Page 12 of My Cosplay Escape
“Too intimidating?” His eyes flash and lips press together. Oooh, this one makes me want to play. Those forearms, that smile. So much confidence without even a whiff of cynicism. “We have a junior version, if you want to wait for that one.”
I stand up straighter and saunter closer. I run my gloved, clawed hand gently down his cheek and chest before pulling away. He doesn’t flinch. “I don’t want to scratch your toy.” My voice has slid into that rough, throaty purr. I sit on top of his table of merch and lean back confidently. “What are the prizes?”
He slides a stack of flyers out of my way. “Have to play to find out.”
The father and son hand back the open puzzle box to White Tee Guy.
“Good fun,” the dad says in a German accent.
I wink at White Tee before turning to the pair. “What’d you win?” I ask.
The dad squints at the paper in his hand. “Buy one, get one coupon to Superhero Escapes. May we have a picture?”
White Tee jumps to his feet to take it. I smile with my lips pressed together, my eyes not leaving this guy. I don’t know why—I mean, maybe I do, he’s easy on the eyes—but there’s something else. My mind stumbles through half-remembered passages of Jane Eyre, memories of my grandma and grandpa playing pinochle, until I land on the memory of my mom sighing over Captain von Trapp all those Sundays from so long ago.
Maybe there was another reason why my mom insisted we watchThe Sound of Musicso much.
“Thanks for playing, guys. Make sure to check out the Sable Siren raffle inside the Halifax Sisters Studios tent.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Coupons?”
“Some have actual tickets. Others have key chains, pins, even a few T-shirts.” His eyes travel up and down my figure, and I almost kick my feet up and lie down on his table, purring. “Is your suit custom? The fit is…” He trails off.
I put a hand on my hip. “The fit is…?”
His eyes snap up to mine. “It’s all really well done. I mean, I can tell you took inspiration fromNightbat Returns, but you made it your own.” He tosses the escape box back to me. “Go on. Give it a try. If you’re really worried about scratching it, you can take off your gloves.”
I smirk and shift my weight. All my vinyl crinkles and crunches. I hope this guy is standing close enough to hear. “Why stop with gloves?”
He tugs at the neck of his tee and adjusts the lanyard of his vendor’s badge. “Your shoes do look really uncomfortable.” He catches my eye with a playful smile that almost distracts me from the slight blush on his cheeks.
No way. White Tee is a gentleman.
I look down at the box in my hands and swing my feet. Why not have some fun? I roll onto my back and toss the box up in the air and catch it. “This panel with the flashing flat buttons, it’s a sliding-block puzzle.” I slide the buttons that flash around. “There’s got to be a clue somewhere about the order.” I twist the box, pulling and pushing and looking for instructions. There are two spring-release buttons. I push them together, and a drawer pops open that contains a pair of flimsy red and blue 3-D glasses.
I roll onto my stomach and smirk up at this guy before I position the 3-D glasses around the cowl of my costume. He scoffs, a cute involuntary release of both laughter and disbelief, before running a hand through his hair.
I love cosplay. I’ve missed cosplay. Never in a billion years would I do anything even remotely like this in real life. But here I am, living my dream and shamelessly flirting with a handsome stranger with no reservations.
White Tee works his vendor space. I’ve amassed a bit of attention, if I do say so myself. Guess the extra hours of hand-stitching last night were a good idea. Not that White Tee is slowed down by any of this. I track him as I fiddle with the puzzle. He gives a couple of hints to the Mask Master fans without coming across as douchey. He chats with a Chupacabra cosplay troupe. He smiles easily. Laughs sincerely. Clearly, he’s done this before. The thought makes me curious but also irritated. What other cosplayers has he ensnared with his wholesome T-shirt and charming smirk of a smile?
Back to business. With the 3-D glasses on, I see a picture is visible in the sliding-block puzzle. A single panel of a vintage Redemption Ring, AJ Comics’ band of most successful superheroes.
“Do you do other cosplay?” White Tee asks as I shift the squares around.
“Hey, Catstrike!”
I look up before taking off the 3-D glasses and recoil at a phone just inches away from my nose.
“Dude.” White Tee is more startled than me, but laughs off the fan with the phone good-naturedly. “You scared me. A little more warning, okay?”
I shift the last square in place, revealing another spring-load button. This one releases the top lid, revealing a keypad.
“What you working on there, Sai—
I look up at Gwen pointedly. “Sabine,” I say.
“Who’s Sabine?” she says, nodding and winking to an impressive Cyborg Queen and Admiral Starship Cruiser gender-bend.
