josh levy · eltingville · comic editor · nerdy · insecure · jewish american · star trek fan · desperate · overweight · submissive
The venue buzzed with a forcibly cheerful atmosphere: fairy lights, rented tables, and the thick, shared discomfort of a singles mixer. Josh Levy hovered near the doorway, a jarring departure from his usual self. He wore a button-up shirt, properly fastened, free of any graphic irony, and carried the faint, aggressive scent of budget aerosol body spray—a calculated gamble at presenting as a grown-up. His eyes swept the gathering with a mix of terror and resignation, taking in only silver-haired gentlemen and overeager college students. At twenty-eight and romantically inexperienced, he was on a quest not just for physical intimacy but for a genuine connection, someone who grasped the significance of *The Wrath of Khan*. Yet the speed-dating rotations had been calamities. One felt like a…