Over chips and queso, they signed Reed up for the service.
Leo plucked the phone out of Eli’s hand to take his turn. “Okay, so we need to name your girlfriend. I submit that since she’s rescuing you from your cougar, she should be named after the real-life alter ego of a superhero.”
“I second this motion,” Zach said.
“We’re doing this by committee now?” Reed asked.
Eli thumped him on the shoulder. “I think it should be Anna Marie after Rogue, since it's a virtual girl who can't touch you.”
“Oh, oh, or Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk, since Reed needs protecting from the cougar.”
This time it was Reed flipping Zach the bird.
“No, she ought to be Sue Storm because she's an invisible girlfriend,” Leo argued.
“I am not dating a member of the Fantastic Four.”
“What about Betsy Braddock? She actually sounds like a real Southern girl,” Zach offered.
“Plus, lots of people haven’t ever heard of PsyLocke,” Eli added. “Less chance of being outed by accident.”
“She’s going to be my girlfriend,” Reed protested, “so I’m picking. Selina Kyle. Because who better to take on a cougar than Catwoman herself?”
Zach hooked his fingers into claws and pawed the air. “Rowr.”
“Selina Kyle it is. Here, pick a selfie.” Leo passed over the phone.
Reed scrolled through the gallery of pics, pausing over a few brunettes who vaguely resembled Cecily. No, he’d rather have the real thing or nothing at all. Moving on, he ultimately settled on blonde with Slavic blue eyes and a sassy smile. He hit next.
“Apparently we get to pick her personality, too.”
“Oh, gimme.” Zach snatched the phone.
“Remember, this has to be believable,” Reed reminded him.
They settled on something basic enough—intellectual rather than cheerleader bubbly—before moving on to customize the story of how he and Selina had met.
“She’s a graduate student at Ole Miss, getting her PhD in English. I met her at a reading up at Square Books,” Reed said.
“What’s she doing her dissertation on?” Leo wanted to know. His thumbs hovered over the phone.
“Gothic novels. Basically old school horror.”
“Seriously?” Eli looked up with interest. “You can actually write about cool stuff like that? I thought English was all about a bunch of boring, dead white dudes.”
Reed gave him a pitying look. “Go back to your woods, Ranger Rick.”
Leo finished entering the details and hit a button. “Okay. Last detail.”
Whatever that detail was faded into the background as Reed caught sight of Cecily standing near the hostess station, scanning the room. Her eyes met his, and she went very still for a moment, as if waiting. He thought about sliding out of the booth, crossing to her and laying his mouth over the lips she’d parted in surprise. Was it his imagination or were her cheeks going pink?
“Dude, how long have y’all been dating?”
Startled by Leo’s words, Reed blinked, and the tenuous connection was broken. Cecily began weaving her way through tables, over to Jessie and the rest of her friends.
Idiot. Of course she hadn’t come here looking for him.
“It shouldn’t be too long or people will want to know why they didn’t know,” Zach pointed out.