Free When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill Page B

Grey’s Anatomy the next day when Matt tapped on our open door.
    â€œHey, it’s Nacho Bar, you guys in?” he asked.
    â€œI already ate,” Rachel said.
    â€œBut it’s Nacho Bar,” he protested.
    â€œI’m in,” I said, standing up.
    â€œYou’re gonna miss the end,” Rachel warned.
    â€œIt’s Grey’s, ” I said. “They’ll save one person, one person will die, and all the main characters will have angst. Fill me in if anything interesting happens.”
    Rachel frowned at me. She was into pretty much all the nighttime dramas on television. I could take or leave them.
    â€œI’ll be back later,” I told her.
    â€œâ€™Kay.” The commercial break had ended and her attention was back on the screen.
    Matt led the way down the stairs and out across the cold quad to the cafeteria entrance. Neither of us had bothered with coats, and the icy wind found every hole in my sweater. I shivered once from the top down when we were safe in the warm entrance.
    â€œYou remind me of my dog when you do that,” he told me.
    â€œYou remind me of my dog all the time,” I replied. It was kind of true. Matt’s eyes were the same shade of brown as Maxine’s, my golden retriever.
    â€œGreat.” He shook his head and started up the steps to the serving line.
    â€œNobody else wanted nachos?”
    â€œGuess not.”
    â€œWeird.” I loved Nacho Bar. We got in the short line and waited for our turn to pile our trays high with beans, cheese, olives, and jalapeños.
    â€œNice work, Joss,” Matt said when we were ready to pay. He was eyeing my heap of food appreciatively.
    â€œI think I would eat nachos every day if I could.”
    â€œI think your guts would rot if you did that.”
    I popped a jalapeño in my mouth and shrugged in response.
    â€œWhat if they were blue?” he asked. “Would you still eat them every day?”
    â€œNope. But, I wouldn’t know what I was missing because I never would have tasted them in the first place.”
    He grinned. “I can’t believe you’d let your weird prejudice get between you and nachos.”
    â€œBlue food is gross.”
    He laughed. “You’re so weird.”
    The dining hall was sparsely populated, with most of the people seated conveniently next to the TV, where Grey’s Anatomy was playing. Matt led us to a less crowded area and slid into a booth. I sat across from him and propped my feet against the edge of his seat.
    â€œI have to tell you something,” he said.
    â€œWhat?” I was intent on my pile of chips, rearranging peppers so that I’d have an adequate taste of heat with each bite.
    â€œDo you remember when you asked me if I’d slept with Courtney?”
    â€œYeah, and you were all weird about it,” I said and shoveled a well-dressed chip into my mouth.
    â€œYeah. That’s kind of my point. I don’t think she remembers it.”
    Instantly, I regretted the chip in my mouth. It was hard not to choke as I gasped, “What?”
    â€œShe acts like it never happened.”
    â€œYou only did it once?”
    He looked irritated, but answered, “Yeah. The first time I took her out.”
    â€œSo, wait … you’ve just been … what? Waiting this whole time?”
    â€œWell, we haven’t really been alone much since then.”
    â€œWhat about when you go out?”
    â€œThat’s it.” He shrugged. “We never even go back to her room, or anything.”
    I sat back in amazement. “Wow, Matt …”
    He sighed. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”
    I paused and considered my next move. I didn’t think she did either, but I couldn’t decide if he was looking for confirmation or reassurance. “Um … why do you say that?”
    â€œWell, my first clue was that I saw her out with some guy named