Nerdcam Pt. 06

[Note 1: Thanks to all the readers who've enjoyed the story so far.]

[Note 2: In checking, I found that there is, in fact, an actual real world webcomic titled Sonder. Go figure. Not that I expect anyone will care, but this story line has nothing to do with that comic, and my use of the title was purely coincidental.]

After work and a short workout at the gym, it was almost seven when Anna arrived home. Locking the door behind her, she dropped her bag on the couch and immediately headed for the bathroom. There had been too many people at the gym for her to want to try showering there.

After stripping down and testing the water temperature a couple of times, she stepped into the shower. With a sigh and an appeased murmur, she shifted about, letting the hot water sluice away sweat and ease the tension in recently worked muscles.

While she took her time, first washing her hair and then lathering up with body wash, she thought about the coming weekend. Sunday would be December fourth. Jack's birthday.

On the one hand, it felt like no time at all since they had met and begun seeing each other. On the other hand, they had been spending a fair bit of time together. There had been developments.

The day after their Halloween get-together, she had introduced him to Nicole, her old friend from college, who she called Nikki. The little redhead with the glasses, (which lent a certain sexy librarian air to her appearance), had been so curious about the guy who had managed to get Anna to 'go steady' that she had seemed ready to either cancel their prior engagement in favor of questioning him, or invite him along.

While tremendously intelligent, Nikki wasn't particularly clever or funny, but she appreciated the qualities in others. She and Jack had gotten along well enough. Anna had later explained to him that Nikki was into cis women, so there were no worries about any weird sexual tension amongst the three of them.

She had given Jack a long look. He had reassured her that yes, he agreed. Even if Nikki weren't gay, he wasn't interested in changing his service. Yeah, she was cute, but he was happy with his current girlfriend plan. At which Anna had rolled her eyes.

A couple of weeks after that Jack had shown up at Shelf Indulgence and taken her out for lunch on her break. After meeting her boss, Mr. Lintz, Jack had agreed that he had probably been a wizard before opening the book store.

Shortly before Thanksgiving they had gotten together for a game night at Anna's place with Nikki and a few of their other friends. A good time was had by all, and there was a general call for Anna to get out more and bring Jack out with her.

Then over Thanksgiving Anna had traveled to visit family. Though she hadn't felt like bringing Jack along just yet, she did mention him to her folks. She did her best to remain vague about exactly how serious they were, as she was still putting off any definitive judgments beyond boyfriend and girlfriend. Her parents were happy for her and encouraged her to bring him along next time. They were nice enough not to harp on it, but she knew they were of the somewhat old fashioned view that part of every full and happy life was finding a partner to share it with. It wasn't as if she disagreed, per se, she just wasn't in a big hurry. She stubbornly maintained the position that if she were going to really commit to one person, she wanted to be as certain as possible that it wasn't going to go sour a few years down the line.

She had come back from the Thanksgiving trip to find Jack had taken advantage of having her apartment key, as usual. Her box -- the same old box she had been carrying when she first bumped into him -- had been returned, and with a new note. She had also found several little boxes spread around the apartment. One at the table with crayons and paper strewn before it. One on the counter next to an open and empty cereal box. And so on.

The note had read:

'Anna,

When Jack found out I was pregnant, he said

he didn't sign up for supporting box-babies,

and you were going to have to deal with it.

He's a monster. He said we were destined

for the recycling bin. But you wouldn't do

that. Right?

-your big ol' box

Work had been going well -- for both of them. Jack had gotten a first paperback collection of his webcomic published. Meanwhile, Anna had gained a co-worker and picked up more hours at the bookstore. More hours and responsibility -- and a title. Mr. Lintz had explained that his wife wanted to travel while they were both still healthy enough to do so. To hear him tell it, they had family spread all across the country whom they could visit while they were at it. So, only days ago, Anna had officially been promoted to Store Manager.

Anna had had to learn more about the paperwork side of the business, which was not her favorite thing. Mr. Lintz said he would still take care of as much of that as he could, but the day to day would be Anna's to deal with. Always the helpful one, Jack had found her some apps and programs that helped her keep track of things. He had also helped her make sense of the existing spreadsheets and book orders and things.

Exploring the backlog of paperwork had revealed some interesting facts of which Anna had not previously been aware. One -- which Jack had expressed curiosity about before -- was that the shop made relatively little profit. It was practically paying Anna, and now the coworker hired to fill her position after her promotion, directly out of Mr. Lintz's pocket. Internet snooping had subsequently revealed that Mr. Lintz had led an interesting life, and had invested in various projects and companies along the way. As best they could figure, he was worth at least a couple million. Apparently he was content to slowly pay that money back out while pursuing his ideal retirement -- a quiet life running a used bookstore.

When she had finished washing up, Anna cut the water and dried off. After collecting her gym clothes and dropping them in the laundry bin, she went to her bedroom to get dressed. First she moved a black top hat with the ankh necklace and smiley face button she had left inside. That was part of another development.

Despite her initial disdain, after dressing up in costume for their Halloween get together, she had gradually warmed to the idea of cosplay. She wasn't sure if she would ever want to go to a con dressed up, but it was satisfying to see a costume come together. And it was fun posing in random places while Jack or Nikki took pictures. Some of these they uploaded to a twitter account they had made for the purpose. So far she had only done a couple -- the Lust look she had worked up for Halloween, and a take on Neal Gaiman's Death -- which involved the top hat and accoutrement.

After dressing in one of her 'bumming around the apartment' outfits -- gray leggings and Jack's Pink Floyd shirt -- she checked that she had things ready for tomorrow -- Saturday.

She and Jack had put their heads together concerning what they wanted to do for his birthday. He had suggested that since he was thinking of visiting family himself for Christmas, they could consider his birthday an early Christmas for just the two of them.

Choosing to celebrate so early in the month had saved them some trouble when it came time to reserve a room at a fancy-shmancy hotel. And a fancy-shmancy restaurant, as well. She had tried to tell him they didn't have to do all that, but he had insisted. He would take care of it. And of course she would be lying if she said there wasn't a certain thrill at having someone treat her to the whole fancy-shmancy experience.

She sat and stared into space for a bit before deciding to double check her suitcase. A gift from her parents when she had first moved out, it was one of those black rolly deals with an extendable handle. Hefting it onto the bed, she unzipped it and picked through the contents. Clothes, including a wool hat, wool socks, some sexy lingerie, and a pair of black thigh-high socks. Toiletries in a big ziploc bag. The horror novel she was about halfway through reading. Her gift for Jack, packaged in the sort of flimsy Christmas themed box people always used for clothes. Cell phone charger.

"Hmm."

After a bit of thought, she grabbed one of her pillows and crammed it in with the rest. She thought a bit more, then shrugged, zipped it closed, and wheeled it out to leave it next to the couch.

Stomach growling, she threw together a small salad and picked at it while making a ham and cheese, wrapping it in tinfoil, and popping it in the oven. She continued absently munching on greens and cherry tomatoes, eyes wandering absently. They stopped on Jack's get well card, which she had tacked to her fridge with an old Garfield magnet she had found while unpacking.

With a grunt she moved from leaning on the counter to dig her phone out of her bag. After a few taps on the screen, she sauntered back to finish the salad.

"Hey, what's good?" Jack answered her call.

"Hey. What are you doing?"

"Uh, not much. Was actually just making sure I had stuff ready for tomorrow. You?"

"Same. Well, eating dinner now, but..."

"Anything good?"

"Ham and cheese. And something like a salad."

"Ah. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was, um... Promise not to laugh?" she asked.

"I promise I'll try. What's up?"

"You never do bother to lie, do you?" Anna snorted. "I was feeling kind of anxious."

Jack was quiet for a few seconds.

"About going out this weekend?"

"Yeah. Like, flattered and excited too, but... You know I would've been fine with our usual. Staying in, playing games or watching movies."

"Well-"

"And with it being your birthday, and our Christmas..."

"If I say 'don't worry about it', that's not really gonna help, right? Hmm. I'm sure there'll be a TV in the room. We could bring a console and games and stuff."

"What?" Anna smiled. "I can't tell if you're kidding or not, but weirdly, the idea makes me feel a little better."

"Do it," Jack encouraged, a smile in his voice, "Give us something to do if, by chance, we don't end up fucking all night."

"I dunno, Nerd," Anna countered, happily taking a turn poking fun, "I might pass on fucking altogether, and just play games."

"Oooh, ouch." Jack played along, "I suppose I shall have to endeavor to make myself more appealing in your eyes than those benighted games, my dear Miss Durand."

Anna found her oven mitt, then paused to blow a raspberry in response.

"What are you, Abraham Lincoln now?"

"Nah. I don't like public speaking or speeches. Or wrestling."

"Wreffwing?" Anna managed, before emitting a few muffled sounds of distress, having bitten into a quite hot ham and cheese sammich.

"Yes, 'wreffwing'. Supposedly Lincoln was a champion wrestler. Lanky guys have an advantage in leverage or something. Anyway, I don't like to roll around groping somebody unless we're having sex, so..."

"Mmp, mm... Ahem, so... Are you saying you don't wanna wrestle with me, or...?" Anna teased after finally swallowing the bite of sammich.

There was a long pause.

"Jack?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking... If Abe Lincoln ran today, he could use that athleticism as a gimmick. He could run as 'Abs Lincoln.'"

Anna covered her mouth to make sure she didn't lose her last bite to laughter.

"What the fuck..." she sputtered. "That shouldn't be that funny. Goofball."

"It's all in the delivery." Jack assured her, "And yeah, we can wrestle if you want. No referee, though. Can't promise I won't take advantage."

"That's okay. I can't promise I won't sit on your face to win."

Jack tsk-ed disapprovingly.

"No honor." he observed. "I look forward to it."

They carried on for a little while before hanging up for the night, agreeing to try to get plenty of sleep before meeting the next day.

They woke in their respective rooms, in their respective apartments, to a cold, but clear and sunny Saturday. They each puttered around with a vague sense of anticipation, the way people are wont to do when they have an appointment coming up but it's not yet time to go.

Around noon Jack texted.

'Meet me at your car at 5:30?'

Anna confirmed, and they both resumed waiting out the clock.

When the time finally came, Anna reached the parking garage to find Jack already waiting by her car. He turned at the sound of her heels and the wheels of her suitcase. Seeing him, she slowed for a moment, eyebrows rising.

He wore a black suit, complete with waistcoat and slim black tie. She guessed it wasn't tailored to him, but he had found one that accentuated his long, lean figure. At some point he had gotten his hair trimmed, and he had obviously combed it, though the result was still a bit haphazard. She smiled to see that it had been at least a day since he last shaved.

Stopping a good ten feet away, she made a show of looking him over. He bore the inspection with a faint smile of his own, while returning the favor.

"Damn." Anna finally delivered her verdict.

Jack's smile grew.

"Likewise, Beautiful."

Anna wore a retro short sleeved black dress that looked like something Audrey Hepburn might have worn. Not the slinky Breakfast at Tiffany's getup. This one had a narrow waist not far below the bust, making prominent the curves above. Curves the likes of which Hepburn never had. Too, it flared slightly below that waist, and fell without pleats to mid calf. It wasn't especially formal, but she looked stunning in it. And the lack of formality appealed to Jack anyway.

Her hair had been pulled back and pinned with a brooch, but thin sheaves had been left to hang, framing her face. Above the neckline of the dress, she wore a small, tasteful ivory cameo on a black velvet choker. Skin tone hose and strappy black pumps rounded out the look.

When she had finished admiring suited-up Jack, Anna fished in a pocket (one of the things she liked about the dress), and came up with her keys.

"You driving?" she asked, holding them up.

"Nope." Jack shook his head. "And you can put those away. We're not taking your car."

Anna's expression reflected her bafflement.

"That's our ride." Jack pointed off to their right.

Anna looked where he was pointing. She blinked. She looked back.

"That... That's a limo." she said.

"It is."

"And... Our ride isn't behind the limo, is it?"

Jack bobbed his eyebrows, then lifted his duffel bag from the hood of Anna's car. He stepped lightly, pausing to kiss Anna on the cheek.

"Come on."

Anna followed.

"I called in a favor." Jack explained.

As they approached the vehicle, the driver's side door opened. A well-dressed man of about their age hurried around to open a door and take their luggage. He was well dressed, but not in any sort of driver's uniform. In fact, his clothes looked rather expensive.

"I'm Robert." he explained when he had finished sliding their things out of the way, "And you must be Anna. Now I see why Jacky-boy wanted a favor."

Robert's skin was a dark sienna, and looked as if he must bathe in moisturizer. He was bald, with a finely manicured anchor goatee -- and finely manicured eyebrows.

"Uh, hello."

"He didn't tell you about me at all, did he?"

"Uh, no." Anna smiled uncertainly.

"It's a story. You two get in and get comfortable. I'll tell you about it on the way."

Robert went back around and climbed in behind the wheel. Jack and Anna, meanwhile, climbed into the fairly luxurious passenger section. When they were seated and the vehicle had begun moving, Anna gave Jack a questioning look.

"A favor? What, did you save his dad in Vietnam?"

"Not exactly. I could explain, but I'd just get interrupted. Robert loves to talk. Just wait. You'll see wh-"

A humming sound disturbed the ambiance as the screen between the cab and the passenger section lowered.

"So how did you two meet?" came Robert's voice from the front.

"I told you, she bumped into me."

"Yeah, but-"

"No, literally. She wasn't watching where she was going-" Jack began, only to be interrupted in turn by Anna.

"Hey, there's no need to be... specific. But yeah, it's not that interesting." she was glad Jack had obviously chosen to omit mention of their actual first, online encounter. "What about you two? Did Jack blackmail you into this?"

"No," Robert laughed, "I owed him one."

Anna was ready to ask if there was a story to that, but Robert carried on without the encouragement.

"He was in one of my classes in art school. I went through a bad breakup and I was thinking of dropping out and taking a crappy sales job. But Jack talked me out of it."

"Aw. You were a good bro." Anna teased, nudging Jack.

"Uh huh. Keep joking. It got us a limo."

"Hm. Guess that explains how you afforded this part." she mused.

"The next year I switched to cosmetology and found my calling." Robert added.

"And now he's the personal beautician for some... What was it? Pop singer? Talk show host?" Jack elaborated. "Probably makes our combined yearly in a couple of months now."

"Okay," Anna said slowly, "But if you're a beautician, why do you have a limo?"

"I work for a porn company, as you know. But yes, I do make good money. And I have a limo because Mike, one of the company drivers, owed me from when I set him up with one of the girls. And talked him out of a bad hair cut before they went out. It's all karma, see? You put good things out there, it comes back to you."

They noticed him glancing at them in the rear view mirror.

"Although... I dunno what Jack put out there to hit it off with you. Win the lottery and give it to charity or something?"

Anna glanced at Jack, but he was just smiling.

"The meeting was luck." She answered for him. "But after that... I like a good sense of humor. Sarcasm."

"Oh, well, he's got that." Robert interjected.

"We both like reading and horror movies. Gaming." Anna expounded.

"Oh, alright, you're into nerds? They say that's a thing, but you go to Cons and... Well... Seems like mostly the girls are as homely as the guys. 'Cept some of the ones that do the dress-up thing. Gotta give credit though -- some of those cosplayers, their makeup is on point."

"Well, I do also have a weakness for the lanky, scruffy look." Anna added.

"Mm, yeah, if he'd just shave and do something with his hair." Robert observed critically.

"Actually, I kinda like the stubble." Anna smiled.

"Hell, I don't wanna be rude and talk about you while you're sitting right there, but..." he lowered his voice as if to indicate that under other circumstances, he would be mumbling to Jack. "Damn, Jack. You better hurry up and get her pregnant or put something on her finger before she gets away."

"Told you he liked to talk." Jack commented, seemingly oblivious to Robert's suggestions.

Anna leaned over against Jack and whispered in his ear.

"What do you think, Jack? Gonna get me pregnant?"

Jack snorted.

"I don't think karma's gonna swing that." he said quietly. "And even if, we could talk about the other thing, but I'm not in any hurry for kids."

"The other-" Anna started, raising her eyebrows.

But Robert cut in.

"Love the dress, by the way. Understated retro is very in right now, and you are pulling it off. Now let me ask you, what kind of foundation do you use?"

They chatted, or more accurately listened to Robert talk and occasionally interjected, until they reached their destination. Le Foie Heureux. French. Fancy-Shmancy.

Robert opened their door for them and told Jack to call him when they were ready to go. As they entered and Jack gave his name to the host, Anna took in the decadent décor. She began to feel a bit under-dressed.

After being seated by the host, she was about to mention it to Jack when she realized that he was paying hardly any attention to their surroundings.