Written By Lois Terrans Bradbury

©September 2008

Poly walked into The Campus Café after a rather frustrating morning in the chem Lab in dire need of a hot chocolate. Due to equipment malfunctions and a student supervisor who was more interested in preening than giving advice another experiment had gone south. So now, Poly stood in line trying to bring her frustration under control while waiting. That is when it happened. Her eyes lazily wandering over the café all thoughts of how she could fix her experiment melted as his face came into view. Could it be? Surely not.

Poly let out a small stifled giggle at the thought that went racing through her mind. She blamed spending too much time discussing her favourite band with friends over the holidays but as the barista continued with his duties and Poly continued to drink in his features he did resemble one of the band members.

Same smooth, olive skin, same classic facial features, same shoulder length dark hair. Younger but so similar they could have been brothers. Poly was still smiling to herself, thinking she must get onto the computer when she got home and tell the girls, she did not realise the girl behind the counter had asked for her order. That is until one of her lab partners nudged her from behind. “Hey Pol, order will ya. I’m gonna need more caffeine before we go back to the lab.”

Poly smiled at her friend, then smiled at the girl behind the counter and ordered a hot chocolate, paying and moving out of the way to wait.

Moving meant she was closer to the barista giving her a chance to watch him as he worked. So intense as he made coffee after coffee, never lifting his head to look at anyone just shouting out orders as he completed them. That was until Poly saw him stop for a moment as he looked at the small order tab in his hand. This time he did look up and fleetingly scanned the crowd before asking the girl if the hot chocolate order was correct. Poly could feel her checks get warm, blushing as his eyes swept over her face. His co-worker was not happy about having her order questioned, grumbling something to him and then pointed at Poly. Again, Poly’s face flushed, as the barista looked straight at her and smiled, holding the tab out in front of him as he spoke. “You are the caramel hot chocolate, yes?”

Poly opened her mouth to speak but the words caught in her throat. All she could do was nod her head.

He seemed to look past her but once more, his hazel eyes caught her attention. “It is the weather for hot chocolate. Much better than café.” Smiling he returned to his work and to making her chocolate.

Again all Poly could do was nod her head. Not only had she been mesmerized by his eyes but his voice. She had been captured by his accent. An accent that sent her knees quivering, and accent that she thought may have been French. Straining to hear anything, he may say she listened and listened intently, smiling when he did finally say something. “Chocolate Hot.” Yes, it was a French accent. As Poly moved forward to retrieve her drink the barista was already busy with other orders, he never did look at her again. He may not have given her a second look or a second thought for that matter but he had done something to her. Something she had not expected. Her cheeks felt warm as she thought about how she would like to get to know him better. Sipping her chocolate and walking back to the lab slowly, Poly tried to put her thoughts into place. She deducted the only reason she felt like she did towards this complete stranger was the fact that he looked so much like her favourite band member. That had to be it. It was silly to think anything would come of it.

The rest of Poly’s afternoon consumed in writing a report about their failed experiment and setting up yet another that would be left to run overnight, hopefully with better results.

Once home Poly intended to have dinner with her sister, have a shower and then get onto the internet and track down some of her friends. However,  her sister was out for the night so she opted to have the shower first. As she got dried and into her pj’s Poly had to smile and laugh at herself. What on earth would the barista think of her now? All decked out in bright yellow flannelette pj’s adorned with pink butterflies, her hair in pigtails. “Get a grip Poly. He’s just a guy.”

Sitting at the computer, she was hoping that at least one of her friends would be online. She needed to get this guy out of her head and the best way to do that was talk to the sisterhood. A great bunch of girls she had met through the bands website. They talked with each other, laughed with each other, cried with each other, and had helped each other through some very rough times. They would surely laugh when she told them of her day.

Poly checked the messages and a few of the women were still hanging around so she posted and then went to make some tea for herself. When she got back to the computer with tea and a toasted sandwich, Poly smiled. She loved reading her friends responses. They were funny and witty. One even going as far as wanting a photo of said look-alike so they could make their own minds up. That statement made swallowing her sandwich a little hard. A photo. How was she going to get a photo without him knowing? The fact that she was even thinking about doing it was ridiculous.

The message board alerted her to the fact she had a few private messages to read so Poly clicked to see who was mailing her. Smiling as she read what a few of the girls had rewritten from their public posts but elaborating. Some funny, some serious.

‘Hey Pol.

So is the chem Lab still in one piece…..Only Kidding.

Tell me more about this café guy. You know Tilly was just kidding about the photo. But what a hoot that would be. You could use your phone. No one would ever know.

Hint hint.Luv Shaz’

‘Poly

U go Girl. Never know this may just be your white knight and a look alike even. Worth another hot chocolate don’t you think?

Catch ya later Jude’

‘Poly

In all seriousness, I know we have all had a bit of fun at your expense but if you really feel like that about him why not see what happens. Maybe nothing, maybe something. Just say hello next time you order or give him a compliment on the drink he made you. Provided of course it was okay. It was wasn’t it????Lulu’

Poly sat back in her seat staring at the screen. Was there any possible way there could be anything between them, even if it was just as friends.

Poly went to bed that night thinking about her barista and the possibilities.

It would be several days before she could get back to the café. Truth be told she had not gone with her lab buddies because she was broke. She had elected to stay back each day to keep an eye on their combined effort and to work on her assignments. Today was different, Eric was making a fuss about her not joining in, not being part of the social life. After all that is why most of them were at University. It certainly was not to study. Poly smiled at her friend and managed to get him into a corner and discreetly told him she did not have the money for a chocolate, hot or anything else. Smiling Eric shoved his hand into his jean pocket and dropped four dollars’ worth of change onto Poly’s books. “Now you don’t have any excuse to put off checking him out have you?” The cheeky smile on Eric’s face made her blush. Had she been that obvious? “Just order and say hi. It’s not that hard.”

The closer they got to the café the more nervous Poly became, holding the change Eric had given her, her hand began to sweat, her chest got tight and that lump was back in her throat. How was she ever going to order if she could not speak. However, speak she did as the girl asked what she wanted. Eric smiled and pushed her down the line so one more time she was watching the barista hard at work and he was hard at work the café was full. Poly was not sure if it was just because the weather had turned cold or that all the students were in need of a caffeine fix but it was busy and she got jostled a little as she tried to stand her ground to watch him. The way his hair swayed as he moved back and forth behind the counter. The way his arm muscles rippled a little under his dark, short-sleeved shirt as he ground the coffee beans, frothed the milk and pulled an espresso. So absorbed in her observation Poly did not see him hesitate and smile just a little as he took the next order. That is until he looked up and their eyes met. He gave her a polite nod of the head. “Caramel Chocolate?”

It took all of her strength for Poly to nod her head, still unable to speak.

Noticing that she looked like she was about to do a runner Eric came up behind Poly and whispered in her ear. “Steady on. What will he think if you leave without your drink?”

Just a she turned to look at Eric the barista looked back at her. Neither she nor Eric saw the small frown crinkle across his brow. By the time Poly looked back at him his head was already down. The next thing she heard was the sound of his voice as he sang out her order. “Chocolate hot.”

Poly lent into the counter taking her cup and her fingers gently brushed his hand as he took it way. Their eyes locked and this time Poly did manage to smile and say thank you.

The Barista gave her another slight nod before going back to his duties. Poly did not see him look back up and watch her leave, nor did she see the few short glimpses he took of her as she waited outside for her friends to get their own orders, nor did she see the frown when he saw Eric nudge her as he teased her.

“Well you didn’t say hi but at least you said thank you. It’s a start.”

“What start? There is no start. O I so suck at this whole relationship thing.”

“Woe there Pollyanna, relationship. How about we get you two to be friends first okay.”

They both laughed as they walked back to the lab.

“Thanks for the hot chocolate.”

“Anything for a fellow romantic.”

As for Poly, the rest of her day was a daze as her mind processed the information she had gleaned and wondering if she really had feelings for this Max person or was she just projecting hopes of something that would never be. This did not stop her from dropping by the café a few more times that week before actually going in on the Friday to order her drink just one more time before the weekend.

That night Poly logged on and chatted with a few of her friends telling them about her day and what had happened in the café. They were all very supportive, letting her know they were all with her. Just before midnight, she said her goodbyes and logged off.

It would be Thursday of the next week before she made it back to the café herself. With spending hour upon hour in the lab, her classmates had supplied her with hot chocolate. Poly felt like she was never going to get to leave the lab. As she reached the Café her heart sank and she wished she had stayed in the lab. Max was nowhere to be found. Feeling a little despondent and a little silly Poly decided to order anyway. The girl behind the counter smiled at her as she took her order. “He’ll be back in two weeks.”

Neither girl said anything else only giving each other an understanding smile.

It would be a long two weeks for Poly; luckily, she had her friends  to share her heartache with. Confessing she felt silly about how she felt about this Max person her friends had been supportive, even managing to make her laugh, one going as far as calling him The Maxter. With her friends by her side, Poly made it through the two weeks. Nevertheless, she did wonder what The Maxter was doing and where..

Max was sitting at the bar watching and waiting, something that came with the job but his mind kept drifting, wandering and it kept wandering back to Poly. She had become a distraction and that was dangerous.

He had been in Australia a little under twelve months. He was in a country he had wanted to visit for such a long time but he had not arrived on its shores in the usual manner. He boarded a plane and he entered the country as a student and that is what most people knew him as but in fact, he was far from it. His student days were far behind him. He had been recruited by Interpol several years before for a special squad. He had to smile and shake his head as he remembered how it had all come about. He was working for the French police when the daughter of his commanding officer had gone into a Jonny Depp phase. This was how his boss had seen episodes of 21 Jump Street and how Max had ended up at Interpol as part of their youth team. His curse? He looked much younger than he was, therefore he could pass for people much younger. The advantage.. He had all the training of his thirty-two years. That is why he found himself on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, waiting for the son of an Italian mobster who had been more than a little trouble for Interpol. The reason they had sent him to Australia in the first place. The reason he had taken the job as a barista at Poly’s University. The Mobsters son had been spotted there but Interpol did not want an international incident, so they had called on the youth team and Max.

Max had spent time slowly getting to know the son, gaining his friendship, building his trust. Once more, he had been asked on a trip with the mobster’s son and a few of his friends. Max had decided this would be the last trip they would ever take together. He waited and he watched, taking a small sip of his drink as he did and thought of the sweet girl back in Sydney and her caramel hot chocolate.

Several hours later Max would be sitting back in the same bar but this time surrounded by local police, asking him questions about the scuba diving accident he had been involved in. More specific; questions about the mobster’s son who had been the only fatality. Max played his part well, soon released and allowed to return to his room, where he sent his own report to his superiors at Interpol. Assignment completed.

He was to return to the university and his job as a barista for a few more months to make sure that no suspicion pointed at Interpol or the youth team. All that Max wanted was to go home, back to France. As these thoughts washed over him, another feeling rushed forward to be recognised and he smiled. There was an upside to returning to the university…. His caramel hot chocolate girl.