When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill

Matt wasn’t that guy. A great guy, yes, but not her guy. Or mine. We weren’t meant for each other, and I needed to find someone more my type.
    And then I met Alex.
    He saw me in my pajamas and my glasses—which I hardly ever wore except when I wanted to see the scrolling headlines on TV at the cafeteria—on a Sunday morning. I should have been repellant. But as we stood waiting for the toaster to free up, he laughed.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” he asked.
    I looked up from my bowl of Trix. “Um … taking out all the blue ones?”
    â€œWhy?”
    Something told me not to be completely honest. “I just don’t like them.”
    He laughed again. “That’s pretty weird. I’m Alex.”
    â€œJocelyn.”
    The guy monopolizing the toaster finished up, and Alex stepped snappily to one side. “Ladies first.”
    Right away I wanted to throw my glasses in the nearest trash can and yank my ponytail down. Chivalry makes me want to be the kind of lady who deserves it. “Thank you,” I said, and laid my wheat bread on the metal conveyor.
    â€œWould you like to have breakfast with me?”
    That time, I couldn’t restrain one hand from flying up to my glasses. So embarrassing. “I, uh, I—”
    â€œPlease?” he asked with an adorable puppy-dog face.
    â€œOkay.” I had to give myself an internal pep talk the entire time we were toasting our bread and looking for a seat. I wanted to tell him I’d be right back, run to my room, get dressed and bury my glasses in the quad, but I couldn’t figure out how to do that with any subtlety.
    It didn’t seem to matter to him, though.
    Breakfast was just the beginning for Alex and me. We started with study dates at the library. A total pretense, since we weren’t in any classes together and he was actually two years ahead of me. Soon it was movies and concerts at the student union, and walks through the arboretum. He had a single room in one of the upperclassmen dorms and the privacy felt like heaven.
    By the time summer break arrived, I didn’t want to go home.
    On the last day the cafeteria was open, one of the R.A.s came through the hall looking for anyone who wanted to go to the cafeteria. She had a ton of money left on her food card and wanted to use it up. I was in Matt’s room at the time, ripping one of his CDs onto my computer. We decided to take her offer.
    â€œSo, are you coming up to the cottage or what?” he asked as we trailed the dozen or so people headed for the cafeteria. Matt’s parents had a timeshare in a resort town on Lake Michigan. Matt was organizing a trip up there for July Fourth and I hadn’t given him a solid answer yet.
    â€œUm …”
    â€œOh, come on, I’m sure Darcy will let you take a Friday off. She’s your sister.”
    â€œThat won’t be a problem. It’s just—” I pinched my lips shut.
    â€œAlex,” he finished the sentence for me, jaw set forward.
    We did not see eye to eye on my boyfriend. “He just worries.”
    â€œAbout what?” Matt spread his hands to indicate himself, me, the general area—I wasn’t sure what he meant to include in his assessment.
    â€œWell, he can’t be there. Can you blame him for wondering what might happen?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œMatt—”
    He put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, whatever you need to do … The invitation stands, okay? It’s gonna be fun. Everybody’s coming.”
    â€œJocelyn!” Alex’s voice caught my attention from across the quad.
    â€œSpeak of the devil …” Matt muttered.
    â€œStop,” I said, giving him a sour look.
    Alex jogged the short distance between us and slipped his arm around my waist. “Hey, pumpkin.” Then, he spared a nod for Matt. “Hey, man.”
    Matt nodded back. “I was just telling Joss she really