by Dan Dillard
Chapter 6
He saw White, the she-wolf and she challenged him. The vision was strong for a moment, then it vanished.
"Sir?" the waitress said. "Can I get you something?"
She had a look of amused worry on her face.
"Coffee," Jason said unconsciously trying to leap back into the daydream. It didn't work.
"Coffee," he repeated. "Sorry, I was somewhere else for a minute."
He glanced at her name tag. ROCKY it said in raised plastic letters. She noticed.
"I'm Rocky, short for Racquel. No boxing jokes please."
"Okay."
She patted him on the shoulder. The boxing comment took him by surprise and he giggled nervously. Normally collected, something about her scattered him.
"Hey, I'll be right back with that coffee," she said.
It could've been her confident stance or her pale green eyes, but he knew the truth. If he recognized her, she must've seen him for what he was as well.
"You ok?" Rocky asked.
"Fine. I just need some caffeine, and maybe some food."
"Rough night?"
"Yeah. I rode a bus from Texas yesterday, and the night before."
"Yowch. Tell ya what. First cup's on me. Call it a welcome present."
She disappeared behind the counter and Jason rubbed his hand down his face, pausing for a moment at his chin. He considered leaving for a second. Finding another caf? without a supernatural staff seemed desirable. On the other hand, she might have answers or at least similar questions.
That scent was undeniable, feral, but he had to be certain it was her. There were only a few others in the dining area and the scent faded when she went in the back. He slid sideways in the booth and walked toward the bathroom passing three tables of patrons on the way. An elderly couple smiled at him warmly, and he reciprocated, but he detected nothing. Then he passed another table with a single man who smelled like too much cologne. The scent grew faint as he reached the restroom, pushed the door open and walked inside.
The usual smells lived in there. He checked his armpits and his breath. He looked in the mirror over one of the porcelain sinks and turned on the water. Cupping his hands, he brought some to his face to cool off and try and relax. His hands trembled as he closed his eyes, seeing the she-wolf again.
"Maybe coffee is a bad idea," he said.
Jason wiped his eyes as another man came through the door. He breathed through his nose, studying the aroma. Nothing out of the ordinary, the young man smelled like a mechanic, fuel, grease and other chemicals. He'd had bacon for breakfast. It made Jason's mouth water.
Rocky was placing his cup on the table as he returned and he took the opportunity to inhale deeply. His nerves caught fire and the hair on his neck stood on end. It was her. He felt like he might turn wolf right there in an instant, although in reality, the process took days to complete. The primal urge to grab her was overpowering. Instead, he smashed his knee into the side of the booth.
"Oh my God! Are you all right?" she asked.
The pain was just enough to distract him. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Yep. It only hurts a lot," he said and they shared a laugh.
He sat gingerly and picked up the nondescript porcelain mug. "This coffee smells great, thanks."
She smiled. "Do you want some ice or something for that?"
"No. I'm fine really. It sounded a lot worse that it is."
Why doesn't she notice me? Or does she and she's just a lot better at this than I am? he thought.
Rocky tapped the menu in front of him. "I'll give you a minute," she said.
"Thanks," he replied and managed a decent smile.
He watched her walk away. Not glamorous but quite easy to look at. She moved with the same grace he normally exhibited. He didn't understand how she couldn't know what he was. It didn't matter. At that moment, he had an interesting dilemma.
"How do you ask someone if they change into a monster once a month?" he whispered.
He stirred his coffee, added some sugar and stirred again. It was half empty when Rocky returned. She had a pitcher of ice water and a pad.
"Bacon," he said. "And a muffin."
She set the pitcher down to take notes. "You're just a bit strange, aren't you?" she asked.
"Noticeable?"
She bit her lower lip-the expression twisted his insides-and tapped her pen on the table. "Coffee, bacon and a muffin. Will there be anything else, sir?"
"Jason," he said.
"Huh?"
"I mean, I'm Jason. I hate 'sir'? it's so formal."
"Agreed. Formal sucks. Will there be anything else, Jason?"
"No. I think that'll do it. Oh, you can go ahead and bring the check. I'm in a bit of a hurry. Thanks."
Her eyebrows arched as she continued to write on the ticket.
"Big plans today?"
"Something like that."
"Strange and mysterious, too," Rocky said.
She laid the check face-down on the table and turned to walk away.
"Rocky?" he interrupted.
She looked back as if ready to give him extra napkins or maybe a straw, an expectant smile on her lips.
"Do you think we might talk over lunch sometime?"
The smile disappeared and Rocky took a deep breath. "I'll? just get you some more coffee."
Then she vanished through the swinging door into the kitchen.
Jason felt dumbfounded as if she'd questioned him. Something he should've known the answer to but didn't. He took one sip of the coffee, then another. A minute later, the young man who had greeted him when he entered dropped a plate with a muffin and some bacon in front of him and started to walk off.
"Wait," Jason said, looking for a reason to ask about Rocky.
The young man turned, his face, the picture of apathy. It made Jason second guess his question. Instead, he asked, "Who's Jack?"
The boy looked up at the menu board, where Jason was looking and shrugged.
"No idea," he said, followed by, "enjoy." Without waiting for a response, he left.
Jason ate the bacon quickly, fished a ten dollar bill from his wallet and placed it on the table. Then he picked up the check to make sure it was enough. The green paper was blank except for the words:
MEET ME HERE TOMORROW AT 3PM- ROCKY.
