Chapter 3

The line at Crazy Cruller stretched to the door, and Cole kept his hands stuffed in his pockets, shivering every time a patron entered or left. Crazy Cruller had been a popular breakfast spot in Ipswich when it opened in 1997, and the decor hadn’t changed since. The blue-and-white vinyl tiling had chipped in spots and was scratched to hell from years of sand and salt tracked in. The wood paneling made it feel like grandma’s basement. The tables and benches were hard, designed to keep the patrons moving, but the townies stayed there for hours anyway. His daily ritual was a bacon-egg-and-cheese with a large regular coffee, the same since he started in masonry four years earlier.

The husky woman at the counter looked like she had woken up at four in the morning and didn’t even bother asking what he wanted. She just slid his breakfast sandwich, wrapped in aluminum foil, over and began making his coffee. He had his cash out by the time she came back with the steaming Styrofoam cup.

He was slipping pennies into the plastic tray and turning away when someone bumped into him. Cole turned his head, saw a woman fall, and dropped his breakfast to catch her. The coffee cup she was holding tipped over, splashing his sweatshirt. As he lifted her, she gripped his sweatshirt to steady herself and looked at him through deep blue eyes behind tortoiseshell glasses. She pushed her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and looked at him, then covered her open mouth.

The cashier groaned and said, “Cole, the mop is in the corner. There are too many people for me to deal with that crap.”

He held the woman who bumped into him by the shoulders and pushed her away so she could stand on her own. She wore a mustard-colored sweatshirt and a plaid scarf that seemed too big for her, and her eyes didn’t leave him as he smiled and walked over to the mop and bucket.

“Oh, my God! I am so sorry!” she said. “Let me get you a napkin.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. This sweatshirt is on its last legs anyway.” He grabbed the mop and dipped it in the bucket, which was dirtier than the crater water. Cole wrung it out and brought it back to the spill as a patron stepped over the coffee puddle and shook their head at the girl.

“I’m usually not this clumsy,” she said, tripping over her words. “I’m new in town, and everyone said this was the best place to get a coffee—”

She stopped talking as her foot mashed into his breakfast roll. “I’m sorry.”

“I should have picked it up sooner. That’s my fault.” He stacked the cups one inside the other and picked up the mashed roll.

“Let me buy you another one,” she said, putting her hands around his arm.

The peppered-haired cashier placed two coffees next to another bacon-egg-and-cheese and said, “Will that be cash or charge?”

She slid a twenty over the counter.

Cole pointed at her and said, “Hey, do I know you from somewhere? You look really familiar. I’m Cole. What’s your name?”

“Me?” she said with a smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I don’t think we’ve met, but it’s possible. I’m Shannon. I’ve just moved here for a biotech job.”

They grabbed their replacement orders and walked to the door. “I have a landscaping company that mostly does masonry work. I’m a townie,” he said, his eyes unable to meet her gaze for long. “Anyway, it was nice talking with you, Shannon. I’ll be seeing you.”

Shannon’s frame stiffened, and her lips tugged downwards for a moment. Cole felt the anxiety bubble up in his stomach. The girl was clearly out of his league: a college-educated woman working in bio-whatever who would never choose him. He stepped back and tried to turn around, but something inside him pushed him to at least try.

She was turning to go when he scratched his neck and said, “You know, since you’ve just moved in, I could help you get to know the place. That is, if you’re interested.”

The young woman’s eyes widened, and a smile flashed over her face, reaching her eyes.

Cole fished out his phone, unlocked it, and said, “I just lost my old one. It’s a crazy story I won’t bore you with, but I’m still learning this one.”

Cole fumbled with his contacts for a few moments before Shannon snatched the phone from his hands. “Don’t worry, I’ll do it for you.” She held the phones together for a few seconds, tapped the screen once, then handed the phone back to him. “All done. Now, a heads-up: I’m pretty busy, so if I don’t respond right away, don’t worry. I promise I’m not ghosting you.”

Her phone beeped, and she read the message. “I’m sorry, I got to run. It was nice meeting you, Cole.”

…

The next evening, Cole watched the football game, staring at his phone and the single text message he had sent her earlier.

I know it’s cold, but there are some pretty nice walking paths around town, or we could play a couple of games of candlepin. No pressure…

“No, Cole, just wait, don’t send another text,” he said to himself. He got up and paced behind his well-worn couch, watching the Pats go for it on fourth down. Something made a noise by his window.

He used his new power to sprint to the window and, in an instant, peered outside. Cole frowned as his mouth dried and goosebumps rose on his forearms. Things like this were happening all day. He shook his head and turned around only to curse at the TV and say, “All you had to do was get one yard! Damn it!”

…

On Cole’s roof sat a panting Aphelia in full uniform, hidden in the dark. That had been too close. In all her life, she had never seen a man move that fast.

“He really is a supe,” she said, catching her breath. She tapped her wrist computer, which brought up a hologram of her civilian cell phone screen, and looked at the message Cole had sent.

Her fingers reached for the keyboard to type a response, but she stopped. “Would Agent Withcote even let me date a supe without arranging it first? Fuck, he’s so cute!”

She bit her lip, and her finger went to type the first letter when the phone screen disappeared, replaced by a flashing orange screen.

…Level five event in progress. Ladies, assemble at Washington, DC…

She rolled her eyes and got up. “Don’t worry, Cole. Once I handle whatever this is, I’m coming back for you.”

Want to read up to 10 chapters ahead or chat with the community? Join the Discord: [https://discord.gg/Q5Qax3cmVd] | Support on Patreon: [https://www.patreon.com/Context5812]