The Party Boy's Guide to Dating a Geek (Clumsy Cupids) by Xara X. Piper;Xanakas Vaughn Page B

I'm
    remembering right. Red vinyl seats? Great
    coffee?"
    Ash grinned and nodded. "Yep. That's the
    place."
    "Let's go there then."
    Leroy's seemed different during the day, more
    hustle and bustle and less chill than Ash was used
    to, but the coffee was amazing, as always, and the
    food hot and delicious. He and Fee chatted for a
    bit, mainly about work, the unbearable heat wave
    that had descended on Chicago a few days before,
    and a couple of upcoming albums they were both
    looking forward to. Nothing serious or deep, but it
    was comfortable, easy. Ash didn't bring up the
    question weighing most heavily on his mind
    because he wanted to keep it that way.
    When they finished their food, they didn't linger.
    Twenty minutes later Fee pulled his Jetta into the
    Museum of Science and Industry's underground
    parking garage. Ash grinned and shook his head at
    himself, unsurprised but feeling slow for not
    having guessed earlier. Of course this was the
    museum Fee wanted to visit. Of course.
    "What are you thinking?" Fee asked suddenly.
    He'd just turned into a spot and cut the engine
    before glancing sideways at Ash.
    Ash looked over at him, still grinning. "I was
    just thinking I should have known this was where
    you would bring me."
    Fee's expression changed from curiosity to
    uncertainty. He chewed his lip for a second. "You
    don't like it?"
    "Oh, no, that's not what I meant," Ash said in a
    rush, wanting to reassure him. "I've actually never
    been. I just … I was thinking the Shedd or the
    Field Museum at first, but this seems more your
    style. I'm excited to check it out."
    Relief washed over Fee's features, and he gave
    Ash a hesitant smile. "I love this place. My mom
    brought me here all the time when I was a kid. She
    made it into a tradition. Coming here is what
    sparked my interest in science and techy stuff. I
    don't know if I'd even be in IT without this place
    and my mom's encouragement."
    "Oh, yeah?"
    "Yeah. I actually wanted to be a pilot when I
    was really young, thought I would go into the
    Marines like my father. Make him proud. But then,
    when I was fourteen, my mom bought me my first
    iMac, and well … it was love, you know?"
    Ash nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I guess it was the
    same way for me when I got my first sketchpad,
    and then later when I discovered tattoos." He
    paused for a moment, unsure if he should ask his
    next question, but nosiness eventually won out.
    "Why did you change your mind about the
    Marines? You could have still done IT stuff for
    them, right? I bet they would've loved to have
    someone as smart as you."
    Fee's expression shuttered. He turned back to
    the steering wheel without answering and pulled
    his keys from the ignition. "Let's go inside."
    Before Ash could react, Fee was out of the car
    and walking away. Cursing under his breath, Ash
    unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed to catch up with
    him. "Hey, wait up, man. It's cool if you don't want
    to answer, okay? I wasn't trying to push. You don't
    have to take off on me."
    Fee sighed and slowed his steps. "I'm sorry. It's
    a touchy subject. I don't even know why I
    mentioned it."
    "It's all right."
    Fee shook his head and stopped mid-step. "It
    isn't. I was rude, and I apologize."
    Ash halted beside him. "Fee—"
    "Look," Fee said with a sigh. "Let's just say
    when I was fifteen I realized some things about
    myself and figured out I wasn't meant to be a
    soldier. The Marines were all my father ever
    talked about. He felt like he was robbed of his
    glory days, you see. He got injured in Desert Storm
    when I was five. His knee had to be completely
    rebuilt, but after months of physical therapy and
    dozens of complications, he was eventually
    discharged. He was only twenty-six at the time. He
    wanted a son he could live through vicariously,
    someone he could brag about to his family and
    friends. What he got instead was me, and he's been
    angry about it ever since."
    "That sucks," Ash said. It didn't seem adequate,
    nowhere near, but he