“Did he go all out?” I asked as I rounded the corner, spotting the doors at the end of the hall, beckoning them to the balcony.
“Like, towering over everyone on stilts all out.” Batman gestured with his hands. The man’s soft brown eyes flashed as they met mine, the warm welcome of them like an embrace. I licked my lower lip, a slight pang of longing filtering into my system. I wished I could be as outgoing as this guy. Maybe then Keira wouldn’t have dumped me. Granted, this Batman was clearly the whole package—charming and muscular—if the way he filled out his suit was any indication. No matter how many hours I logged at the gym, I still couldn’t make a spandex suit lookthatgood.
We finally reached the lineup of glass doors to the rooftop garden, and I reached out first to grab the handle and tug it open. I held the door, and Batman walkedthrough before I slipped behind him. The breeze filtered my way at once, strong and bracing, and a part of me geeked out a little at the way it made my cape lift behind me.
The rooftop garden was gorgeous, slate tiles stretching in both directions with evenly spaced raised beds featuring assorted yellow and pink blooms and greenery. Out here, I could breathe a little, and unlike the halls, which had been congested, people hung out in throngs. Some folks took a leisurely stroll throughout the rooftop space while others spilled onto the many wooden benches throughout.
Batman led the charge like we were on some mission rather than killing time before the DC panel started. We hadn’t made it a few paces before a crew of five hanging at the nearest bench started calling over to us.
“Oh my god, can I get your picture?” a girl asked. She appeared about my age, her thick black hair in a ponytail and a Captain America shirt on. Her eyes lit up, and I popped the Clark Kent smile on, even if I didn’t understand how people grinned like this all day long without going insane.
“Absolutely,” I responded, trying to play the part as best as possible.
She pumped her fist and looked at Batman. “Both of you?”
“You better not leave me out of this,” Batman said, his tone as warm and welcoming as ever.
“Holy shit, is that a Superbat pairing?” a couple of people shouted from farther back. “No way!”
My cheeks began to heat. Oh shit, did people think we were a couple?
The comment had apparently attracted attention because the five people had quickly turned into closer to fifteen, and more than a few had cameras and were making gestures to ask permission too. I shot a nervous glance at Batman, trying to figure out what was going on here.
“You guys are so cute,” the original girl said, all but beaming at me.
I’d just wanted a breath of air. How had that turned into this?
“Thanks.” Batman slung an arm around my shoulders. If anything, my cheeks flushed even harder, which wasn’t really helping sell the fact that we weren’t together and had just met a few minutes ago.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss,” someone in the gathered crowd began chanting at us.
I looked helplessly up at Batman.
This train had gone off the rails.
Chapter Two
Cay
Iwas beaming, posing for the picture, my arm around my new buddy in a kick-ass Superman costume.
After many failed attempts to make my friends appreciate the beauty and excitement of cons, I’d decided to attend this one alone. It was fine. It really was.
Last year I’d gone with my then-girlfriend, Danielle, and we’d dressed as Mario and Princess Peach. She’d insisted that if she were to dress up for the “geek show,” as she called it, then she had to go as a princess. Since she hadn’t appreciated my suggestion of Diana of Themyscira, she hadn’t left me much wiggle room. Her willingness to tolerate my interests and indulge me by coming to the con was only one of the reasons why I liked her. She was a kind person and shared my sense of humor.Unfortunately, we hadn’t shared much else. Even the sex had been somewhat lackluster—good but without a spark. The day of that con, when I’d seen how out of place she’d felt, I knew that the inevitable was coming. The “it’s not you, it’s me” conversation had taken place the following day, and like with my previous girlfriends, I’d embraced her offer of remaining friends. We still texted at least once a week and occasionally met for drinks.
I’d learned my lesson then, and this time, I’d rather attend a con alone than subject anyone from my close circle to torture by geekiness. Having never had any issues making new friends in a crowd, I’d been chatting to people since morning and moving on. I’d stopped in my tracks on my way to a sword stand when I spotted a Superman with a put-on smile and a hesitant expression. I had to act. I refused to watch a single person feel lost in a place so full of color, the way Danielle had. What had started as me wanting to put a genuine smile on Superman’s face ended up as an engaging chat leading to whatever this was. It had been a while since I’d hit it off with someone right off the “bat” like that.Ha!
My stomach buzzed, and my temperature spiked from the sheer excitement of meeting a person with similar interests who I could chat with effortlessly. Yes, that must’ve been the reason. Thankfully, Superman offered to take a breather on the rooftop garden, his presence next to mesomehow comforting despite us not knowing each other well.
It had all been fun and games until someone started to chant for us to kiss.
Now, surrounded by lush shrubbery, I watched how my new friend’s single lock of hair on his forehead was blowing in the breeze. The blush on Superman’s cheeks gave him a boyish, nearly adorable look, even with the chiseled jaw he was sporting. The guy radiated a unique vibe I couldn’t put a finger on, but one that drew me closer.
But not close enough to kiss.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss!” The chanting was getting louder as cosplayers and normies alike gathered around us. “Give us a Superbat kiss, boys!”
Something twirled in my stomach just as my heartbeat accelerated.
