trash into the kitchen. The game was in the

fourth quarter, and it was getting close to their

dad's monthly call time. Jack followed him with

the empty pizza box.

"Come on, Ash. Tell me."

Ash sighed and looked at the counter before

facing Jack. "It's called
The Party Boy's Guide to

Dating a Geek
."

"What?" Jack's voice broke on the question. He

stared, open mouthed, at Ash.

"It's a dating guide, okay?"

Jack started laughing. Every time he tried to

stop, he'd look up at Ash and double over again.

"Thanks for the support, bro," Ash said. He

went back into the living room and sat down on the

couch. Jack came back in, stifling his giggles, and

Ash turned up the volume on the game.

"Sorry, but you have to admit it is pretty funny."

"Why? I can't learn something?"

"I just never thought you needed help in that

department before, that's all."

"I've never met anyone like Fee before." Ash

still felt stupid for resorting to a how-to book, but

he honestly believed it had helped.

"Someone who turned you down before, you

mean."

"It may have been about the challenge in the

beginning," Ash said and Jack snorted.

"May have been? Dude, that's all it was.

Someone said no to the great Ashley Byrne, and

you couldn't believe some geek would turn down

your hot bod."

"Ew, why have you been checking out my

body?"

Jack slapped Ash's arm. "It's not like that," he

said as he stood up to flex his muscles and show

off his biceps. "You're built just like me." He

struck a body builder pose and Ash laughed.

"Short and scrawny?"

"Strong and lean," Jack said, dropping back

down onto the couch.

Ash picked up the remote and turned the TV

down again. "Fine. I admit it. The rejection was a

big part of it at first. But then I started getting to

know him."

"Only after stalking him."

"It wasn't stalking." A thought suddenly occurred

to Ash. "Crap, is that what he told Marisol? I was

stalking him?"

Jack laughed and shook his head. "No, he never

said anything like that. That I know of anyway. He

did ask about you a few times.

Ash smiled. "He asked about me?"

"Yes, and then he doodled your name on his

notebook." Jack rolled his eyes. "Anyway, that's

when he confirmed it for her."

"Confirmed what?"

"That he was interested, too. You guys weren't

exactly subtle."

Ash couldn't stop grinning. "I knew it!"

"But following some guidebook to get him? And

is this part of it?" Jack waved a hand down Ash's

body.

Ash picked at his shirt hem. "It's just a shirt," he

said. If Jack was noticing Ash's new clothes, he

must have really changed his style. "It's not a big

deal."

Jack rested a hand on Ash's shoulder. "It's not

about the shirt, bro. If you have to change to get

him to like you, it's not worth it."

"I'm not changing for him," Ash said.

"Really? Then why the changes?"

"I think," Ash said slowly, trying to sort out his

thoughts. He looked back at Jack. "I think it's

because
of him, not
for
him."

"Okay," Jack said.

"Okay? That's it?"

"Yeah. That's it. As long as it's what you want

for you and not what you think he wants for you,

then okay."

"Thanks."

"So are you still using the book?"

Ash blushed. "A little. It's more for reference

than anything."

"Reference?"

"Yeah, well, I needed something. I sure as shit

didn't know anything about geeks besides they sit

behind their computers all day."

"It's called dating," Jack offered. "That's the

way people usually learn about someone."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't say yes. I had to find

some way to break the ice."

"For what it's worth, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Jack. And I'm happy for you and

Marisol." Ash pulled Jack into a hug. The phone

rang and Ash chuckled.

"On the dot," Jack said. "The game's not even

over yet."

Ash smiled as his brother answered the phone

and lamented the latest bad referee call with their

dad. He loved his family. Maybe he and his

brother gave each other shit sometimes, but Ash

was glad to have Jack around. Even if it did mean

he had to subject himself to football sometimes.

There could definitely be worse things.

Chapter Eleven

SPACE INVADERS

In the ground-breaking video game, the objective was to

protect your space from descending aliens. Your geek

more than likely protects his own personal space just as

fiercely. He may keep a force field around himself and

will probably retreat as you attempt to get physically

closer to him. Don’t take this as rejection. Most geeks

like order and they give their invisible barriers a wider

area than non-geeks. By invading his space, you are

implying a familiarity he may not recognize. If you push

his boundaries, you may very well be rewarded with a

level up.

11.1

"Deli's?" Ty asked as they locked up the shop

Wednesday night.

"I'm meeting Fee and the guys at Leroy's. Wanna

come?" Ash said.

Ty checked his watch. "Sure, why not."

"Meeting someone?"

"Huh?" Ty asked.

Ash looked at Ty's wrist. "You've been checking

your watch all night."

"No, I was just …" Ty shook his head. He

started to walk away, but Ash grabbed his arm.

"Hey, you can tell me anything. The guys can

wait."

"I know. I'm just not ready yet."

"Okay. Just remember I'm here for you.

Always."

"Except when you're there for Fee?" Ty asked.

Ash's eyes went wide and his heart stuttered.

"Ty, I'm sorry if I've been preoccupied lately."

"Dude, I'm just fucking with you." Ty laid an

arm on Ash's shoulder. He led them down the

sidewalk.

Ash wrapped his arm around Ty's waist as they

walked. "Tell me I'm not screwing this up."

"Screwing what up?"

"Everything," Ash said with a sigh. "I'm afraid

being with Fee is going to change things between

you and me. Our friendship. Our plans."

"I'm not going anywhere. Too bad for you,

you're stuck with me." Ty pulled Ash closer and

rubbed his knuckles on Ash's head.

Ash laughed and pushed him away. "You know

you can tell me if something's bugging you, right?"

"I know," Ty said. They walked in silence for a

minute. "So, how's that class going?"

"Great," Ash said with a smile. "I'm actually

enjoying it."

Ty smirked at Ash and shook his head. "Ash

Byrne, math nerd?"

Ash laughed. "Who knew, huh? I've been

helping Tank with his books some. Well, he lets

me try to figure them out, then he fixes them."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm learning a lot. I've even started

working on a business platform for our shop." Ty

stopped on the sidewalk and stared at Ash.

"What?" Ash asked.

"I'm just …" Ty shook his head.

"Surprised?"

"Impressed? Proud? Excited?"

Ash shrugged. "It's time we settled down and got

on with it, right? Overdue, actually. Ty," Ash said,

turning to face him.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"Being a punk. Thank you for not giving up on

me." Ash's eyes burned. "I wouldn't have blamed

you after Joff. I took you for granted. That you'd

still be there, waiting for me to finally settle down

so we could move ahead with our plans."

Ty held his gaze for a second before glancing up

the street. "Not like I had much drive to move on

my own anyway," he said with a shrug. Ash

wanted to say something, but Ty gave himself a

shake and pulled the door to Leroy's open. "Now

get in there." Ty pushed Ash inside and followed

behind him. They stopped in the entryway to let

Marge walk by on her way to deliver a tray of

food.

Ash waved at Fee, who was sitting at their usual

table with Carley and Jae. Fee smiled back at him,

but then his expression darkened. The smile

disappeared and he scowled across the room at

them. Ash wondered what was happening until a

pair of hands landed on his hips and he felt hot

breath on his ear.

"Missed you, babe," Gil whispered. He slipped

one hand around Ash's waist and the other down

Ash's thigh.

Ash stepped away from Gil and turned around.

"What are you doing here?"

"Was in the mood for pancakes." Gil shrugged.

His posture was nonchalant, but his look was

predatory.

"There's a Denny's down the street," Ash said.

"Hey, I just wanted to catch up. You haven't

been around much lately. How 'bout one for old

time's sake? Or a double-double with Ty and your

boy there?" Gil winked at Ty as he reached for

Ash.

"No." Ash batted Gil's hand away.

Gil took another step closer to Ash, and Ty

stepped in between them. "Gil, back off, man. It's

not funny."

The squeak of chairs scraping against the floor

echoed in the room, and Ash turned around to see

Fee and Carley standing.

"Looks like your boy doesn't like me much," Gil

said, looking over Ash's shoulder.

"I don't like you much either." Ash crossed his

arms in front of his chest.

"Since when do you have to like someone to

have a little fun?" Gil asked.

"Gil, enough," Ty said. "Why don't you just

leave?"

Fee joined them and put a hand on Ash's arm.

"Everything all right here?"

"Everything's fine. He was just going. Right,

Gil?" Ash asked.

Gil looked around the restaurant. Everyone was

staring at the scene they were causing. "Maybe

some other time. See you around, Ash. How 'bout

you, Ty?"

"Not tonight," Ty said with a shake of his head.

"Your loss, man."

Ash let out a breath when Gil finally walked

out. Fee took his hand off Ash's arm and went back

to the table.

"What a jerk," Ash said. He grabbed Ty's elbow

to stop him from joining the others. "Ty, what are