The Party Boy's Guide to Dating a Geek (Clumsy Cupids) Read Online Free PDF Page B

had some shopping to
    do. First stop? The bookstore.
    2.2
    Well, this is awkward.
    Ash had never felt more out of place in his life.
    People were eyeing him as if he were some kind of
    strange fungus they'd found growing in the bottom
    drawer of their refrigerator—but that was nothing
    compared to the way Fee had looked at him when
    he'd first walked into the meeting room. That look
    had been pure annoyance followed by a healthy
    serving of exasperation and told Ash quite clearly
    that his attentions were neither welcome nor
    appreciated. It wasn't that Marisol hadn't given Fee
    his number, or that Fee hadn't gotten his message
    from the website. He'd gotten both and chosen to
    ignore them. Ash had been intentionally snubbed,
    for the first time ever, and the blow to his ego hurt
    more than he'd thought it would. It also made him
    even more determined. He wasn't giving up, not
    that easily, not until Fee agreed to at least one date.
    Ash couldn't understand the animosity and
    strange looks coming from the others, though.
    Maybe he was a little overdressed, sure, but it
    wasn't like he'd shown up in his tight, flashy club
    gear with every tat on display. He'd done a bit of
    research and given himself a geek-chic makeover.
    Instead of his usual skinny jeans, he'd gone for
    slim-fitting black slacks. He'd paired those with
    his most conservative shoes (plain, black Doc
    Martens), a deep blue button-up that almost exactly
    matched his eyes, and a sharp, black vest that
    emphasized his toned chest and narrow waist. Add
    to that a pair of dark-rimmed costume glasses (not
    unlike the pair Fee wore, although Ash knew Fee's
    were probably real) and a black leather messenger
    bag, and he thought he looked a bit like a hip,
    young professor. Scholarly, but not entirely
    without fashion sense. He'd even gone as far as
    changing up his hair a bit, trading his typical,
    stylized disarray for something sleek and preppy
    with carefully side-swept bangs.
    If any of his friends had seen him this way, Ash
    was sure they would have done a double-take and
    then laughed their asses off. He didn't look bad.
    Just … different. And it would've taken them less
    than a second to figure out he'd dressed to impress
    someone. Not that it had done him any good.
    Beyond that first annoyed glance, Fee hadn't even
    looked in his direction. He'd stayed on the
    opposite end of the meeting room, locked in a
    conversation with a tall, gangly blond wearing a
    shirt that read "Han Shot First," which Ash didn't
    get at all, while Ash lingered near the snack table,
    his outfit making him feel embarrassingly
    conspicuous in the sea of grubby jeans and faded
    graphic T-shirts.
    From what Ash remembered reading on the
    blog, the RTFS book club met at this same location
    every month, the second floor of a local used
    bookstore/coffee shop called Grounds For
    Thought. Ash had never been there before, but he
    liked the place. It had a mellow, friendly vibe,
    with high, haphazardly organized shelves, a
    smattering of comfy chairs and cushions scattered
    throughout, and a small café area that had been
    entirely packed when Ash first walked in.
    The signs, chalkboard menu, and bookshelf tags
    had been drawn by someone with a decent artistic
    hand, which added to the laid-back, homey
    atmosphere. Ash could have taken those signs from
    cute to awesome and helped them come up with a
    really memorable logo as well, but he wasn't there
    as an artist. He was there trying to win over a guy
    who had yet to give him the time of day. It was
    kind of pathetic when he thought about it, but he'd
    already come so far. At this point, it was a matter
    of pride to see the whole thing through.
    "Okay, everyone," Fee announced from the front
    of the room, jarring Ash out of his musings. "I think
    we're all here. Let's get started."
    Ash moved toward the table and sat down at the
    far end. A chubby girl with a mop of ginger curls
    and an overabundance of freckles plopped into the
    chair next