Page 38 of Quake

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She squirmed, her laughter increasing.

“I’m shit-hot with a bar of soap…if you know what I’m saying,” I said wickedly.

“Oh, fuck it!” she exclaimed. “You’re too tempting.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“How could I say no to the best breakfast menu in Brunswick?”

She buried into my arms, and I breathed in her scent—the lingering tang of her perfume and the musk of sex—feeling happier than I had in a long time. We lay together, our heartbeats slowing, inches away from sleep, comfortable and safe together in our little cocoon. Fuck, I could stay right here forever and not get tired of this shit.

“We did, you know,” I whispered into her hair. She mumbled something intelligible, sleep already pulling her under. “Meet at the right time. I’m sure of it.”

15

Juliette

Shower sex wasmy new favorite pastime. The water added slickness to human skin that just made things very…fluid.

Thankfully, Beat was closed, and no one had keys apart from Caleb, so our morning shower activities in the men’s change room were completely private.

Then after we managed to get dressed, he took me to breakfast as promised.

The café around the corner was a little hole-in-the-wall done up in dark rustic wood paneling that appeared to be recycled railway sleepers. Paired with polished wood countertops and tables and lots of greenery, it had a real hipster vibe that was totally cool. Little potted succulents hung from the ceiling and sat on each table, and they cluttered the windowsill and little specially cut alcoves in the wall. The entire space was infused with the scent of roasted coffee beans and whatever was being cooked up in the kitchen.

A tall, lanky man was standing behind the coffee machine when we walked in, his black horn-rimmed glasses suiting his Brunswick artsy vibe down to the ground.

“Hey,” the guy called out as the little bell above the door jingled, obviously on familiar terms with Caleb.

“Hey, Seth,” Caleb said, lingering by the counter.

“You want your usual today?” he asked, then spied me lingering in the shadow Caleb’s broad shoulders had cast behind him. “A menu perhaps?” He plucked a little black book from the counter beside him and offered it to me.

As I took it, Caleb turned and slipped his arm around my waist, tugging me forward.

“This is Juliette,” he said, smiling down at me. “This is Seth. He owns the place, and has done for what? A year now?”

“Almost,” Seth replied with a friendly smile. “Worked here for years, and then when the boss man, Joseph, wanted to retire and put the place up for sale, I convinced him to make me a deal I couldn’t refuse. Caleb here is my best customer.”

“Fuck off,” he said with a chuckle.

I smiled and flipped open the menu. “What do you recommend?”

“One of everything,” Seth said with a wink.

“Don’t listen to him,” Caleb declared, placing his finger on the menu. “The sweet potato latkes are the best.”

“Latkes?” I asked, not familiar with what they were.

“Potato pancakes,” Seth explained. “Served with baby spinach, crispy bacon bits, a dollop of sour cream, and freshly chopped chives. Oh, and a side of sourdough toast. The crowning glory of our menu.”

“Then how could I refuse,” I said. “Put me down for one of those and a pot of English Breakfast tea.”

“Comin’ right up. Caleb?”

“Latkes and a flat white.”

Caleb tugged on my waist, steering me away from the counter toward a table in the far corner. The little two-seater table was shielded from the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows and offered us a little privacy. We were the only customers in here so far, but I instantly liked the fact Caleb sought out a little oasis for us.