When Joss Met Matt Read Online Free Page A

It was too pathetic. “You alone?”
    â€œYeah, I met some guys from high school while I was out, but they live in Southeast.”
    The bus lurched around the hairpin turn next to the library and I had to wrap my arms around the nearest pole.
    â€œYou wanna sit?” Matt offered.
    â€œNo, I’m good.”
    The Drunken Choral Singers moved on to the opening strains of “Hooked on a Feeling,” really relishing the ooga-chakas. I smiled.
    â€œWhereju go tonight?” he asked.
    â€œFrat party.”
    â€œAwesome.” Matt made a face and turned his hands into the international symbol for “Rock On.”
    â€œShut up. What did you do?”
    â€œI checked out some of the bars on State Street.”
    â€œHow did you get in?” I demanded.
    Matt pulled out his wallet and flashed me a very passable Utah driver’s license that listed his age as twenty-one years old.
    I took the wallet from him. “Utah?”
    â€œYeah, I figured they don’t see a lot of Utah IDs around here because of all the Mormons. Don’t drink much.”
    I laughed. “Interesting theory. Where did you get this? How could you not tell me about this?”
    â€œThere’s a guy in Chadbourne selling them for seventy-five bucks,” he said, naming the so-called “honors” dorm.
    â€œSeventy-five?” I echoed. “That’s a lot.”
    â€œIt’s worked at every place I’ve tried.”
    I twisted my mouth, considering. “You got his name?”
    â€œEmail. In my room.”
    â€œSweet.”
    The bus jerked to a halt at the Lakeshore stop, and the Drunken Chorale Singers poured into the quiet of the street, still howling the chorus of “Hooked on a Feeling.” I followed the crowd off, Matt falling in step beside me.
    â€œSo, seriously, why are you alone tonight?” he asked.
    â€œI was with a bunch of girls from my floor, but they took off.”
    â€œOoh, you get in a fight?” He grinned.
    â€œNo, I was talking to this guy …” I pressed one palm against my bare stomach. Without even mentioning his name, the thought of Jeff made me feel a mixture of embarrassment and nausea.
    â€œWhat about The Boyfriend?” he asked.
    â€œUm …” I didn’t want to talk about Ben so I shifted my gaze away.
    â€œAh.”
    I shrugged “Whatever.”
    He stood back to let me precede him down the narrow stairs leading from the cafeteria parking lot to the lower elevation where our dorm was. I crossed my arms for warmth, waiting for him. He tripped on the last step and stumbled into me. I grabbed him and we staggered into a wall together. I cracked my head, hard enough to make an awful noise, but not hard enough to hurt … much.
    Matt burst into laughter before he could stop himself. “Oh, ouch! Are you okay?” He cupped the back of my head.
    â€œYeah, I’m fine.” I covered his hand with mine.
    â€œThat sounded really bad,” he said with muffled laughter.
    â€œWhat’s a little brain damage among friends, right?” I tried to laugh it off, but it did smart.
    He squinted at me, like he could somehow check my pupils like a doctor instead of a drunk college freshman. We were once again alone in a dark corner, nearly nose to nose. I thought he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me. Ben would have kissed me. Before we were dating, I mean.
    A gust of wind rounded the corner of the building and I shivered.
    Matt eased back and said, “Come on. You’re freezing. Let’s go inside and I’ll give you the guy’s email address.”
    It was the nice guy thing to do, and I have to admit, it frustrated the hell out of me. I wanted a guy who would do what I wanted without me having to ask. Someone who would have rescued me from the clutches of my evil frat guy and swept me off on his white horse. Or at the very least, would have seen that I was ripe for