Chapter Three

Liz got out of class, and Hunter was waiting in the courtyard. A smile grew on his face when he saw her. She saw him almost immediately and walked over to him.

"You came?" She said in a questioning tone, a little surprised that he was already waiting for her for who knows how long.

"Of course, I came. We made a date, didn't we?" He replied, smiling at her again. "Shall we get that cup of coffee? How about we have lunch as well? It is almost lunch time, and you're probably hungry. Am I right?"

"Uh…yes…are you sure?" She replied, not expecting that he would turn their coffee date into a lunch date. She wanted to get lost in the feeling that he genuinely liked her for her, but she still wanted to find out if his motives were acceptable.

"Of course, I am sure. My treat. I just want to get to know you better." He said with an encouraging smile.

"Oh, okay." She said with a smile back. "Let's go then."

He offered his elbow for her to hang on. She was a little hesitant at first, but she looped her arm into his while they walked. He took her to a cute, little cafe that served sandwiches. A waitress greeted them at the door and showed them to a table. She gave them a couple of menus and came back later to take their order.

"I'll try the turkey on rye with cranberry mayo, please." Liz said as she gave the menu back to the waitress.

"Anything to drink with that?" The waitress asked, anticipating the answer.

"A large Cocoa Coffee, please, with extra cocoa." Liz said with a smile.

"And you, sir?" The waitress asked as she looked at Hunter.

"A BLT and a large Cappuccino." He replied with a smile.

"I'll be back with your orders." The waitress said as she left.

"Cocoa Coffee?" Hunter asked with a raised brow.

"The only way I drink coffee…for the most part. Sometimes I get a Cappuccino." Liz replied with a grin. "I can tolerate coffee straight up, but I prefer, at least, some sugar in it."

"I use to drink coffee straight up as you put it, but I switched to cappuccinos a while back." Hunter said with a slight smirk. "It is just not the same anymore since the accident."

"Accident?" Liz asked, not expecting he would mention something like that so soon. "I'm sorry. You don't need to tell me if it is too painful." She said, realizing that he may not want to talk about what happened.

"It's all right. I brought it up." Hunter said with a gentle smile. "I got struck by lightning while chasing a suspect. The doctor said that I was really lucky to be alive. I just can't get over the amazement of surviving and how that changed my life forever. It was the reason I had the guts to ask you out. Otherwise, I probably would not have thought of using that run in as an opportunity to get to know you. In that sense, I am grateful that happened to me. It was like Fate was giving me a wakeup call."

Liz gave him an encouraging smile and placed her hand on top of his. "I am glad that you asked me out."

The waitress came back with their orders and placed them on the table. Liz sat back and looked at her Cocoa Coffee with excitement. It was arguably her favorite drink. "Thank you." She said, not even looking up. She took a bit out of her sandwich first to let her Cocoa Coffee cool a little, and it was actually good. Then, she took a sip from her cup, tasting that warm, sweet liquid. She almost wanted to say that it was better than sex, but she was a virgin. Thus, how would she know if it was better than sex?

Hunter just smiled at how Liz was acting. She just made the same face as a kid in a candy store. She was so innocent, and it made him forget for a moment how complicated his life was. He wanted to protect that quality of her because it made him feel good but was he being selfish. The world does not only have good people, or it would not need people like him. Yes, he had become the villainous Zoom, but he was still a cop. He did not really want to kill her great grandfather. He just wanted to push him to be the best hero he could be. It was not enough to be good at what he does. He needed to be the best. However, when he killed her Great Grandma Agnes, he was being selfish. He was being a true villain, but that was beside the point. If he would keep her this innocent, would she be more vulnerable to real villains, who truly want to hurt her. Either way, he needed to make sure she will be safe.

He started to eat his sandwich and sip on his cup. He continued to think while he ate about a plan to give the skills Liz needed to stay safe in this world. He needed to break her innocent views to a certain extent. She needed a darker view of the world, so no one could take her away from him. When he finished, he looked up and noticed that she was looking at him with those big, bright eyes. She had finished her sandwich and was still sipping on her Cocoa Coffee, savoring every bit.

"Is there anything you want to know about me?" She asked when she noticed that he was looking at her. She did not want to break his train of thought, so she waited for him to look at her.

"Oh, yes…I have noticed yesterday that you had physics and psychology books. I was wondering why you are studying two unrelated things." He replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Well, I am majoring in physics, so I can become a scientist like my father. As for they psychology classes. I figured they would be interesting electives. It is the study of the human mind, and everyone has a mind. Well, at least, I hope so." She said with a little laugh. "Anyway, my cousin is a cop, so I wanted some insight about what makes someone go bad."

"Smart girl." He said with a smile. Maybe he did not have as much work as he thought, but there is always room for improvement. He was not going to let her be a vulnerable girl and become another case thrown onto his desk.

"I should be, considering that I have a 165 IQ." She replied with a smirk. "However, I am not much for bragging."

"Wow. That is amazing." He said, not expecting to hear such a high IQ. However, that did not mean she was street smart like he was. Sure, she knew better than to give out her personal information, but that did not mean she knew how to deal with certain groups of people. She just seemed like the type to believe that everyone is good, but he knew better than that. He had to deal with the nastiest people society had to offer.

"Do you really think so?" She asked, making sure he was not mocking her.

"Of course. That is impressive. However, can you empty a round of bullets into the bullseye nonstop?" He replied with a mischievous smirk.

"No, but I am sure you have. That is quite impressive." She replied with a smile. She started to feel that they really clicked, but she wondered did he felt the same way. He did seem to be having a good time, but she knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

"Thank you." He said with a smile. "You are the first woman I could truly talk to in a long time."

"Really?" She asked in shock.

"Really." He replied with another smile. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Trading Card Games. I play the big 3, Magic the Gathering, Yu-gi-oh!, and Pokemon." She replied with a smile. "I also read novels and listen to music." She added. She also liked to experiment with cooking, making meals with as many calories as she could, because she had a lot of speedsters in her family, who needed it. Of course, she also tried to make it as healthy as possible at the same time. She wanted to give them a lot of what they needed quickly without them gorging themselves, and she was making progress with her meals. She was going to mention that as one of her hobbies, but she was not sure would that be considered a hobby. It was more like a necessity. Plus, she did not want to accidentally let it slip that she was a speedster. That is definitely something you do not tell someone on the first date.

"What kind of novels do you like to read?" He asked while he placed his chin into his hand, leaning on his elbow that was placed on the table.

"Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Mysteries, Thrillers, and anything else that sounds good." She replied. "What about you?"

"Well, we got something in common there. I am a sucker for fast paced thrillers and mysteries. Like I don't get enough with my job, right? However, I don't always get the time to read them." He replied, taking his chin off his hand.

"Who are some of your favorite authors? What are some of your favorite titles? Lee Goldberg and Mary Higgins Clark are good ones." He said, fishing for more things they may have in common.

"Oh, yes. They are great, and their stories are fun to read. I could not put down Mr. Monk goes to Germany and Loves Music, Loves to Dance." She replied, glad that they had something in common and would not be sitting there, staring at each other.

"The Mr. Monk series is hilarious." He said, getting more and more convinced that they were meant to be together. "It is hard to believe that someone like that was a cop though. Even though he was great detective, I don't think they would have let him be in uniform. They cannot have a man afraid of practically everything be on patrol. It is not realistic."

"That is true, but I think he was not that bad when he had Trudy. Losing her was what made him be only consultant material. That is the only explanation anyone could come up with how he got through the academy with all his phobias. He had to get down and dirty during physical training, and being afraid of getting dirty, it would be impossible for him to do." She said, loosening up a bit.

"That is a logical explanation. It totally makes sense. It is remarkable what true love can do and what real tragedy can do to someone's mental wellbeing." He said in a more serious tone.

"Yes, it is remarkable." She said, thinking back to how her father almost lost it from his paternal grandmother's death. Yes, she was not born yet, but she had heard about it. It was a horrible time for her family. "So, have you ever played any Trading Card Game before?" She asked, changing the subject.

He knew that she must have thought of something painfully personal, but he did not mind that she changed the subject. Spending time with her and getting to know her better were the two things that matter most to him at this moment. He looked around, and then, leaned forward to tell her the answer to her question.

"I use to play Magic the Gathering before I went to the academy." He said with a slight smile. "However, I got so absorbed into my job that I haven't played for a while." He said with a sigh as he sat back. "I didn't have anyone to play with anymore."

"Well, if you are ever in the mood for it, we could play." She said with a slight smile.

"I would like that." He said, smiling back.

The waitress came over to see if they wanted the bill or to order something else.

"Two slices of your Forbidden Chocolate Cake, please." Hunter said with a mischievous grin, and the waitress quickly left to get them.

"Two slices?" Liz asked with a raised brow.

"I am ordering you one." Hunter replied with a smirk.

"Ordering for me without asking?" Liz asked with a glare, resisting a knowing smile.

"I did not mean any malevolence by it. I just thought you should try it. It is really good." Hunter said with an encouraging smile.

"I thought so." Liz said, smiling back.

"You were just yanking my chain?" Hunter said with a raised brow.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were not too good to be true." Liz said with a smile.

The waitress came back quickly with the cakes in hand.

"Thank you." They politely said while the waitress gave them the cakes, and then, she left.

Liz took a bit and was in heaven. "You're right. They are good."

"I thought you would like it." Hunter said while he went to take a bit from his slice. He was amazed with how well their date was going. He was confident that he could earn her trust and be married to her within a year. He probably could marry her within a few months, but he did not want to do it too quickly. The last thing he needed would be her parents questioning why she would be getting married so soon. He figured that a year would be a good amount of time. They should not be asking questions, and his patience would be on its last leg. He did not think that he could go longer than that without making love to her. He knew that she was a good girl and bedding her too soon might scare her off. No matter how much he ached for her, he had to control himself. He needed her to love him, and he knew that the only way to make it at that level was to take it slow.