Three Geeks and Two Hearts Aflutter by FreyaGersemi

Three Geeks and Two Hearts Aflutter by FreyaGersemi

This is my submission for the 2024 Literotica Geek Pride Story Event.

The setting for this story is in an “Alternate Freya-verse” where Katie is Katherine, Cynthia is quiet and reserved, and “Story Freya” is a bit of a loudmouthed jerk.

WARNING: After re-reading it myself, I see how Katherine could come off in an unintended way without the reader knowing the background that I did not write in (she has a mental health issue that is undiagnosed, therefore not addressed in the story). In fact, although Katherine is painfully aware that she’s “weird” and “different” on the outside, she has absolutely no idea that she thinks any differently than anyone else. How could she?

In this story, Katherine was never in any danger nor was she taken advantage of in any way. She was written as the sweet, lovable person that she always is. In any universe! To me, she really couldn’t be anything but what she always is. Just in this universe, her brain works in a unique way.

The story does get a little strange in the way that Katherine has an inner dialog, but please remember that he is completely safe in every way. Just different. The people you may see as “odd” or “weird” or “different” or “geeky” may have mental health issues (diagnosed or undiagnosed) that cause their odd/weird/different/geeky behavior. I tried to write in a way that could shed some light on the thought process inside someone who could be classified as “neurodivergent” (I believe this is the currently accepted vernacular, please correct me if I’m wrong).

I know that some readers get rather invested in the characters, and I want to let you know that my intention with Katherine is that she is quite intelligent, fully knows what she is doing, knows right from wrong, and simply thinks differently from most people. In this story, Katherine does NOT have a disability. She just has a difference.

Sometimes the weirdest geek is simply a different normal.

And if you follow my stories (thank you so much!), rest assured that there is plenty of the humor, sweetness, and sexy scenes that you would expect from me.

On with the story…

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Alex was intrigued from the moment he laid his eyes on her. She was quite interesting, to say the very least.

Walking into Prossa’s Hardware Store, Katherine looked a little lost.

“May I help you?” Alex asked, trying not to stare at the twinkling, silver star dangling from her septum piercing in stark contrast to the solid black of her lips.

She looked at him then quickly stared at the floor between her worn combat boots. “Yeah. I’m looking for some paint for my bedroom walls.”

Alex told her, “That’s down back. Come on, I’ll show you.” As they walked down the center aisle, Alex asked, “So, what kind of paint do you want?”

“Black,” she mumbled.

“I meant gloss or matte. Satin…? Eggshell…?”

“I don’t know. Just black.”

At the back of the store, in the paint section, Alex watched as she nervously shuffled her feet. He had grown up in this town and as a young man just out of high school himself, he knew that she was an outsider. She definitely didn’t fit into sometimes strict rules or “normalcy” that prevailed in this small town. She was probably even bullied at school. Kids can be so mean.

People can be so mean.

She looked at him and just seemed so unsure of herself — lost, even — that Alex’s heart went out to her. He knew what it was like to be “different.”

“So, just… Basic black?”

“Um-hmm.”

Alex thought for a minute. “Maybe something that will match your clothes, boots, backpack, hair, fingernails, and lipstick?”

Katherine looked into his eyes for a moment looking for the meaning behind his comment, expecting the meaning to be rude, condescending, mean, or all three, but only saw a cute guy smiling at her and this confused her.

“I’m sorry. I was just trying to make a joke,” Alex explained. “And as usual, I failed.”

“It’s fine,” she answered.

“My name is Alex.”

“Katherine.”

“So, Katherine,” Alex started, “We have a few different shades of black. Could I ask what the name of your lipstick is?”

Katherine was slightly taken aback. She was more used to boys insulting how she looked rather than asking about her choice of makeup — and asking kindly, at that.

“Raven’s Edge.”

Alex turned to the wall display and took a small card out of one of the slots. “We have a black that’s called ‘Raven,’ if that would work?”

Katherine took the card and looked at it. She nodded.

She had not expected this. Katherine thought she would just go to the hardware store, buy some paint, and leave. She hadn’t thought that she would have to talk to anyone and this was making her uncomfortable.

“I think, for a bedroom wall — especially black — a matte finish would be nice. It will absorb more light than some of the others, so it gives kind of a soft glow.” Alex looked at Katherine. “Unless you’re looking for the harsh glare of a gloss finish?” He looked directly into her eyes and paused. Something he saw in there made it difficult for him to look away.

Very unlike him, he suddenly found himself asking her out on a date.

“Are you doing anything this Friday?”

She looked at him confused. “Am I doing anything this Friday?”

“Yes. What are you doing Friday?”

“Playing D & D with some friends…” Socially inept Katherine was still utterly confused with what was happening and why he was asking. He was asking a lot of questions.

“I love D & D!” Alex exclaimed. “Would you have room for one more? I haven’t played since high school.”

“I guess. We usually play at my friend’s house. I’ll check with her.” Katherine thought about the high school comment, then asked him, “How old are you?” She didn’t think Freya’s parents would be too keen on some adult guy — a stranger, really — coming over to play with three high school girls.

“Twenty. I graduated two years ago from Wilson High.” Suddenly a thought occurred to him. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen. I’m a senior at Wilson.”

Alex breathed an internal sigh of relief. “How big is your bedroom?”

“Uh…” Katherine looked around the back of the store, then pointed to some shelving. “Maybe from here to that rack of tools over there.”

“Okay. So, two gallons should cover it.” Alex grabbed a couple of cans. “Let’s go up front and ring this up for you.”

After he rang it up and she paid, he offered to bring it out to her car. Standing on the sidewalk, he asked her, “Can I get your address?”

She looked at him. “Why?”

“So I can pick you up.”

Stupidly, she asked, “Pick me up?”

“For our date.”

A date? Playing D & D was now a date? She was suddenly terrified. She had never been on a date. Boys hated her. Boys taunted her almost daily. Boys certainly didn’t date her. But then again, Alex wasn’t exactly a boy. And maybe he didn’t realize what a loser she was.

Alex smiled and, helplessly — almost mindlessly — she smiled back at him. “We can go over to your friend’s place together.”

They both just looked at each other, Alex smiling warmly and Katherine smiling awkwardly. She saw no other option, so she gave him her address and phone number which he wrote down on a small, tattered notepad he offered her from his breast pocket.

“When should I pick you up?”

“We… I…” Katherine stammered. “I’ll check with everyone and see when we’re starting.”

Alex tore a fresh page out of the notebook, wrote his name and number on it, and handed it to the still-stunned girl. “Give me a call and let me know what time I should pick you up.”

Taking the piece of paper, she mumbled, “Okay.”

“It was great meeting you, Katherine.”

“It was nice meeting you.” Her thoughts were clear enough to think, again, how cute he was. And how nice he was being to her. There was even a glimmer of excitement. She was, after all, a young woman. And he was an attractive young man.

“And if you want any help painting, just call,” he told her, then walked back into the hardware store.

Katherine sat in her car for a few moments replaying everything that had happened since walking into the local hardware store, trying to make sense of it all. She looked at the paper and read his name.

Alex Prossa.

‘His family must own the store,’ she thought. How had she never seen him before? But she knew how. Katherine rarely left her small group of friends, and even when she did, she rarely lifted her head to look around because everything she saw was either confusing or scary — usually both. And besides, just about everything outside of her small circle only reminded her of what an outcast she was.

She started her car and drove straight to Cynthia’s house. She needed to talk to someone and Freya wasn’t quite as… Compassionate as Cynthia was.

A few minutes later, sitting on Cynthia’s bed, she recounted her meeting with Alex.

“No way!” Cynthia exclaimed. “A boy asked you out? That’s awesome.”

Katherine shrugged. “I guess.”

“We have to tell Freya!” Cynthia stood up, pulling Katherine with her. “Come on!”

“Do we have to,” Katherine muttered.

“Yes! She’ll be so excited!”

The two girls walked down the street to Freya’s. As soon as she opened the door, Cynthia started gushing about Katherine’s boyfriend.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Katherine protested.

Cynthia dismissed the comment. “Whatever!” Then told Freya that he wanted to join them for their weekly D & D night.

Freya, the most fervent D & D player out of the three girls, was very excited about finally having a fourth player. “This is going to be so awesome!”

“And Katherine said that he’s super cute!” Cynthia added.

“I didn’t say he was super cute,” Katherine told Freya, but the look in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

“Come on in,” Freya offered. The sun was shining and with all three girls dressed primarily in black clothing, and lots of it, it was beginning to feel hot standing on the door stoop.

“I have a better idea,” Cynthia proclaimed. “Let’s go to Prossa’s and check him out ourselves!”

“No! No! No! No! No!” Katherine objected. But her protestations fell on deaf ears. “Well, I’m not! I’m going home.” She turned and walked back to Cynthia’s. The other two girls, disappointedly ran after her.