章節 15: Shit Luck

"Getting you in the school might be a bit more complicated than I thought," Cole spoke out as he held Tammi to his chest as they rested on the bed. She shifted her head with some urgency and looked over at him with shaky eyes.

"Why? What's the problem?" She asked nervously. She really was in a fragile mood right now. Cole spent the day with her from her perspective but he could not do that often. At least from what she knew so far.

Cole squeezed her and ran his hand through her hair in a calming manner.

"I may have gotten a bit more eyes on me than expected. The PRT is basically watching me 24/7 and the Empire kids are being a pain as well. I was not really thinking about the future when I did what I did but all of my actions so far have been…..really reckless." Cole explained slowly and calmly.

"Really? Are you going to be in trouble coming here?" Tammi asked urgently as she shifted her gaze from Cole's to the door while biting her lip.

Again she was running into the issue of not having enough information. Cole's clone mainly relied on simple chatter as he did not want to worry her. Leaving the more delicate matters to the main body.

Cole shifted her head so it was no longer looking at the door but back on his own eyes. He then caressed her face with a doting expression on his face.

"No, we are fine," Cole spoke out softly as he traced the edges of her face with his hands. She leaned into his touch but still had a slight tremble going through her body.

"So I'm going to have to be alone?" She asked with a quiver in her voice and a sort of desperate longing. Still, while she wanted nothing more than to stay in his presence if push came to shove she would try her best to be alone.

Cole squeezed her in his arms making sure her head was resting on his chest. Letting the steady beat of his heart calm her unsteady mood.

"No, I probably should have led with this but I was able to steal a new power. It allows me to clone myself and swap locations with said clone whenever I want. So we don't need to bring you to Winslow. I can have a clone give me an alibi while we do other things." Cole explained with a wry smile on his face. Tammi pouted before biting his nape with a glare on her face.

Evidently, she was not pleased with him leaving that piece of information out for so long. She was going through a crisis that held no meaning. Cole took the bite with the grace that was needed even if he did wince at the force she used behind it.

Seeing her bite break skin she winced before absorbing the injury using her own power.

"Sorry." She mumbled out. Usually, she would have swatted him when she was particularly upset with him but in her current position that was not an option. So she underestimated the force she used while biting him. It was not like she made it a habit to bite people beforehand.

"It's alright I deserved it," Cole spoke out with the same wry smile on his face. It was not even the most painful injury on his body currently. He was wearing makeup to cover the bruises on his face.

He figured that swapping with his clone and suddenly having bruises would freak her out. He could have asked her to absorb those injuries as well but that would give the PRT even more evidence of his strangeness. So he opted to hide his injuries for now.

Although, the question of whether he was actually hiding it from her was bugging him now.

"So I've been thinking that you have to be going stir-crazy here. So how about we head out in disguise? My clone is currently at home right now so my alibi is set." Cole spoke out while dragging her out of bed. At first, she pouted at their little cozy bed being disturbed but she perked up at the notion of going out of this room.

"Oh? Are you asking me out on a date?" She asked with a teasing smile on her face and a sparkle in her eye. Cole chucked and twirled her around the room earning a startled yelp from her. After that he put her down and while she was flustered from the act Cole leaned down to say something into her ear.

"Of course I am, I want to spend the rest of my life by your side Tammi a simple date is just step one," Cole spoke out in a deep whisper into Tammi's ear. That earned him a shiver running down her spine and the blush on her face rising several shades.

Tammi remained flustered for a moment before her overstimulated brain decided to take action as she swatted his arm to get him to back off. That of course only led to Cole laughing at her actions while looking at her with deep affection and a teasing smile of his own.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to indulge you for today." She announced while refusing to make eye contact. Cole wanted to lean down and pepper kisses all over her but that would only lead them to spending more time in this room. While cuddling and holding onto her was something he wanted to do for a very long time he could not do that right now.

Cole may have been using the stir-crazy image to get her to go on a date with him but she really was getting nervous sitting around here. She was running off of paranoia of her being caught and thrown back into prison since he busted her out. Cole was the only thing holding her together and it was only today that he spent all day with her.

So a nice pleasant day on the boardwalk would do wonders for her stability. Cole may not have robbed a bank but he managed to snag a safe from that Buy More. It had a nice hefty chunk of change that would cover his spending funds for years to come.

Just one of the perks of dancing on the other side of the law.

Cole and Tammi disguised themselves quickly and started their journey to the boardwalk. As they walked hand in hand down the street Cole was joyful but a thought kept his mood grounded. If only they could wander about in their original appearance.

But that was out of the cards for now. Cole was not willing to burn everything to the ground just yet and his relationship with his Father was in a surprising condition.

He tried to keep those thoughts out of his head and with their hands interlocked he was having a good time at it but it was always at the back of his mind.

He could bring Tammi to the PRT. With her powers, they would all but sell their souls to recruit her. So they could pardon her crimes and put her in the Wards. It was certainly a viable situation.

Hell, that was the sort of deal the PRT thrived on and it was not like she did a major crime.

It would allow her the freedom to do as she wished and she no longer had to hide behind the mask he gave her. It would not even mess too much with his own operations. Tammi was certainly an asset but she would not do well helping him in heists. She was better off as support or a nuke to destroy people.

He was going to have to bring this up to her later as the decision was ultimately up to her. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the date that he managed to snag from her.

The boardwalk was filled with students who just finished school and were looking for a place to hang around in. Tammi and Cole were able to fit in that crowd pretty well even in their disguise.

Not exactly a cozy date but the two of them had fun. Shopping around in the overpriced tourist attractions. At first, Tammi was a little hesitant but Cole assured her that money was not an issue.

So Tammi was able to update her wardrobe well beyond what it was before. She even managed to get a couple of outfits that fit Cole's usual image very well.

Beyond the shopping, they visited the standard tourist gigs. Various carnival games and stuff like getting portraits done. It was not something Cole would usually want to spend his time doing but seeing the bright look in her eyes as she snacked on an oversized cookie was well worth the effort.

After the two of them had their fun in the various activities they settled down at a nice Cafe. Again it was a bit overpriced but the cozy environment and the elaborate pastries made up for it. Cole could see other people out on dates here so clearly it was a good spot to settle.

Cole was seated sipping a hot chocolate as he watched Tammi sitting across from him with a soft smile on his face. The pastries here really did look amazing but that oversized cookie ruined her appetite which had Tammi throwing a pout his way as she drank her own sweet-looking caffeinated drink.

"If you want one of them you should just order it," Cole spoke out with an amused smile on his face. He was looking at Tammi as she cast a longing glance at another table who had some sort of pastry that looked like a puppy.

"I wish I could," Tammi spoke out as she looked over at the pastry before letting out a sigh. She was not exactly a heavy eater on most days and the oversized cookie was already pushing her stomach. Seeing that Cole let out a laugh and he reached over to her and brushed her hair out of her face.

"We can always come here on another day if you really want something like that," Cole spoke out softly coupled with his previous actions and the light dusting of red on her face turned brighter.

"Already shooting your shot at a second date?" Tammi asked with that teasing smile on her face again. Seeing that Cole wore a smirk and leaned across the table. Before Tammi could react Cole had snatched a kiss from her.

"Hmmm I think I prefer the last kiss," Cole spoke out as he licked his lips with a smirk on his face. The red on her face went nuclear now.

That kiss certainly tasted sweeter as it was coated with her caramel drink and his own taste of chocolate. Still, while he had a sweet tooth that salty kiss will always remain at the forefront of his mind.

"Shut up." She whispered while looking away from him. Cole chuckled and gave her a break from his teasings. Cole looked around at the Cafe trying to see if there was an item that would fit Tammi's taste buds that he could get for takeout.

As he was doing that he caught sight of a girl that had his mood dropping rapidly. Seated on the other side of the room was a blonde girl who had a laptop out. She was dressed in tight jeans and a purple blouse. She had her hair tied in a messy bun. Her face was fox like with freckles peppered across her face. Her eyes a shade of green that while eye-catching were not the bright gems that Cole's were.

That girl was currently watching the two of them with laser focus. Her mouth was slightly agape as she looked over at Cole and Tammi. No, her focus may jump to Tammi every once and a while but she was locked in on him with a baffled look.

She could be an assortment of individuals but knowing his luck he managed to have fucking Tatteltale bumping into his date. Cole wanted to curse his shitty luck but he should have expected to wander into her eyesight eventually.

Since Cole had Blank he was bound to attract her attention eventually.