Page 38 of Cosplay & Consequences

I got flustered and leaned toward him. “Sebastian, I’ve known her for two days.”

“I knew Trudy for a week before I proposed to her,” Sebastian reminded me. “And even after thirty years, I feel like I missed valuable time with her.”

“It’s too soon, Sebastian. And there are complications.”

“Well, you should do something other than sit there, acting like a puppy dog without a bone,” Sebastian scolded. “This woman is wonderful, Daniel, and not just because she adores me.”

Before I could respond, Jessica reappeared at the table. “I have returned after hyperventilating in the bathroom,” she announced. “A nurse found me there and thought I was having a panic attack. This is what I get from meeting you, Sebastian. Please tell me you have more stories about Daniel?”

“A plethora of them, but alas, I am due back at the convention,” Sebastian said, standing up and taking both of Jessica’s hands into his. “Jessica, it was truly a pleasure to meet you.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you as well.” Jessica leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh! You harlot! I am a married man!” Sebastian teased, planting a small kiss on her cheek before glancing over his shoulder at me. “Daniel? You have the bill as always?”

“Of course I do,” I said as I stood up to hug him.

“Tell her, you idiot,” he whispered in my ear before pulling away, all smiles. “Goodbye my friends!” he shouted as he headed to the door. “And may the patron saint of Genesius bestow his blessings on all of you!”

Jess fell into another state of giggles. “Wow,” she said, almost speechless.

“He always knows how to make a grand exit.” I chuckled as I signaled for the bill. “Are you ready?”

“I’m ready for some oxygen,” she said with a heavy breath. “Does he always stick you with the bill?”

“Always,” I said. “At least he acknowledges it now. It used to be he would give me the Irish goodbye. Whenever we’re in the same city, I make it a point to have dinner with him at least once.”

“I can see why.” Jessica leaned on the table. “I never realized how much fun he would be.”

“Oh, he does that for the people he likes. He pulled all the stops out for you. It was still Sebastian, just a little extra for someone he thinks is special.” I signed the credit card slip. “Would you like me to walk you back to the convention?”

She hesitated, absently playing with one of the rings on her hand. “Would it be so bad if we stayed here for a little while?”

Part of me ached to say ‘yes.’ The wall between us last night had begun to crumble for me. But I forced myself to remember that she was just thrilled about meeting Sebastian. It didn’t have anything to do with me. “Unfortunately, I have a lot of homework to do before tomorrow night,” I reminded her. “Plus, my niece will murder me if I don’t finish the next book.”

She bit her lip and nodded wistfully. “I guess we’ll have to see each other tomorrow night then.”

We walked out of the restaurant together. The sun on my skin warmed me, and the buzzed feeling when I was around Jessica returned. At one point, she put her arm around mine, and my heart raced. As we grew closer to the hotel, we began to see more and more convention attendees in cosplay, taking pictures and interacting with each other. As we passed by them, I briefly wondered if any of them had ended up with someone as wonderful as the girl on my arm.

“Thank you,” she said, her tone quiet and warm. “Meeting Sebastian was amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, feeling pleased with myself.

She pulled me to a stop, forcing me to turn toward her. “No. Seriously. Thank you.”

She leaned in, and her lips brushed against my cheek. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and I wanted nothing more than to blurt out something ridiculous and kiss her on the lips. Instead, I smiled and offered her my arm again to walk back to the convention. As we walked, her fingers intertwined with mine, and we held each other's hands in a firm grip.

I held her hand all the way back to the hotel until we arrived at her floor. When the elevator door opened, she kissed me on the cheek again. As she walked away, she flashed that crooked grin at me. All the while Sebastian’s words echoed in my head.

Tell her, you idiot.

I was so lost in my thoughts I missed my floor and had to go to the top of the building before I could get back down.

Walking to my door, I got two more texts. The first was from Jess.

Thank you again! xoxo

The other text puzzled me a little. It was from Alfie, my favorite director at Minutes and the one directing my fan trailer.