Nerdgasm (JenLisa)

Chapter 7

Lisa

It's finally Saturday, which means it's the day I finally get to take Jennie out. I may have only met her a couple days ago, but the anticipation over today has made time pass slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter. I have less than two hours until I have to pick her up, and it feels like this last stretch of time is moving backward. I busy myself by making sure I've got what I need for our date, and I feel intense relief that it's beautiful out. The sun is out, the sky is clear, and the forecast shows today's high will peak at an above average temperature for this time of year. It may be out of the norm, but I'll take it in hopes it bodes well for how things will go today.

My cell chimes with an incoming text, so I check the screen and see Jennie asking me what type of clothing she should wear. I reply honestly and advise her to wear something comfortable. A moment passes, and she texts me her address. I text back saying I'll see her soon, and then I blink in surprise to see that she doesn't live too far from me; it's easily a ten minute drive or less. Double checking the time, I hop in the shower to clean up. Once I'm out and looking through my closet, I realize I'm not sure what I should wear. Following the advice I gave her to dress comfortably, I grab one of my favorite pairs of worn jeans, a solid blue t-shirt in Superman blue, and a red flannel, long-sleeved shirt in a material that's light enough to not stifle me but thick enough to add warmth should I need it.

I'm rolling up the sleeves of the flannel as I walk out of my bedroom when I see Rosé. She's camped out on the couch with a chunky knit blanket and her ereader. She turns in my direction when she hears me, and she pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Lookin' good, Lisa! I like the comfy casual look you've got going on." She gestures in a circular motion in my direction, and I look down at myself as I turn around in a circle.

"Are you sure? Should I change?"

"No," she scoffs. "For what you have planned today, that's perfect. You look great, but you don't look like you spent longer getting ready than a girl would, and you also don't look like someone who didn't put in any effort. I promise, you hit a really good balance."

"I'll take your word for it."

"As you should." She tosses her blanket over her legs and makes her way over. Once she's in front of me, she reaches out and grabs the collar of my shirt. As she refolds and fixes it, she gives me her pep talk. "Remember, just be yourself. If you stutter, it's no big deal. She already thinks it's adorable, which it is. If you want to kiss her, you'll know when the time is right. And if you need me to bail you out, call me."

I feel a smirk forming at her words. "I thought only some did that emergency phone call thing on dates."

"Yeah, well, you never know. You might need it, but I have a feeling that won't be the case. You're going to have a great time, and so is she."

"Thanks, Rosé." She walks me to the door, and the nerves start to kick in full force as I'm lacing up my Chucks. "I hope she likes what we planned and doesn't think it's lame."

"She'll love it," she reassures me. "If she doesn't, she isn't worth your time. If she's not into it, you already know I'll go in her place. You're my bestie, and I'll always have your back."

I smile my gratitude and pull her in for a hug before I step out the door. "Same to you. Thanks again for all your help, Rosé. I'll see you later tonight."

Surprise rolls through me when I feel her slap my ass just as I'm stepping over the threshold. "Go get 'em, tiger. I can't wait to hear all the details. Have fun!"

We're both laughing when I hear the door shut behind me, and I head to my car with a spring in my step, the nerves held temporarily at bay.

The short drive is over before I completely mentally prepare myself, and my pre-date jitters are back in full force. I don't even realize I'm holding my breath until it suddenly leaves my lungs in a rush once Jennie answers the door of the townhouse she shares with her friends.

She's effortlessly beautiful, and her blinding smile makes my heart kick in my chest. I give her a onceover to make sure she's dressed comfortably, and a grin breaks across my face when I glimpse a pair of Chucks that match mine. My eyes track upward, and I notice the shorts she's wearing showcase her long legs to perfection. Hope and relief wash over me when I realize she's wearing a The Walking Dead t-shirt; without meaning to, she's unknowingly made it so she'll fit right in on our date.

"You l-look great."

"Thanks, Clark Kent. So do you."

Did this girl just make a Superman reference to me? Score. My excitement ratchets up at the small possibility that she might be a closet nerd.

"Thank you. You ready to go?"

"Yep! I'm all yours, hot stuff. What are you going to do with me now that you've got me?"

She closes the door behind her and locks up, and I'm thankful she can't see the blush I'm sure is painting my cheeks.

"You'll find out soon enough."

She turns back to look at me, and her eyes are glittering with curiosity. "Oh, so it's a surprise? I seriously love surprises." She moves toward me, and I'm pleasantly surprised when she reaches over and wraps her hand around my arm as we walk to my car. Her body heat seeps into me, and the gentle pressure she's placing on my arm is making it a little difficult to think.

"I h-hope you like this one."

"I'm sure I will, Lisa. Thanks for taking me out." She gives me a playful bump with her shoulder before I open the passenger door for her. "And thank you for getting my door."

"Of course. My mother practically beat into me that a gentleman always opens the door for a lady." I shut the door when I see her grin and make my way around the car.

The drive is a short one, and we spend the ten minutes catching each other up on school and making small talk. Soon enough, the scenery outside has Jennie raising her eyebrows in interest.

"What are we doing at Ithaca College?"

We've just passed through the college's entrance, and I take my time responding as I drive us along the main campus road and toward a parking lot.

"Well." I take in a deep breath. The moment of truth has arrived. "We're here for IthaCon."

"You brought me to IthaCon?"

"Yes. Have you heard of Comic-Con?"

With a smile and an eye roll she says, "Everyone's heard of Comic-Con."

A nervous laugh escapes me. "Well, this is Ithaca's Comic-Con. I have a pair of VIP passes. I hope that's okay."

Beats of silence pass as she looks back out the window. Dread chills the pit of my stomach as I start to worry that I've epically messed up and done something weird. I finally park, and just when I convince myself she hates this date and is trying to find a way to ask me to take her back home, she turns to me.

"Lisa. It's not okay. I need you to be straight with me, you got it?" Her expression is serious, and I'm waiting for her to tell me this was a huge mistake. I swallow and nod, the words lodged in my throat. At my gesture, her face transforms right before my eyes. Excitement takes over, and I can hear the eagerness saturate her voice as she practically shouts her next words. "This is amazing! I've been dying to go to IthaCon for months, but tickets sold out before I could buy any. How on earth did you get VIP tickets?!"

Gobsmacked. I'm feeling gobsmacked right now. I might have to marry this girl one day.

Jennie

This is going to be the best. Date. Ever.

Ever.

I knew Lisa was going to surprise me, but boy, she doesn't disappoint. I'm used to being carted off to movies or mini golf on first dates, so I am completely floored to find out IthaCon is on the table for today. I'm pretty sure her jaw has unhinged itself from shock at my excitement, and it takes her a minute to gather her thoughts before she can even tell me how she got ahold of VIP passes.

"R-Rosé and I go every year and get first d-dibs on VIP passes. She gave me her ticket for our date."

"Oh, my gosh. I feel terrible for taking her ticket!" Kind of. Part of me feels terrible, but a larger part of me is about to pass out from excitement and a lingering sense of disbelief. "How much do I owe her?"

Lisa scoffs at my question and waves it off. "Nothing. This is a date. And don't feel terrible. She doesn't mind, and she is more than happy to hold me to a future favor. If I'm being honest, she's probably more excited about that." She gives a rueful smile, but even though she's poking fun at her, the affection is clear in her voice.

I'm going to send her a gift basket or get her a really sweet souvenir today to show my thanks. I tell this to Lisa, and she gives me a look of surprise.

"You don't need to do that. I was already planning on doing that; if you'd like, we can pick something out for her together. I still can't believe you're excited. I was worried you wouldn't like this."

I stare at her for a moment, my mouth hanging agape. "Are you kidding? You chose the perfect date. If you can't tell by my t-shirt, The Walking Dead is my ultimate guilty pleasure. I saw Norman Reedus, the guy who plays Daryl, is going to be here today. Just a heads up," I warn as I finally move to unbuckle my seat belt, "I'm going to fangirl all over the place. That guy is a badass."

Lisa follows suit with a smile, and we exit her car. I skip ahead in my eagerness, and it's not until I'm a few yards away I realize she isn't beside me. A quick glance over my shoulder shows she's strolling along at a leisurely pace, a soft smile on her lips as she watches me. I feel an answering tug in the vicinity of my heart as I watch her watch me. Not only that, my mouth waters a little as I take in the long, lean lines of her body moving toward me. I blink a few times and force my mind to put that thought on hold because I'm about to go bananas at IthaCon. I skip back to Lisa and grab her hand to lace our fingers together, which seems to catch her off guard because her luscious lips part as she looks down to where our hands are clasped in wonder. She is so adorkable.

Leaning in and stretching toward her on my tippy toes since she's tall, I whisper, "C'mon, hot stuff. Let's go get our nerd on."

Her answering grin is all I see before I spin around and practically drag her to Campus Center and follow the signs to Phillips Hall where all the fun awaits us.

For hours we explore all the different retailers and exhibits, and we even hit up a few panels. I spend an ungodly amount on TWD merch, and we both pick out some great Harry Potter souvenirs for Rosé since that's her thing. I also feel an enormous sense of glee when Lisa completely geeks the hell out over anything Marvel and DC. There are a few instances walking around where we have to stop some expert-level cosplayers and take photos with them because they look legit. Although we're surrounded by so much to see and take in, we still manage to hold a delightfully easy conversation that's a fun mix of nerd trivia and personal information.

"So, what do you want to do next?" I ask as I try on an Iron Man mask. "What do you think?" I c**k my hip out and gesture toward my face.

A throaty laugh is what I get in response, and the butterflies that have been fluttering around in my stomach all day take flight. "You're way s-sexier than Iron Man." A faint blush accompanies her words, as if she's startled by her admission, and she rushes to answer my first question. "I thought we could check out another panel. Twisted Tunes is one of my favorites, and I think you'll like it."

"Twisted Tunes? I've never heard of it."

"C'mon. You're in for a treat."

She grabs my hand and leads me toward one of the large auditoriums where it's held, and warm fuzzies fill my chest at her rising comfort level with me. It feels so natural to be with her, and even though we just met, I feel like we've known each other for years. We just click, and I've never felt such a strong pull toward another person.

We luck out when it comes to seating because we get a great spot in the center of the second row. I take advantage of the confined space and lean in close so our bodies are touching from shoulders to knees.

"So, what's Twisted Tunes all about?" I murmur into her ear.

"Basically, v-voice actors and s-sometimes regular actors will r-read from a book or script in the v-voices of popular characters."

"Oh, that sounds cool." Instead of pulling back, I stay pressed against her, savoring the warmth between us.

Lisa nods in response just as one of the event hosts walks up on stage. "Hello, and welcome to IthaCon! I hope you're all having a fabulous time. I know I am! Who's ready for Twisted Tunes?" Thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd fill the room. "That's what I thought! Let's get things started!"

A bunch of people whose names I don't recognize take the stage and are introduced. In lieu of regular introductions, they say hi to the crowd as some of the characters they voice, which is really cool. There are six voice actors on stage, but there's still an empty seat at the end of the panel. Before I can wonder overlong on who will take the final seat, the host speaks again.

"We also have a surprise guest joining us today. Before I introduce them, I want to introduce today's story that our lovely panel will be reading to us today. For your listening pleasure, today's Twisted Tunes panel is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back!" More cheers from the crowd. "And joining us on this journey is none other than Norman Reedus!"

My mind blanks for a second, and then I'm screaming along with the rest of the crowd. "Oh, my God! Norman, I love you. I FREAKING LOVE YOU!" rips out of my mouth before I can run it through the filter in my brain. I clap my hand over my lips in surprise and turn to Lisa to see her reaction at my outburst. Instead of pretending she doesn't know my crazy ass, she's laughing so hard that she needs to remove her glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes.

The laughter doesn't stop there, either. I'm pretty sure I bust a seam—or, if I'm being honest, pee myself a little—at the hilarity that ensues as the panel launches into their reading of Star Wars. Their vocal imitations of Cartman from South Park, Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and other beloved voices is impressive, and the crowd goes insane. My cheeks hurt from laughing by the time the reading is through, and I'm worried I've tracked makeup down my face from the tears of laughter I cried. At this point, though, I don't care because I've never had so much fun on a date. Then again, I can't say I'm surprised.

We spend the rest of the day attending a few more panels and revisiting the booths again before heading off to dinner. I'm exhausted and satisfied by the end of our date. Ever the gentleman, Lisa walks me to my door with our hands linked; the contact between us is easy after the day we've had, and I'm reluctant to say bye.

"Would you like to come in? My roommates went to a party, so I know they'll be home late." I look up at her, willing her to say yes and come inside. Now that we're truly alone, my fatigue takes a back seat. All I can really think about now is getting my hands on her. "We can finish our conversation from the library," I cajole gently, hoping to entice her.

"Oh?" She sounds interested, and a brief second passes before she replies. "Sure, I can come in for a little."

I want to fist pump the air in triumph, but I manage to restrain myself. Nervous anticipation swirls in my belly as I unlock my door, her tall presence at my back, and lead her into my kitchen.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Just a water, please."

Lisa's tall frame leaning casually against the counter, but her sweet, unsure smile is going to be the death of me. I grab a bottled water from the fridge and make my way over, pressing my body close to her as I hand it to her.

"Now, where were we?"

"W-what do you mean?"

She must be nervous; I love how I have this affect on her. "I told you we could finish our conversation from the library." Recognition, followed quickly by curiosity, lights up her expression. "If I recall correctly, you told me about how much you love swimming, and I was just about to tell you about your body before we were interrupted."

"M-my…" She takes a deep gulp and swallows, and her words come out slightly strangled. "My b-body?"

"Mmhmm," I murmur. I don't think I've ever been so turned on by someone with so little effort; we haven't even done anything yet. It's a heady feeling to be the pursuer in this moment, especially since I've never been so forward before, and seeing her so flustered has my hands itching to touch her. More than that though, I'd love to finally feel her plush lips against mine. If I'm lucky, Lisa will want me as badly as I want her.