In The Costume Closet
Laughing, we drew back and away from the door. The light flickered dimly above us, and the press of clothing was only succeeding in drowning us in a mounting heat. Together we fell backwards and against the far wall, our sides heaving as we gasped for breath.
“Is it really that bad?” Alex wondered from outside the door. He popped his head back in, and the quizzical look on his face only worked to prompt another bout of laughter from the two of us.
“Hang on, hang on,” I said, using the aid of a box to haul myself away from the wall. “I’ll find you something else.”
“But why?” you complained, your face set in a teasing grin. “He looks like the perfect flying monkey.”
I remember giving you a patronizing look, and then motioning to poor little Alex’s shoes. They looked like a pair of gardener’s boots, sprinkled with glitter. I could not help but laugh at the notion, and you could only smile at me. There was nothing that you could say.
“He’s wearing plastic stripper pants,” I replied, searching through a rack of clothes as Alex removed his boots in the hallway.
You shrugged.
Biting my lip, I tried as best as I could to find a costume in the half light. It was hard work trying to keep my balance, and I had to lean sideways and against another pile of clothes to stay on my feet. The little room was nothing more then a mountain of boxes and theater clothing, and there was hardly any room to breath, let alone search through the racks for a suitable costume. “Well, help me look.”
You moved in beside me, your strong arms pushing the clothes to one side, to grant you easier passage. Together we pawed through the huge selection, pausing now and again to ponder one garment or another.
“How do I look?” I asked, putting on my cutest smile, and posing with an odd hat on my head.
You just chuckled, before you took it off and put it on your own. Pushing your glasses up a bit higher on the bridge of your nose, you made a face. Even Alex had to laugh at you. It was hilarious.
“Hey, what happened to that holy thing that we found a second ago?” I asked you.
You took off the hat and threw it on the ground, simply adding to the mess, before running a hand through the clothing again. “Here,” you said, tossing it to me nonchalantly.
I looked at the torn fabric, and then smiled to myself. “Alex, try this on.”
“What is it?” he asked, taking it within both hands.
“It’ll be your cape,” I replied, urging him to put it on.
“Flying monkey’s don’t wear capes,” you said, your voice suddenly close. It is amazing, the things that can pass between two people, in a moment’s time. I could feel your warmth through my clothes, smell the musky scent of your cologne, and the acrid scent of the chlorine on your swim trunks. The slight touch of your arm brushing against mine, and the touch of your breath on my neck, only succeeded in sending a long, foreign shiver down my spine.
It is so odd how the body and the mind work together. It was like I was watching from another person’s body. My eyes became unfocused, and as we watched Alex throw the thing around his shoulders, I found that I was hardly comprehending it at all. It was just you and me in the costume closet.
Whether I dared to, or my body pushed my conscience to the back of my mind, I leaned back against that solid warmth. I could have sworn that you took a step forward, for I could feel the heat of your chest, and our legs became entangled. Yours through mine, mine through yours. It was a tense moment, a moment of quickened breathing, of an unnatural, unfelt emotion. A stirring.
The single light bulb that lit the room flickered.
“How does it look?” Alex asked. I shook my head, startled back into reality. You did not move from behind me.
Blinking quickly, I looked Alex up and down. Corn flower hair, mischievous, loving eyes, and slender aesthetic appeal. He certainly did not look like a flying monkey. He was too beautiful.
“The cape can be like… wings,” he said with a smile. He flapped his arms, and then laughed.
“Well, it’s the best thing that we have,” I said with a shrug.
You moved away, and instantly, there was a sense of loss, from deep within my chest. I smiled reluctantly at Alex, unclasped his cape, and then switched off the light. “Then I guess that we’re done here.”
And as you locked that closet door, you locked within it, the last memory that I had of you.

-Lauren Hatch
(I really really hate this guy now)