Every Saturday, I sweated in a bear suit, handing out flyers while my boss, Jake, unknowingly flirted with me. He didn’t know who I was, and I was too nervous to tell him. I watched him from my desk, perfect and confident, while I fumbled through my day, struggling with my appearance and insecurities.
One day, Jake noticed me staring at him and teased me about it. He seemed amused, but I panicked and played it off. My life was a mess of awkward moments, but somehow, every Saturday, Jake would stop by while I was in the bear suit, handing me coffee and chatting like it was normal.
Eventually, I got the courage to tell him the truth—about the bear suit, about me. But when I tried, I walked into a surprise work anniversary party instead. Humiliated, I quit and threw myself into binge-watching movies.
Then, one Saturday, a Skunk mascot appeared. It was Jake in disguise. Turns out, he’d been stopping by every weekend on purpose. He pulled off the Skunk head, smirking. “Surprise!”
He asked for real coffee, and I agreed—on the condition that he never wear the Skunk suit again. And just like that, I stepped out of my costume and into real life.