I Heart Geeks (3 page)

“I’ve done the
Star Wars
and
Star Trek
things, along with
Lord of the Rings
, but those were always a bit too serious for me, that’s why I chose this Batman. I wanted lighthearted, not the Dark Knight. Why choose Catwoman instead of Batgirl?”

Julie fought not to roll her eyes and failed. “Oh please. Batgirl is too goody-two-shoes. I wanted a character I could play who was flirtatious and fun, not some fresh out of college librarian.”

Adam grinned at that. His attention was caught by a movement toward the front of the bar. “Here they come.”

A hush fell over the bar as the cosplayers entered one by one, pausing here, posing there, in a parade of creativity. The costumes were large, intricate and overwhelming.

“Wow. Did they make them?”

Adam nodded. “Most of them, yes.”

“They must have a lot of time on their hands.”

He shrugged. “Yes and no. Some people are really passionate about their fandoms.”

Her view of the costumes was blocked as a wave of spectators from the lobby filled the space between tables. The ambient noise level rose and Julie had to lean into Adam to hear what he said.

The walls began to close in and it was getting harder to breathe.

His hand squeezed hers, and the physical contact pulled her out of downward spiral. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Too many people.”

Adam tilted his head toward the staff as they began herding people from the bar. “It should be better in a little bit.”

“Thanks.”

Adam rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Remember it’s all for fun. Well except for the costume contest. They award money for that.”

Using her free hand, Julie pulled the color coded chart out of her purse. “The costume contest is tomorrow. I’m supposed to help Kit get ready.”

“Is she entering?”

Julie nodded. “She and her group have a skit they’re going to perform and I don’t want to miss it.”

Adam squeezed her hand again. “I’d be happy to escort you to the contest.”

A warm bubble of pleasure filled her. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense, it was on my itinerary, and this way we can chat about what we see.”

Julie nodded and pointed to the person who walked in on platform heels with a very boxy looking bodysuit. “Is that supposed to be some kind of machine?”

Adam looked. “Yes, I think it’s a Gundam.”

The person in the costume wobbled, staggered, and would have fallen except for a few people reaching out to steady him.

Julie shook her head and leaned forward so as not to be overheard, in case her question offended someone. “So after seeing all the stuff that Kit goes through to do the costumes and that guy over there, I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Do any of these people practice walking and performing in their costumes or do they just put them on and hope for the best?”

“I think it’s a little bit of both, why?”

Julie sighed and shook her head. “I danced when I was little, and it was drilled into us, that anytime there was a new costume, you had to practice in the costume to make sure it would hold together. But some of these… they people look like they made their costumes, slapped them on and didn’t realize they needed to compensate for the bulk.”

“Hmm, I never thought of it that way.” He looked at her. “Did you practice?”

“Oh yeah.” Julie nodded. “I’m not into heels and spent the last three weeks practicing in the damned things.”

“Well, it was worth it. I didn’t notice a single wobble.”

She grinned. “Thanks. My feet are a little sore, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. And of course there’s the smile.”

Adam tilted his head. “The smile?”

“Yes. Catwoman has a cheeky smile. It’s the difference between this.” She gave him a small smile using her lips. “And this.” Julie used her cheeks and let the smile reach her eyes.

“Hmm I never thought about that, but you’re right.”

Heat filled her cheeks. “It’s the little things that make a huge difference.”

“I agree. Does Kit practice?”

“Oh yes. But I’m not sure if she would have if I hadn’t bugged her about it.”

“How so?”

“Her first costume had all sorts of strange things on it, some of which were supposed to light up and one was supposed to mimic flame. I asked if I could see her in it, and it’s a good thing I did because the wiring hadn’t been done correctly and it shorted out. Since then she’s been very good about dress rehearsals.”

“Sounds like you’re great friends.”

Julie nodded and took another chicken wing. “The best. We have been since grade school. What about you? Any long term buddies?”

Adam looked down at his water. “Yeah, but I’m not sure how much longer it will go on.”

“Really? Why?”

He shook his head. The waitress came to take their order and Julie’s mouth watered at the thought of a big juicy burger and fries. To her surprise, Adam ordered the same. Bacon and avocado with no cheese.

“So you’re lactose intolerant?” Julie asked.

A delightful flush filled his cheeks. “Yes.”

“Why did you get us milk?”

He looked down at the table picking at a napkin. “I was having fun playing Batman and forgot about the milk thing until I took my first sip.”

Julie reached over and squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t do milk either.”

“And you let me buy you one?”

Julie shrugged. “How was I to stay in character and tell you no?”

“Hmm, you have a point. How do you like playing Catwoman?”

“She’s a lot of fun. I’m having a great time playing her.”

“You’re doing a fantastic job. I’ve never met a more believable Catwoman.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Most dress as the newer version and sometimes they overdo it.”

“The fun thing about my Catwoman is that she was so cheesy, overdoing things is right up her alley.”

“Exactly.”

Their food came and they dug in. Conversation between them was entertaining and easy, with none of the awkward silences typical on first dates.

Dates?
Would he want to see me after the Con?
Did she want to see him again? Butterflies in her stomach and suddenly jumping nerves answered that question. She’d love to see him again. Was it too soon to suggest it?

Another group of elaborately dressed people entered the bar and they spent the next hour critiquing the costumes.

Time flew.

“It’s getting late, and we’ve got a big day tomorrow,” Adam said glancing at his phone.

“Holy cow, is it really that late?” Julie slipped off the bar stool and stretched. “I’m missing my catnap!”

Adam grinned. “Allow me to escort you home.”

They walked toward the elevator and passed a booth advertising a scavenger hunt. ‘Win two tickets to next year’s Comic Convention!”

Adam looked at Julie. “Shall we give it a go?”

Julie thought about it for a moment. “Sure, why not?”

Adam rolled his eyes. “It’s good to see such enthusiasm.” He teased.

She smiled. “While I know how scavenger hunts work, I’m not sure how one at a con would work.”

“It depends on the rules of the hunt.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the booth. “Let’s find out.”

They were greeted with friendly smiles by people working the booth. “Come and sign up and be entered to win two tickets to next year’s Con.”

There were laminated pages on the table. Julie picked one up. It was the rules and the regulations, and instructions on how the hunt worked.

“The pictures need to be taken of the following people and places. You need to get a picture with the person, and selfies with them in the background don’t count. Please upload the pics to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ScavengerCon. The pics will be shown on a slideshow in the main concourse. Good luck.”

One of the people behind the table asked. “Are you cosplaying?” Julie nodded. “I’m playing Catwoman from the 1960’s tv show.”

“Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, or Lee Meriweather?”

“Julie Newmar of course.”

“Excellent choice.” He turned to Adam. “And you?”

“1960’s Batman.”

“So as you are the supervillain and superhero of your fandom, for the last item on the list you need to find a different hero and villain to take a pic with.”

Julie looked at the list of items and looked at the very last one. “Find a hero and villain from the same fandom and take a picture with them either committing a crime or stopping the crime.”

“Will you choose to side with the villain or the hero?” the guy behind the table asked.

“Villain,” Julie said at the same time Adam said “Hero.”

Everyone laughed. Adam signed his name and turned the clipboard to Julie, who also signed up. They were both given a list of things they needed to get pictures of. “Good Luck!”

As they walked away, Adam nudged Julie with his shoulder. “We’re going to help the hero, right?”

She gave him a look. “Oh come on, it’s the villains who get to have all the fun.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. Just look at who we’re representing. Sure you have the Batcave and all the technology within, however all of that tech is
only
used to apprehend bad guys. Imagine having all that computing power to play games or to plan fun heists.”

“But saving the world is a worthwhile endeavor!” he stated, getting into the discussion. The twinkle in his eye let her know that he was playing along and not taking the conversation too seriously.

“Let me ask you a question.”

“Shoot.”

Julie held up her hand with finger pointed and thumb up in the shape of a gun. “Bang.”

Adam laughed. “What do you want to know?”

“What would happen to Batman, if he didn’t have Catwoman, Penguin, The Riddler, or any of the other villains to fight? Wouldn’t he be out of a job?”

Adam thought about that. “I guess so, why?”

“What would happen to Catwoman if she didn’t have Batman to foil her crimes?”

A frown crossed his forehead. “I’m not sure.”

The elevator doors opened as Julie smiled. “She’d be incredibly wealthy and planning bigger and better heists. In my opinion, Batman needs villains to exist, but the villains don’t need Batman.”

“Hmmm.”

She took two steps into the crowded elevator, turned and saw a chagrined look on his face.

“I don’t think that’s quite right,” he replied.

One of the other occupants heard her and chimed in. “But without the heroes would the supervillains ever rise to power, or would they remain two-bit criminals, never rising above petty larceny?”

Julie turned. “No, I don’t think so. In
Batman,
the villains always try to get Batman out of the way first. And not only do they come up with creative capers, they also design elaborate plans to do away with the do-gooder and his pesky sidekick.”

Adam’s eyes flashed and he turned to the group. She saw his amusement as he engaged them.

The discussion raged as the elevator rose. When they got to her floor, Julie didn’t want to leave, as the discussion had moved on from Batman to Superman, the Avengers, and other comic book heroes.

Adam took her hand and led her from the elevator. They turned and waved to the group when the doors closed.

Adam smiled. “I call that a successful discussion.”

Julie laughed. “Even though we’ve not come to a consensus?”

“Makes life interesting.”

Julie looked around, the numbers on the rooms indicated her floor. “Wait, we missed your floor.”

“I’m escorting you to your room.”

Julie smiled and hugged his arm. “That’s very sweet.” They stopped in front of her door. “This is my stop.”

Adam faced her. He cupped her face and leaned in, giving her plenty of time to back away if she wanted to.

Julie didn’t want to. She leaned forward and his lips brushed hers. Her lips tingled where they touched. She forgot to think as his tongue entered her mouth to duel with hers.

Butterflies took flight in her stomach and she pressed her body fully against his. The feel of his firm body made her wish they were a lot more private with a lot less clothing between them.

However, it was too soon for anything more than a few passionate kisses. Tomorrow should be soon enough.

“Ahem. I said
ahem
.”

The voice of her roommate burst through the haze of lust and need. Adam pulled away, his cheeks flushed.

“Wow,” he said.

It took Julie a moment to nod. “Yeah.”

“Are you two done yet?”

Heat rose in her cheeks. Kit needed to die a horribly painful death.

Adam grinned. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, we need to plan our attack for the scavenger hunt.”

“Meet me for breakfast,” he brought up her hand and kissed her fingers.

“Um sure, what time?” Julie focused on standing rather than melting into a puddle at his feet.

“Seven.”

“Okay. In costume?”

“Of course.”

He pressed another toe curling kiss against her lips and walked toward the elevator.

Julie leaned against the wall, with her hand on her chest, watching him walk away. The man kissed like a dream—and had a very nice ass.

He entered the elevator, turned, waved, and blew her a kiss as the doors closed.

“Are you done mooning yet?” Kit asked.

Julie giggled and followed Kit into the room. She flopped onto her back on the bed. “He’s too good to be true isn’t he?”

Kit sat on her bed looking serious.

“I don’t know. From what I know of him, he’s exactly as portrayed.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“How long has it been for you?”

“Um, my last boyfriend was a couple of years ago, why?”

“It could be that you’re desperate for any positive male attention.”

Julie thought about that for a moment. “No, before I saw him as Batman, I was hit on by quite a few men, but they did nothing for me.”

“Yes, but they approached you, and you’re the one who approached him.”

“Does that mean I’m desperate?”

Kit thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know. You’re not acting normal, so it’s hard to tell.”

A giggle escaped her. “I know, but it was fun.”