“You guys need a picture together,” Lucy urged. “Come on.”
Before she could take a step, he took that first stride in her direction.
Her heart quickened, and she wet her lips beneath the mask.
“Nadia. At last, I have found you,” he called out as he approached.
Oh, god.
He sounded like he was a bad actor auditioning for a high school play. His voice was unnaturally loud and low. It was cheesy and awkward, and she was one hundred percent here for it.
She straightened and lifted her chin. Made her voice breathy and lush.
“Aidan, my mate. You should’ve looked harder.”
People laughed, and cameras snapped.
He stopped in front of her, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do now.
Tori slid her arm around his waist and sidled close. “Let us pose for the mortals.”
He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. The smell of sandalwood and—was that coconut?—teased her nostrils. Cologne? Deodorant?
Whatever it was, he smelled nice.
The muscles from his bicep pressed lightly against the back of her shoulder, and his long fingers rested on her upper arm.
There was nothing inappropriate about his touch, and he never moved his fingers over her bare skin where they rested. And yet, just feeling them lightly against her both reassured and stirred something in her.
She relaxed into his solid body and smiled beneath her mask as people photographed them.
For the next fifteen minutes, they posed with other attendees who’d approach, or just each other when people asked for photos.
When it looked like the initial excitement was over, he released his arm and stepped away.
A prickle of disappointment hit, but she shoved it off because... how weird was that?
“Your costume is amazing,” he raised his voice over the noise around them, but the mask still distorted it a bit.
She did the same, not quite yelling, but still projecting to make sure he could hear her. “Thanks, I like yours too. Homemade?”
“Absolutely. By a seller on Etsy.”
She laughed, though she was slightly in awe. People got paid to make these? How fun would that be?
One of her favorite parts in cosplaying was designing and creating her own costume. All the little detailed and intricate parts made it all that much more exciting.
“Smart. I could’ve saved so much time.”
“Not money, though.” He pulled his phone out of a pocket inside the vest. “I should let you get back to your friends. I was going to check out theFantasypanel that starts soon.”
“Oh, right.” The idea of him leaving sent her stomach diving with disappointment.
What the hell, Tori? You don’t even know this guy.
But she found herself wanting to.
Chapter Ten