"More than it's already crippled?""Yes."Matt frowned. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm not a font nerd. You can email me in Papyrus, and I won't care.""Fine. When you're hard at work at school one night and you get a whining note from me about my multivariable calc homework, and I beg you for help, I don't want to hear any complaints about my chosen font.""You're taking multivariable calc? That's great!"She slumped back onto the bed. "No, it's not great. The school figured out that I'd already taken calc in high school, and they made me take some test that unfortunately I passed. So now I'm stuck.""I'm happy to help if you need it.""I'll hold you to that." Her phone sounded, and she reached onto the floor to retrieve it from her purse. Seth was calling her. He was probably going to bail, and she'd be forced to discuss geek sub-genres for the rest of the night. She answered the call. "Hey, Seth.""Julie? I'm on your street, but all these houses are buried behind foliage, and I can't see any street numbers.""Don't worry. I'll come outside and flag you down."
"Awesome. I can't wait to see you.""Same here. See you in a minute, Seth." She hung up and got off the bed.Matt moved back to his desk, repositioning his laptop and adjusting the lumbar support on the chair. "Where are you off to?"Julie sighed and waved her hands across her body. "My hot outfit and excessive eye makeup didn't indicate that I have a date tonight? Wow, we need to get you off the computer more.""I did notice that you look dressed up tonight," he admitted. "Have a good time.""Thanks," Julie said. "You know, Matt, I can stay home with Celeste sometimes when your parents are out so that you can have a social life. You must have friends asking you to do things. You have to hang out with them sometime."He shrugged. "I really don't have time for socializing these days. Don't worry about it. Go have fun."She felt bad that Matt was stuck at home with his sister. He was in college. He should be out having fun. Not that he looked like the sort that was aching to do keg stands at a frat house, but still. There might be a physics bee some Friday night, and he could return home with a nice ribbon for having spelled "coulomb" or "neutralino" correctly. Why in the world was he catering to Celeste's bizarre needs? Why did it seem like Flat Finn governed the household? Things were really off here. Matt was a nice guy, and he deserved better. Well, it wasn't like there was anything to do about this now. Maybe she could figure out something later."If he's a monstrous date, I will call you to come rescue me. We need a code word that signals I'm in date hell." Julie said, as she walked to the door. "Something you'll respond to. Aha! I'll mention some boring mathematician. So when I call and say Fibonacci, you'll know that you have to fly out the door."
"That's kind of an obvious choice, but, fine."
Julie glared at him. God, he was annoying sometimes. "Karl Gauss, then."
"Eh, that's all right. Again, a bit obvious."
"Then I'll surprise you. And I'll make it a good one. Just you wait."
Matt leaned back, put his hands behind his head, and smiled. "...With bated breath," he quoted.
Julie cocked her head. "Is that the colloquial baited with an 'i,' or the original, insulting Shakespearean bated without?"
Matt winked. "I'll give you the 'i.'"
Huh. So he knew Shakespeare, too. Julie paused for a moment and then began to leave. "Bye, Matt. Maybe I'll text you in Webdings later and give you an update on my evening." Her heels clicked soundly on the floor as she headed down the stairs.
"Webdings one, two, or three?" Matt's voice rang through the stairwell.
"I'll mix and match!"
She went out the front door and down the porch steps. She looked to her left and saw headlights inching down the road. Julie waved. The car sped up a bit and then slowed in front of the Watkins' house.
Seth pulled the car to a screeching halt and bounded out of the driver's side. "Julie! I found you!" He rounded the car and gave her a hug.
"I'm glad you did."
Maybe the first thing one notices on a date should not be how someone smells, but as he wrapped his arms around her, she couldn't help but inhale. He smelled masculine. And not in a stinky, too-much-cheap-cologne way. Masculine in a hot, rugged, delicious way. She liked the feel of his arms around her and the way he hugged her warmly and confidently without being too forward.
Seth moved away and opened the car door for her. "Not that I didn't enjoy my drive around the back streets of Cambridge, but I hope you didn't think I was blowing you off."
Julie got in and buckled her seat belt. "Don't worry about it."
Seth shifted the car into gear. "I'm such a dork. I wrote your address down on a piece of paper, and I have the worst handwriting in the world. I wasn't sure if I was looking for twenty-one, or seventy-one, or twenty-seven, or... Well, it doesn't matter now."
"You're not a dork, but speaking of dorks," Julie said as she turned her body toward him, "I just found out the weirdest thing. Did you know there are people who are font nerds?"
Seth grinned. "Let me guess. People who get turned on by the many exciting facets of the world of typesetting?"
"Exactly! It's one of many unique dorky sub-genres! Or nerdy sub-genres. I'm not really sure exactly how the classification system works."
"I'm a little scared that you know this."
"So am I," Julie agreed. "So am I."
"Please don't jump out of the moving car, but I have to tell you up front that I am not a font nerd. Or much of any nerd, really."
"You've just earned another bonus point."
"Just one?" He flashed his adorable smile as he drove them into the city.