Chapter 9: Meeting Jessica Day - Part 3
POV: Kole Martinez
The coffee shop smelled like cinnamon and possibilities, the kind of Brooklyn establishment that had survived gentrification by perfecting the balance between authentic neighborhood character and artisanal aspirations. Kole arrived ten minutes early, choosing a corner table where he could observe the entrance while maintaining the illusion of casual confidence.
This is insane. I'm about to have coffee with a fictional character who's somehow become real.
His photographic memory replayed every episode of New Girl he'd ever watched, searching for context that might help him navigate this impossible situation. But fictional Jessica Day had never prepared him for the reality of someone whose entire being radiated unfiltered authenticity.
Don't think of her as a character. Think of her as Jessica. Just Jessica.
She arrived exactly three minutes early, scanning the coffee shop with nervous energy before her eyes found his across the crowded space. Her smile was tentative but genuine, carrying the particular vulnerability of someone stepping outside their comfort zone.
Beautiful. She's actually beautiful.
Jessica navigated between tables with careful grace, wearing a dress that somehow managed to be both practical and distinctly her own style. Not the costume department's interpretation of quirky teacher aesthetic, but genuine personal choices that reflected real preferences and real personality.
"Detective Martinez," she said, settling into the chair across from him. "Thank you for suggesting this place. It feels very... Brooklyn."
"Kole," he corrected. "We're off duty."
"Kole. I like that. Very... substantial."
Substantial. Not a word most people would use to describe someone whose entire existence is fabricated.
"Can I get you coffee? They do excellent lattes here."
"Perfect. I've been living on conference coffee for three days, which I'm pretty sure violates several provisions of the Geneva Convention."
Her laugh was musical, exactly the sound he remembered from countless episodes but warmer, more present. This wasn't performance or scripted timing—it was genuine amusement at her own joke.
She's real. Completely, undeniably real.
Kole returned from the counter with their drinks, using the brief separation to compose himself while his mind raced through conversational strategies that might maintain normal human interaction despite his impossible circumstances.
Ask about her life. Listen to her answers. Respond like a person, not a fan.
"So," he said, settling back into his chair, "teaching conference. How's that going?"
Jessica's face lit up with enthusiasm that transformed her entire presence.
"It's amazing. Well, exhausting and overwhelming, but amazing. They had this session on creative literacy techniques that completely changed how I think about engaging reluctant readers. And another one about using art integration to help kids process difficult emotions."
She loves this. Really loves it.
"You teach kindergarten?"
"First grade now, actually. I got promoted this year, which sounds ridiculous since it's only one grade level up, but it feels like a huge responsibility shift. Six-year-olds are so much more... aware of the world than five-year-olds."
Jessica talked about her students with the passionate intensity of someone who'd found their calling despite never quite fitting anywhere else. Her gestures became more animated as she described specific children, their unique challenges and unexpected insights.
This is who she really is. Not the bumbling romantic comedy protagonist, but someone who's dedicated her life to helping kids learn and grow.
"What about you?" Jessica asked, wrapping her hands around her latte mug. "Do you like being a detective? I mean, it seems like the kind of job that could either be incredibly rewarding or completely soul-crushing."
Careful. Don't reveal too much about Martinez's background or your own lack of experience.
"It's... complicated," Kole said honestly. "There's satisfaction in solving cases, helping people, making sure justice gets served. But there's also a lot of bureaucracy and human tragedy and cases that don't have happy endings."
"Like mine could have been."
"Your case had a happy ending. We caught the guy, you got your stuff back, no one was seriously hurt."
Jessica nodded, but something in her expression suggested she was processing deeper implications.
"It's weird, though. Being a victim, I mean. Even for something relatively minor like a mugging. It makes you realize how quickly normal life can become scary."
She's been thinking about this. Really thinking about it.
"You seem like someone who tries to see the best in people," Kole observed. "Has this changed that?"
Jessica considered the question with the careful attention of someone who understood that optimism required conscious choice rather than naive assumption.
"I don't think so. I mean, Miguel—that was his name, right?—he wasn't evil. He was desperate and scared and making bad choices, but that doesn't make him a monster. People are complicated."
People are complicated. Including fictional people who turn out to be real.
"That's a remarkably generous perspective for someone who was victimized."
"I teach first graders. You learn pretty quickly that people usually act out because they're hurting, not because they're inherently bad."
She applies teaching philosophy to criminal behavior. That's... actually profound.
Kole found himself genuinely impressed by Jessica's emotional intelligence. This wasn't scripted wisdom from television writers—it was real insight from someone who'd spent years working with people at their most vulnerable.
"Tell me about your roommates," he said, then immediately regretted the request as memories of New Girl episodes flooded his consciousness.
Don't act like you know them. Let her introduce them naturally.
"Oh God, my roommates." Jessica laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in a gesture his photographic memory immediately catalogued. "They're... well, they're basically my family at this point. Schmidt drives me crazy, but he means well. Cece's my rock—she's been my best friend since we were kids. Nick's... complicated."
Schmidt. Cece. Nick. Real people with real relationships, not fictional characters existing for comedic effect.
Kole felt his brain short-circuiting as the implications hit him. If Jessica was real, then her roommates were real too. Schmidt with his competitive neuroses and surprising vulnerability. Nick with his commitment issues and bartending dreams. Cece with her modeling career and complicated romantic life.
They exist. They're all real people living real lives in Los Angeles.
"Sorry," Jessica said, misinterpreting his stunned silence. "I'm talking too much about home. You probably don't want to hear about my weird living situation."
His heart broke a little—she thought he was bored when he was actually experiencing existential crisis.
"No, it's interesting," Kole managed. "Sounds like you have good people in your life."
"I do. Really good people. It's just... sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't quite know what they're doing, you know? Like everyone else got an instruction manual for being an adult and I missed the distribution day."
I know exactly what you mean.
"I think most people feel that way more than they admit," Kole said. "The difference is some people are honest about it and some people pretend they have everything figured out."
"Which kind are you?"
The kind who's pretending to be someone else entirely.
"Definitely the honest kind. I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time."
Jessica's smile was radiant, carrying the warmth of someone who'd found unexpected kinship with a stranger.
"That's refreshing. Most cops I've met seem very... certain about everything."
"Certainty is overrated. Gets you into trouble when you're wrong about important things."
Like assuming your entire life is real when you're actually living in someone else's body in someone else's universe.
They talked for another hour, conversation flowing with the easy rhythm of people who genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Jessica shared stories about her students, her conference experiences, her struggles with being perpetually single in a culture that treated romantic relationships as mandatory achievement. Kole contributed carefully edited versions of his detective work, focusing on successful investigations while omitting supernatural abilities and borrowed expertise.
She's nothing like her fictional counterpart. She's better—more complex, more real, more genuinely herself.
As the coffee shop began preparing for evening closure, Jessica glanced at her phone and sighed with obvious reluctance.
"I should probably head back to my hotel. Early flight tomorrow, and I still need to pack."
Tomorrow she goes back to LA. Back to her real life with her real roommates and her real problems.
"When will you be back in New York?" Kole asked, trying to keep his tone casual.
"Actually, I'm presenting at another conference next month. Different venue, but still in the city." Jessica hesitated, then seemed to reach a decision. "Would you... I mean, if you're interested, maybe we could do this again?"
She's asking to see me again. Jessica Day wants to see me again.
"For follow-up questions?" Kole asked, echoing her earlier teasing.
"For actual questions about you," Jessica said seriously. "I'd like to know more about Detective Kole Martinez."
If only she knew how little there is to know about the real me.
But even as the thought formed, Kole realized it wasn't entirely true. The person sitting across from Jessica wasn't just borrowed identity and supernatural abilities. There was something genuine emerging—someone who cared about justice, who appreciated authenticity, who was learning to value connection over deception.
Maybe Detective Martinez can become real through being real with her.
"I'd like that too," he said simply.
They exchanged phone numbers with the understanding that professional boundaries had officially dissolved into something more personal and significantly more complicated. Jessica's fingers brushed his as she handed back his phone, electric contact that suggested mutual attraction wasn't entirely one-sided.
She feels something too. Something real.
"Kole," Jessica said as they prepared to leave, "can I tell you something?"
"Of course."
"I don't usually do this. Coffee with guys I barely know, exchanging numbers, making plans to see people again. I'm typically much more cautious about... well, about everything."
Why are you telling me this?
"What made this different?"
Jessica considered the question with characteristic thoughtfulness.
"You listened. Really listened, not just waited for your turn to talk. And you didn't try to impress me or convince me of anything. You just... were yourself."
If only she knew how hard I'm working to figure out who that is.
"Thank you," Kole said, meaning it more than she could possibly understand.
"For what?"
"For giving me a chance to be myself."
For helping me discover who I want to become.
Outside the coffee shop, Brooklyn evening air carried the promise of changing seasons and complicated possibilities. Jessica hailed a taxi with practiced efficiency while Kole watched, memorizing details his photographic mind would preserve long after she'd returned to her real life.
This is either the beginning of something wonderful or the beginning of something catastrophic.
But as Jessica's taxi disappeared into Brooklyn traffic, Kole realized he was willing to risk catastrophe for the chance at something genuine with someone who saw him as worth knowing.
Time to earn that trust.
Author's Note / Promotion:
Your Reviews and Power Stones are the best way to show support. They help me know what you're enjoying and bring in new readers!
Can't wait for the next chapter of [ brooklyn 99 New Detective ]?
You don't have to. Get instant access to more content by supporting me on Patreon. I have three options so you can pick how far ahead you want to be:
🪙 Silver Tier ($6): Read 10 chapters ahead of the public site.
👑 Gold Tier ($9): Get 15-20 chapters ahead of the public site.
💎 Platinum Tier ($15): The ultimate experience. Get new chapters the second I finish them (20+ chapters ahead!). No waiting for weekly drops, just pure, instant access.
Your support helps me write more .
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/fanficwriter1