Page 74 of Cosplay & Consequences

Reuben instantly annoyed me with his usual greeting. “Danny Boy!”

I gritted my teeth. Reuben’s jubilant tone wasn’t horrible, but every time he called me ‘Danny Boy’ I wanted to punch him in the face.

“How’s everyone doing?” I asked, wiping the back of my neck.

“We’re doing great, Woobie,” Stella said. “Or at least that’s what everyone is telling me.”

“The trailer has hit over a million views,” Britta informed me. “And that’s just on the studio’s channel. It’s been shared on almost every platform. Congratulations. You’ve gone viral.”

I let out a long breath. I thought I had come to grips with taking the role, but now it had shifted to another level.

“The trailer is doing so well, we’re going to use part of it as your intro next week at the San Domingo Comic Con,” Reuben added. “And we’re planning other ways to take advantage of the publicity.”

“Like what?” I asked. I didn’t like the grin on his face, and Britta’s expression was too cheerful for my taste.

“Well, first of all, there were a ton of people who identified you at a certain karaoke event last night,” Britta replied. “That’s turning up, so we’re playing up your theater background. We’re lining up a few more interviews with more of the mainstream press as well. However, there’s one thing that we think will put us over the top.”

I said nothing, my eyes going back and forth between Britta and Reuben. They were obviously collaborating, and I didn’t like it.

“There’s been a lot of rumors floating around about you and Jessica Richards,” Reuben said in a sly tone. “We think the two of you making your relationship public would be something special.”

I glared at Britta. She had noticed Jess and I at the trailer taping and had suggested this as a publicity option. I shut her down that night, and I wasn’t pleased that she shared this with Reuben.

“Absolutely not.”

Reuben scoffed. “C’mon Danny! To have you go from meh to dating that Richards girl? That’s better publicity than when you and Kismet went out.”

I bristled at the name. “Reuben, it’s not happening. We did the trailer, and Jess endorsed me out of her own free will. I met my obligation, and I’m not dragging my personal life into this.”

Britta clicked her tongue. “Danny, you’re passing up an excellent opportunity here. You’re not going to be an obscure soap opera actor anymore. The endorsement is great, but to show how you won her over–”

“No. I don’t give a shit. Jess is not a publicity stunt. I’m not treating our relationship that way.” I tried to keep my tone calm, but my voice had become far too loud and annoyed to be considered professional.

Stella’s feline filtered face frowned. “I think Danny has made his preference known. This discussion is over. We are going to respect his privacy.”

Britta’s lips formed into a thin line, and Reuben’s smile faltered for a second.

“Of course, no one would ever force Danny Boy into a situation like that,” he said smoothly.

I wanted to flip him off at that moment. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?” I asked, ready to be done with this conversation.

“Well, we have some logistics for next week’s event at Hall G,” Britta replied.

“Send the schedule to Paige, and she’ll take care of it. Great chat everyone. Yay team.”

Before anything else could be said, I ended the call. I groaned and massaged the tension out of my neck. I didn’t mind getting good publicity, but I wasn’t going to do it at the expense of my personal life. As I sat there and fumed, my phone notification went off. It was Jess.

Jess: My last panel ends in about 30 minutes. Up for dinner?

Any frustration I had evaporated in seconds.

I dug out my sunglasses and an old ball cap from my car and wore them as I waited for Jess. As I stood by the entrance to her panel, my phone blew up with messages and calls. Most of them were from people I haven’t talked to in years. Some of them were members of the media who somehow tracked down my number. And then there was the guy who claimed to be my long-lost uncle. I had just figured out how to block calls from unknown numbers when the doors opened up, and the attendees began to leave.

Jess walked out of the hall and spotted me, despite my “disguise.” She was dressed in the same outfit as the day she interviewed me, dragging her wheelie suitcase behind her. It was amazing how much lighter everything became around her. The tension in my shoulders relaxed, and the annoyances of the day floated away.

“Look at you cleverly hidden in plain sight,” she teased, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Afraid of being mobbed by Tyrant geeks?”

“I’m only interested in being mobbed by one fan in particular,” I said, taking her suitcase from her.