HOME | DD

Description
~The Smart Version~

Autumn is young. The air can barely be considered crisp as it can be considered nippy. The temperature is just right: not too hot, not too cold. Today is a perfect day for a walk; however, regardless of how lovely of a day it is, there is much studying and preparation to be done.

Lukas Bondevik is a busy man, and like all busy people, time is precious to him; it is something that cannot be returned, created, or given back. It is unfortunate, but just like most inconveniences barring his path, Lukas finds a way to work around them or simply endure. One of these such inconveniences does not consist of the lack of time or the fact that he cannot retire for the day; rather, the convenience is one of serious matters, one that can throw off his entire thought-out schedule and push each set event back a notch—like dominoes if it is to be compared to anything relatable. The inconvenience: the café Lukas frequents is closed for the next three months for renovations.

Normally in these circumstances, Lukas might curse his ill luck and be done with it. Not today. He wasted too much time walking here. To go back will mean the trip will have been for nothing. He thinks he could have invested the time into studying or retrieving his duvet from Køhler instead of going out of his way.

Blasted Dane, he thinks, biting down on his lower lip until the pressure pains him. He lets go and continues walking. He decides to be flexible. Why not? It is a good day today. Might as well not let it go to waste. He can use the fresh air and exercise, too.

Lukas decides two blocks is sufficient. There are plenty of cafés around; it is just that he finds the one he frequents—correction: frequented—convenient as the coffee they served was decently passable. For now, he is prepared to settle for poor coffee. He does not consider the caffeinated beverage to be an addiction—far from it by clinical definition—but he does find comfort in sustaining himself from it. It is something he cannot help, and he would not deny the fact that he practically runs on the drink like a car to gasoline.

Eventually, he arrives at a café just at the corner of the block, a convenient location for students and pedestrians such as himself to pass by. Before he stops, he begins to hesitate. He is aware that the cafés in this area are filled with regulars. The university he attends is situated far from the bustling downtown area, this being that the school was built for the purpose of studying, not for goofing off and wasting money. With this knowledge weighing in his mind, Lukas believes the customers and employees might know he is new. No. They will know he is new.

All of a sudden, Lukas is hesitant. He does not know why he has chosen to go through such a length just for a simple cup of coffee; it is not as though skipping out on a day’s worth of the drink will kill him. He begins to question his reasons. Why did he walk all the way out here? More importantly and more frustratingly, why is he suddenly so apprehensive? He is a student at one of the finest graduate schools in the world. He has a bright mind. His looks are not subpar—truth be told, they can even be considered to be of model-quality. Unlike some of the other students riding and scraping by on scholarships and loans, he is fortunate enough to come from a well-to-do background. He does not have any reason to be hesitant. He should have everything going for him—except the cup of coffee he has desired enough to walk an extra block for…only to stop right before coming to the front.

He mentally curses. He should not be this shy. He is better than this. He tells himself that he is wasting more time by standing outside, and yet he still does not budge. Secretly, he wishes his friend was around to drag him through the door as he often does. Even in an alien atmosphere, at least he would have someone familiar to accompany him. Not this time, however. Today on this fine autumn day, that insolent Dane is in the library researching for a paper—at least, that is what he said he was planning on doing. For all Lukas knows, he could be off drinking with his law school friends in the middle of the day. Typical.

But what is he thinking? More time wasted. Just this once. He can go inside and pay for a cup of his usual and preferred black coffee, the quickest coffee to make—the only way coffee should be drunk and appreciated, he believes.

To this thought, Lukas checks his wristwatch, an obsolete yet classy accessory. He walked briskly to get here, but the hour is still late. He is eight minutes behind schedule. He should have retrieved his coffee by now and should have headed back to the school. Time is being wasted. No more, he decides. It is something he can get over. One short stop, and the baristas and regulars will never have to see him again. From now on, he plans to drink coffee from the school. In his mind, he convinces himself that the only reason he went out of his way in the past was because he needed the fresh air.

So then, taking a deep breath, Lukas puts one foot in front of the other and begins to walk. His steps are shaky at first like a newborn lamb testing out its legs for the first time. Eventually, he becomes adjusted, confident. His stride gradually evens out, and before he realizes it, he is entering the little corner café, a small bell jingling from a pullstring.

The first thing Lukas does is scan his surroundings. There are no more than six customers inside the café, a reasonable number. The café is just big enough that it holds a unisex bathroom, and there is a loveseat and little plush sofa at the far end for long-term customers looking for a place to lose themselves. At this easy-paced hour, there is only one employee at the counter greeting him with a smile. Lukas has received these on several occasions; he is accustomed to this gesture since he knows he is fairly attractive by med student standards.

“What can I get for you?” she asks. Lukas prefers this question over something like, “Can I get anything for you?” Of course she can get something for him. It is not as though she is crippled or disabled in anyway. In addition to the alternative foolish question, the only reason he would stop at a café is if he required some form of service. The question this employee asks is satisfactory.

“Black coffee. Caffeinated. Tall.”

The barista smiles. Judging from her expression, Lukas might say she is amused that someone like him would drink such an excess of coffee without putting anything else inside. He has grown accustomed to this reaction by now. While he pays for his drink, he swears the young woman behind the counter gives him a look different than one of captivation. He is unable to tell what she might be thinking from her expression and silently waits for his receipt. Shortly after, his coffee is prepared along with the little white slip of paper. As his habitual “Thank you” and a turn of the heel is about to commence, the barista says something to him.

“Are you Lukas Bondevik?” she asks.

Lukas refrains from flinching. He recalls paying in cash. He always does. If this employee is a graduate student attending his university, he does not recognize her in any of his courses, and yet she knows his name.

However, he does not wish to lie and, instead of ignoring her, he responds with a “Yes.”

“I thought so,” the employee chuckles. “You’re Køhler’s friend, right?”

“That’s right.” Lukas does not know why he chooses to be so direct with her. She is not worth any more of his time. If she knows Mathias Køhler, then there is no doubt that she has to be a graduate student; if she is of any interest or use to him, he can see her on the school grounds. He does not need to subject himself to this type of delay. Yet, he stays.

“Figures,” the barista smiles. “Køhler talks about you very often.”

“I’d think so,” Lukas sighs. “So you attend Eliatha* University, too?”

“Yep. Law school. You’re studying medicine, right?”

Lukas nods. So that is how she is acquainted with Mathias. They must be colleagues.

“He doesn’t give you any trouble, does he?” he asks to make sure this conversation was not brought up for any underlying reason.

“Not at all,” she laughs. “He’s very sweet. Hard-working, too.”

“Surprising,” he sarcastically murmurs and reflexively takes a sip of his coffee. As the dark, bitter liquid slides down his throat, he nearly does a double take. The bitterness of the coffee is only equal and compliment with the perfect roast of the beans. The taste is not too subtle, yet not too thick. Just right. More than that. It is perfect.

“What did you say your name was?” he asks—immediately after the question leaves his lips, he feels foolish. Her first name is at least printed on a tag on her uniform and even on the receipt she handed to him. Granted, he does not know her last name, but he can always ask Mathias if he is curious.

“I never told you my name,” the barista smirks, “but it’s ______________ ______________.”

“________________...” Lukas tests the name out carefully like he does the lingering taste of the coffee he drank. “_________________, the coffee is delicious.”

“Thank you.”

Staring, Lukas finds himself in a peculiar situation. He does not understand this woman’s reaction. In normal circumstances, a lady would blush or become flustered from such a comment. This employee did neither. He cannot tell if it is because she is deceivingly arrogant or because she is able to restrain her emotions. Perhaps the second option, he decides. She is studying law, after all.

But, at this time, Lukas believes he has overstayed his stop. He is now sixteen minutes behind schedule. He should have made it back to the university by now. He should take his leave.

“I should be the one thanking you,” he says and gives her a quick nod of approval before turning to leave. No more words are exchanged. Both parties know they can see each other at the university again. As Lukas leaves the café—the little bell jingles atop the door as he pushes it open—he thinks of the quality of the coffee offered here in comparison to that of the university’s. Marginally, the coffee offered here is exceedingly better, and while he may have to walk two extra blocks to get here, he can afford to spare sixteen minutes of his day. It will just mean sixteen less minutes of sleep, something that he can afford.

As he walks back to the university, Lukas ponders the thought of returning and takes another sip of his coffee.

-----

Lukas does not jump as the door to his dorm bursts open, and a loud-mouthed Mathias comes bustling inside like a train wreck. While Lukas had made the request for a single-person dorm, Mathias had gone through the trouble of asking his uncle—the dean of the Department of Health and Social Sciences, to provide him with an extra key to his “dear best friend’s dorm.” The housing office had declined Lukas’ request to reinforce his door with extra locks or even security chains and bars; according to policies, tinkering with school property will result in a penalty or a fine, and Lukas has enough on his plate to be bothered with a blemish on his record. So, as one of the many inconveniences in his life, Lukas decides to tolerate this one.

“Lukas! Wanna go with us to Wuthering Heights**?” Mathias asks, anchoring himself against his friend’s desk.

“And get drunk beyond my ability to process information? No, thank you,” Lukas bluntly answers and affixes his eyes on his textbook.

“Aw, you’re too stiff, Lukas. You were even like this as an undergrad. After you become a doctor, you’re not going to get to do this again.”

“I never intended to get myself involved in your shenanigans to begin with,” Lukas reminds him. “Now, unless you have my duvet—which I would gladly like to have back—I’m going to have to nicely ask you to get out. I’m trying to finish this blasted prognosis paper, and you’re distracting me.” He flips a page after making a note. “Don’t you have a case you’re supposed to be studying?”

“Oh that?” Mathias asks as though an aforementioned afterthought. “That’s what we’re going to be working on.”

Lukas raises and eyebrow and looks up from his book at his friend. “At a bar? You can’t be serious.”

“It’s the best place to concentrate since there’s so much noise,” Mathias explains looking around the med student’s desk. “If things are too quiet, then you want some kind of noise to get you focused, right?”

A vein throbs in Lukas’ temple. “You mean the noise coming from your loud mouth?”

“Yea—Wait, what was that?”

Irritated beyond tolerances, Lukas scoffs and rolls his eyes. “And your uncle told me you’re one of the highest ranking students in this year’s class. If he wasn’t credible, I don’t think I would have ever believed him.”

“Whatever!” Mathias laughs it off and clicks off the desk lamp. Lukas attempts to click it back on and leave it at that, but Mathias has already swiped his textbook from underneath his arms and his dashing away with it—along with the stackful of papers and notes that are wedged inside.

“That damn nuisance has gone too far!” Lukas seethes and runs after him in, his anger to its limit like a pressure gauge ready to blow its top off. He knows this trick as Mathias has used it before: he will take something precious of Lukas whether it is his wallet, his family heirloom hairpin, or his expensive textbook full of his papers due in two days. It is a hindrance. This will set him back, and to make matters worse, Lukas knows full well that he does not have nearly as much stamina or speed as his Danish counterpart. If he is to retrieve his possessions, he knows he will have no choice but to follow after his friend perhaps to Wuthering Heights, that cacophonous bar for delinquents for graduate students.

By the time Lukas makes his way outside of his dorm, he spots a group of students—law students by the way they present themselves—and stops to catch his breath before lashing out at his friend.

“Real mature, Køhler,” someone says.

“At least you got him out,” another one laughs. “Guy’s such a tight-ass even for a med student.”

“Wait a second. Whose things are those?”

Lukas pauses. There is a female voice in the mix, and judging from the sound, he feels he has heard her voice before. When he looks up, he sees that it is none other than ____________, the barista from the café he went to this afternoon. She must be off her shift, and from the looks of things, she must be tagging along with Mathias and their colleagues for a night out.

“Bondevik’s,” Lukas hears Mathias say. “It’s the only way I can get him out without getting covered in bruises and scratches.”

“Really?” ________________ does not look too thrilled or impressed. “That’s terrible. Why would you do something like that? He’s a med student, isn’t he? What if he has a paper due?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Lukas speaks out, stepping into view. The rest of Mathias’ friends laugh and greet him with plastic smiles as he approaches the culprit, his eyes burning with a cold passion.

“I’d like my stuff back, please,” he says in a voice so low, the only ones who can hear him are Mathias and _______________.

“Not until you promise to go out with us,” Mathias stubbornly responds.

“Mathias, didn’t you hear him?” ________________ asks. “He said he has a paper due. Give his things back.”

“Oh, wait. This is the first time you two have met, yeah?” Mathias suddenly asks, ignoring her demand.

“Actually, we met briefly this afternoon,” Lukas corrects him.

His friend looks at him questionably. “You did? Where? ______________ told me she has work in the afternoon.”

“That’s where I met him,” _______________ smiles. “He came to the café and ordered some coffee.”

After putting the pieces of the puzzle together, Mathias lets out an addictive laughter. “Oh, yeah, that’s right! The café you go to is under renovation now!”

Suddenly, Lukas feels exposed and embarrassed. He does not even know why he is here among these patches of weeds the university calls law students. He is above this. He does not have to succumb to this type of exposition. More importantly, he is wasting time. He would like to have his things back and retreat into his dorm.

“Køhler, that’s not nice,” _____________ says earning “Oooohs” from the others. Lukas rolls his eyes surprised that this collective bunch even made it into Eliatha University. Mathias thinks differently. Against his colleagues’ laughter, he is almost wearing a look of regret. It took him long enough to come to this conclusion.

“Oh, I get it,” he says. “You don’t want to go because you’re afraid of _____________.”

“What?” Lukas blinks.

__________________ shakes her head. There is a faint trace of sheepishness in her eyes.

Lukas scowls. “I never said I was afraid of anyone. I just want my book and papers back before you ‘unintentionally’ crush them.”

“Køhler, just give him back his things,” ______________ tells him.

Now it is Mathias’ turn to raise his eyebrows. “And if I don’t?”

_______________ leans towards him. “How about if I do, I’ll give you something nice?”

“Like what?” he asks.

“It’s a secret.”

More “Oooohs” from the law students and more rolling eyes from _____________ and Lukas.

“Ah, alright,” Mathias finally consents. “But one of these days you’re going to have to come with us, Lukas.”

“Don’t count on it,” Lukas coldly responds as he snatches back his book and turns to leave. He doesn’t look back as Mathias and his colleagues continue to chatter until their voices die out all together.

-----

Back at his dorm, Lukas is tapping his fingers along his desk. He has adjusted his hairpin several times to focus the way one might adjust his glasses on the bridge of his noise to concentration. His efforts are fruitless, unfortunately, and before long, Lukas’ paper has come to a standstill towards the second half of completion. To distract himself, he calls his younger brother, Emil, to see how he is doing. All is well in his undergraduate studies, though for the light of him, Lukas never understood why his brother chose to major in marine biology of all things. After calling, Lukas is left in dull silence again. He quietly misses the occasional barrage of Mathias’ disruptions. In this rare case, he is right: it is hard to concentrate where there is a lack of noise to block out. Even after his watch reads nine at night, the paper remains unfinished barely five paragraphs later.

Around eleven at night, Lukas hears some voices running down from under his dorm. His dorm just so happens to be situated right above an archway where students and professors frequently pass, and as a result, he is subject to hearing muffled conversations from below. The voices this time around are familiar as he recognizes Mathias’ loud voice and the drunken laughter of his colleagues. So the law students have returned.

As expected, Lukas hears a knock on his door a few minutes after the voices pass. Mathias must have gone out of his way to come up to his dorm and say goodnight before saying something foolish and nonsensical. However, as Lukas opens the door with a dark and exhausted scowl expecting his friend, he instead finds himself face-to-face with the familiar color of his duvet piled over the carrier’s face.

“Can I come in?” someone asks, and Lukas hears that this voice belongs to ______________.

“How did you—? Sure. Come on in.”

After _____________ tosses his duvet on his bed, Lukas offers her a seat which she gladly takes. He understands this since he knows his duvet is heavy, and Mathias’ dorm is all the way at the other building.

“Nice room you’ve got here,” is the first thing ______________ says as she settles herself down on Lukas’ bed.

“Thank you,” Lukas says before adding, “for the compliment and for bringing me my duvet.”

“It was nothing,” she breathes after a chuckling. “It’s kind of heavy, though.”

“I can understand that.”

“How did it get all the way over at Mathias’ room?”

Lukas’ eyes fall towards the ground as he recalls the events. “He stole it from me so I’d go over to his room to help him with something. I never got the chance to get it back since I’ve been busy.”

“I’ll say,” _____________ smiles. “It’s tough becoming a doctor. I’m assuming that’s what you’re studying to be, right?”

“Yes,” Lukas nods. He thinks it to be cold of him to leave it on that thought so he adds on a question. “So what field are you specializing in?”

“Insurance cases,” she replies. “Scandals, loopholes, policies, coverage, things that weren’t promised to those who deserved better.”

“Oh.” He pauses. “What did Mathias—Excuse me for this, but why do you sometimes call him Køhler and Mathias at others?”

______________ hunches her shoulders. “I call him Køhler when I want to be serious and Mathias when I’m his friend.”

Lukas understands this. Unlike doctors who work collectively together, lawyers may one day find themselves sat opposing ends of a case. They cannot allow themselves to value personal preferences over a case as it could possibly compromise a case and their commission.

“So what were you going to ask before that?”

“Sorry, what did Mathias mean when he said I was afraid of you? Should I be?”

“Oh that.” _____________ begins to laugh. “It’s because…well, this is kind of embarrassing, but it’s because I can be very…different…when I do mock trials. I don’t know why people are surprised when I present my side of the case. They said I can be intimidating.”

“Aren’t you all?” Lukas smirks. He has seen the way Mathias has practiced in front of him. Despite being an overly carefree and oblivious individual on the outside, Mathias can be upfront and hard-working when the situation calls for it.

“Are you done with your paper?” _______________ suddenly asks craning her neck to see if the paper is complete.

“No,” Lukas says looking back at his currently unfinished paragraph. “I think I’m going to stop after I finish up another two paragraphs.”

“How does that work, your med papers, I mean?”

“You are presented with a list of symptoms and a background of the patient,” Lukas explains. “You are then required to write out a detailed list of the possible prognosis and diagnosis of the given patient. In most real-life cases, I don’t expect to be dealing with more than a few common illnesses, but it doesn’t hurt to know the serious cases.”

“Of course,” ______________ nods.

Lukas decides that he enjoys this person’s company. She does not offer her own insight to make herself appear intelligent, and she does not appear completely oblivious and ignorant unlike Mathias. In addition to that, she is surprisingly considerate and respectful of Lukas as a person. In cases where Lukas has worked with his colleagues, he has seen women who would get flustered around him or attempt to over-demonstrate their capabilities to a point where he would just get annoyed. ______________ does none of these things, and Lukas finds this refreshing. He feels that he can be himself around her even if the person that he is happens to be no more than any other med student trying to complete his or her studies. Curious, he thinks it appropriate to pry into her relationship with Mathias. It can be just a coincidence that they are friends who hang out with each other as colleagues, but he wants to know more.

“So what do you think of Mathias?” he opens with.

The suddenness of his question causes _____________’s eyes to lighten up. As a lawyer in the making, she is trained to be prepared for anything, and yet, Lukas finds it odd that she would make such a reaction.

“What do I…?” She smiles and looks to the side. “M-Ma—Køhler is nice. He’s pretty impressive when it comes to mock trails, too. I’ve seen the work he’s done. He looks scatter-brained. I was shocked when I found out someone like him was even in this school—and then there was his uncle being the dean of the health and social sciences department.” She swallowed. “But he’s good. He’s really good at looking into our case studies and coming up with all sorts of arguments I couldn’t think to put a spin on. It’s nice working with him. He’s really easy to get along with, and his charisma’s so addictive. You just want to be around him. It’s a good thing we might not go against each other in court. I’d hate to be up against him. He’s good.”

“You’re trying to be a lawyer, aren’t you?” Lukas reminds her. “Everything you say matters. If you doubt yourself for even a fraction of a second, the case will have completely shifted before you can retaliate. Why not turn your longing and weakness into something you can use?”

“I…” ______________ briefly laughs. “I don’t think it’s that, Lukas.” Lukas likes the way she says his name. “It’s more of a…personal thing.”

“Personal?” Lukas repeats. He does not like this. Such a word can only mean she feels something towards his friend. If not admiration, then what? It is too early to pry. He thinks it best to change the topic before he gets involved. “So why’d you want to become a lawyer?”

_______________ smirks. “Tell me why you want to become a doctor.” It is in the form of an imperative statement, not an interrogative.

“Why else does anyone want to become a doctor?” Lukas flatly responds back with a question of his own. He suspects _______________ is used to such treatment in her classes. Questions get people thinking on their toes. They have to be quick, cold and calculating. Precise and unrelenting.

“Money, right?” ______________ scoffs. “Yeah, I figured. The whole talk about people wanting to make others feel better doesn’t hold true as much as I’d like to see. So now I owe you an answer, huh?”

“I’d like one, yes,” Lukas replies.

“It’s just because I feel it’s right. It’s thrilling to be able to just represent something you’ve dedicated your time and energy into. You see all the different angles of your opponent’s case and attack at the angles they miss. It’s all strategy and delivery. I like that sort of thing. And to be able to get paid for it and make a difference…I like that, too.”

“Hmm.”

“What about you and Mathias? How’d you two become friends?”

Lukas presses his lips together. “I’d rather not say. It’s a dull story. We’ve been ‘friends’ for a long time, though. Since elementary, actually.”

“Really.” ______________’s eyes light up again. “Oh, wow, I thought you guys met as undergrads or something. That’s a long time, and you guys still act like this?”

“Yeah,” Lukas blankly stares. “That’s just how things have been.”

_______________ looks amused. “Whatever you guys do, it’s still working.”

“Speaking of working, how is it that you’re able to balance having a job with school?”

“It’s just something I deal with,” _____________ says with a tilt of her head. “After I graduate, my parents aren’t going to give me any more support. I’m on my own from here so I figured I needed a little pocket money in case the worst comes to worst.”

Lukas has nothing to this since he has never been in an unfortunate situation involving money before. In comparison to everything else, this quality makes him naïve. True, he has worked hard to get into Eliatha University, but he will never know the hardships of the world at his level. He will continue on with his life for another comfortable thirty years after earning his license with a steady wage and a never-ending supply of patients; people will continue to have children, those children will grow up, and in the time they grow up, they will all eventually get sick or require a check up at some point. For this, Lukas has no reason to empathize.

“Back at the café,” he murmurs, “I should have properly thanked you.”

______________ sits up. “Excuse me?”

“At the café,” Lukas says, studying her eyes, “I told you the coffee was good, but I left it at that. I don’t usually drink coffee quite like yours. That means a lot from me. I thought you should have known.”

“That’s okay,” ________________ smiles. “If I was in that situation, I’d give myself the excuse that I didn’t have time to remember—what with all the case study analyses floating in my head. The same probably goes for you and med studies, right?”

“Perhaps so.” It is a poor excuse but one Lukas is willing to settle on. He is about to say more when ________________ nearly jumps.

“Shoot, I almost forgot,” she hisses and swings her tote around. “Oh, gosh, I don’t know if it’s still good…” Then, she brings out a little thermos with a clean chrome finish out and presents it to Lukas.

“Here,” she says. “For you. Mathias was talking about how you study all of the time at crazy hours so I thought I’d stop by my workplace real quick to bring this.”

Lukas does not say anything.

“I mean…you said you liked my coffee so I thought it was okay. I paid for it so it’s not like I stole anything. I…I didn’t make it, though.”

Hearing that, Lukas gingerly takes the coffee. If she did not go out of her way to make it herself, then it is fine. He will feel no obligation other than to thank her for the drink. Though, when he thanks her and takes a sip, he has to refrain from twisting his lips in a disapproving frown. The coffee is not as good as before, far from it. He suspects the coffee he will drink from the university will be equally as mediocre in comparison to _______________’s. It will be an inconvenience, but he can afford to spare a few minutes of his sleep.

“You don’t like it, do you?” ____________ notices. “I can tell from the look in your eyes.”

That is a first. Lukas usually gets compliments for the color of his eyes but not the expression they give. Mathias even once said his eyes were like a dead man’s.

“It’s not as good,” he confirms.

“That’s too bad,” she sighs. “I was hoping it’d help. Looks like you’ve still got a while to go on your paper.”

“I’ll manage.”

Neither person says anything for a while. It is then that Lukas decides to check his watch to see the time. Nearly midnight. He has a class at nine in the morning and a paper he plans to work another three hours on. It was nice of _______________ to bring him this coffee despite its taste.

“Do you have anything you were supposed to be doing?” he asks. “Maybe a paper you had to work on, too?”

________________ laughs. “We did that at Wuthering Heights. Now all that’s left to do is to clean up the outlines and I’ll be good to go. Oh, but I’ve stayed too long, haven’t I? I’ll just go, then. Thanks for letting me come inside.”

“Ah—” Lukas gets up and attempts to reach out when he stops. He does not have the courage to call her back nor does he have any valid reason to make her stay any longer. In any case, he has wasted far too much time conversing with her. She must have better things to do. There is no reason for her to stay at this hour, and yet…

“Did you need something?” ________________ asks as she faces him.

Lukas stiffens up. His eyes wander around his room to find a distraction, something else that he might look at to prevent himself from falter. Despite his internal pleas, his eyes remain focused on ________________, and a quick image of the anatomy diagrams in his textbook flashes in his mind. Shaking them out, he refocuses his attention on the present.

“Thank you for bringing this,” he says. “I’ll need it.”

“Yeah, sure. No problem,” _______________ smiles at him and remains smiling as she leaves. As she goes farther away, Lukas remains watching her, his mind swimming with questions and fascination. He knows that at this point in given time, he will not be able to concentrate on his paper and finishes the rest of his coffee. With the caffeine pumping into his blood stream, he lies on his bed and wraps himself in his duvet, the lingering smell of ______________’s scent still potent on the fabric. It is then that he believes _______________ is far too good for Mathias—Køhler if he wants to be serious. What better way to get back at his friend for all these years by finally putting his charm to use?

Lukas is a busy man, one with limited time, yet he possesses intelligence, charm, and money. If he is able to utilize these things to his full abilities and have the patience to set them to work, he might just be able to get what he wants. Powered by the caffeine and inner desires of his brain, Lukas begins to think; he begins to desire. This afternoon, an inconvenience threw him off his normal routine towards the road unknown. He does not know where this road will take him, but he can either choose to tolerate it or work around it. This time, he chooses to step off and go towards the unknown. He will have to be careful. There are pitfalls and traps along the way, but the reward is far more tempting than any threat. If he succeeds, he feels that he will be truly satisfied.

And so, Lukas springs up from his bed and sets to work on his paper once again. If he is to set his plan into motion, he must have the time and energy to do so. The quicker he finishes, the sooner he gets to sleep. The more sleep he has, the more energy he will have for the day ahead. He will need to stay on top of things. It might be an inconvenience; it might be a challenge; but whatever it is, he looks forward to this.

Tomorrow, he thinks, he will walk the extra two blocks and return. He will not go every day so it will keep her expectations on edge. He will prick Mathias with questions from time to time, and perhaps, he will travel to the Wuthering Heights to see how noise can be beneficial to concentration. For now, though, he will simply return tomorrow for a cup of coffee, black coffee, the fastest kind to make, yet the purest and darkest of all.

Description
~The Smart Version~

Autumn is young. The air can barely be considered crisp as it can be considered nippy. The temperature is just right: not too hot, not too cold. Today is a perfect day for a walk; however, regardless of how lovely of a day it is, there is much studying and preparation to be done.

Lukas Bondevik is a busy man, and like all busy people, time is precious to him; it is something that cannot be returned, created, or given back. It is unfortunate, but just like most inconveniences barring his path, Lukas finds a way to work around them or simply endure. One of these such inconveniences does not consist of the lack of time or the fact that he cannot retire for the day; rather, the convenience is one of serious matters, one that can throw off his entire thought-out schedule and push each set event back a notch—like dominoes if it is to be compared to anything relatable. The inconvenience: the café Lukas frequents is closed for the next three months for renovations.

Normally in these circumstances, Lukas might curse his ill luck and be done with it. Not today. He wasted too much time walking here. To go back will mean the trip will have been for nothing. He thinks he could have invested the time into studying or retrieving his duvet from Køhler instead of going out of his way.

Blasted Dane, he thinks, biting down on his lower lip until the pressure pains him. He lets go and continues walking. He decides to be flexible. Why not? It is a good day today. Might as well not let it go to waste. He can use the fresh air and exercise, too.

Lukas decides two blocks is sufficient. There are plenty of cafés around; it is just that he finds the one he frequents—correction: frequented—convenient as the coffee they served was decently passable. For now, he is prepared to settle for poor coffee. He does not consider the caffeinated beverage to be an addiction—far from it by clinical definition—but he does find comfort in sustaining himself from it. It is something he cannot help, and he would not deny the fact that he practically runs on the drink like a car to gasoline.

Eventually, he arrives at a café just at the corner of the block, a convenient location for students and pedestrians such as himself to pass by. Before he stops, he begins to hesitate. He is aware that the cafés in this area are filled with regulars. The university he attends is situated far from the bustling downtown area, this being that the school was built for the purpose of studying, not for goofing off and wasting money. With this knowledge weighing in his mind, Lukas believes the customers and employees might know he is new. No. They will know he is new.

All of a sudden, Lukas is hesitant. He does not know why he has chosen to go through such a length just for a simple cup of coffee; it is not as though skipping out on a day’s worth of the drink will kill him. He begins to question his reasons. Why did he walk all the way out here? More importantly and more frustratingly, why is he suddenly so apprehensive? He is a student at one of the finest graduate schools in the world. He has a bright mind. His looks are not subpar—truth be told, they can even be considered to be of model-quality. Unlike some of the other students riding and scraping by on scholarships and loans, he is fortunate enough to come from a well-to-do background. He does not have any reason to be hesitant. He should have everything going for him—except the cup of coffee he has desired enough to walk an extra block for…only to stop right before coming to the front.

He mentally curses. He should not be this shy. He is better than this. He tells himself that he is wasting more time by standing outside, and yet he still does not budge. Secretly, he wishes his friend was around to drag him through the door as he often does. Even in an alien atmosphere, at least he would have someone familiar to accompany him. Not this time, however. Today on this fine autumn day, that insolent Dane is in the library researching for a paper—at least, that is what he said he was planning on doing. For all Lukas knows, he could be off drinking with his law school friends in the middle of the day. Typical.

But what is he thinking? More time wasted. Just this once. He can go inside and pay for a cup of his usual and preferred black coffee, the quickest coffee to make—the only way coffee should be drunk and appreciated, he believes.

To this thought, Lukas checks his wristwatch, an obsolete yet classy accessory. He walked briskly to get here, but the hour is still late. He is eight minutes behind schedule. He should have retrieved his coffee by now and should have headed back to the school. Time is being wasted. No more, he decides. It is something he can get over. One short stop, and the baristas and regulars will never have to see him again. From now on, he plans to drink coffee from the school. In his mind, he convinces himself that the only reason he went out of his way in the past was because he needed the fresh air.

So then, taking a deep breath, Lukas puts one foot in front of the other and begins to walk. His steps are shaky at first like a newborn lamb testing out its legs for the first time. Eventually, he becomes adjusted, confident. His stride gradually evens out, and before he realizes it, he is entering the little corner café, a small bell jingling from a pullstring.

The first thing Lukas does is scan his surroundings. There are no more than six customers inside the café, a reasonable number. The café is just big enough that it holds a unisex bathroom, and there is a loveseat and little plush sofa at the far end for long-term customers looking for a place to lose themselves. At this easy-paced hour, there is only one employee at the counter greeting him with a smile. Lukas has received these on several occasions; he is accustomed to this gesture since he knows he is fairly attractive by med student standards.

“What can I get for you?” she asks. Lukas prefers this question over something like, “Can I get anything for you?” Of course she can get something for him. It is not as though she is crippled or disabled in anyway. In addition to the alternative foolish question, the only reason he would stop at a café is if he required some form of service. The question this employee asks is satisfactory.

“Black coffee. Caffeinated. Tall.”

The barista smiles. Judging from her expression, Lukas might say she is amused that someone like him would drink such an excess of coffee without putting anything else inside. He has grown accustomed to this reaction by now. While he pays for his drink, he swears the young woman behind the counter gives him a look different than one of captivation. He is unable to tell what she might be thinking from her expression and silently waits for his receipt. Shortly after, his coffee is prepared along with the little white slip of paper. As his habitual “Thank you” and a turn of the heel is about to commence, the barista says something to him.

“Are you Lukas Bondevik?” she asks.

Lukas refrains from flinching. He recalls paying in cash. He always does. If this employee is a graduate student attending his university, he does not recognize her in any of his courses, and yet she knows his name.

However, he does not wish to lie and, instead of ignoring her, he responds with a “Yes.”

“I thought so,” the employee chuckles. “You’re Køhler’s friend, right?”

“That’s right.” Lukas does not know why he chooses to be so direct with her. She is not worth any more of his time. If she knows Mathias Køhler, then there is no doubt that she has to be a graduate student; if she is of any interest or use to him, he can see her on the school grounds. He does not need to subject himself to this type of delay. Yet, he stays.

“Figures,” the barista smiles. “Køhler talks about you very often.”

“I’d think so,” Lukas sighs. “So you attend Eliatha* University, too?”

“Yep. Law school. You’re studying medicine, right?”

Lukas nods. So that is how she is acquainted with Mathias. They must be colleagues.

“He doesn’t give you any trouble, does he?” he asks to make sure this conversation was not brought up for any underlying reason.

“Not at all,” she laughs. “He’s very sweet. Hard-working, too.”

“Surprising,” he sarcastically murmurs and reflexively takes a sip of his coffee. As the dark, bitter liquid slides down his throat, he nearly does a double take. The bitterness of the coffee is only equal and compliment with the perfect roast of the beans. The taste is not too subtle, yet not too thick. Just right. More than that. It is perfect.

“What did you say your name was?” he asks—immediately after the question leaves his lips, he feels foolish. Her first name is at least printed on a tag on her uniform and even on the receipt she handed to him. Granted, he does not know her last name, but he can always ask Mathias if he is curious.

“I never told you my name,” the barista smirks, “but it’s ______________ ______________.”

“________________...” Lukas tests the name out carefully like he does the lingering taste of the coffee he drank. “_________________, the coffee is delicious.”

“Thank you.”

Staring, Lukas finds himself in a peculiar situation. He does not understand this woman’s reaction. In normal circumstances, a lady would blush or become flustered from such a comment. This employee did neither. He cannot tell if it is because she is deceivingly arrogant or because she is able to restrain her emotions. Perhaps the second option, he decides. She is studying law, after all.

But, at this time, Lukas believes he has overstayed his stop. He is now sixteen minutes behind schedule. He should have made it back to the university by now. He should take his leave.

“I should be the one thanking you,” he says and gives her a quick nod of approval before turning to leave. No more words are exchanged. Both parties know they can see each other at the university again. As Lukas leaves the café—the little bell jingles atop the door as he pushes it open—he thinks of the quality of the coffee offered here in comparison to that of the university’s. Marginally, the coffee offered here is exceedingly better, and while he may have to walk two extra blocks to get here, he can afford to spare sixteen minutes of his day. It will just mean sixteen less minutes of sleep, something that he can afford.

As he walks back to the university, Lukas ponders the thought of returning and takes another sip of his coffee.

-----

Lukas does not jump as the door to his dorm bursts open, and a loud-mouthed Mathias comes bustling inside like a train wreck. While Lukas had made the request for a single-person dorm, Mathias had gone through the trouble of asking his uncle—the dean of the Department of Health and Social Sciences, to provide him with an extra key to his “dear best friend’s dorm.” The housing office had declined Lukas’ request to reinforce his door with extra locks or even security chains and bars; according to policies, tinkering with school property will result in a penalty or a fine, and Lukas has enough on his plate to be bothered with a blemish on his record. So, as one of the many inconveniences in his life, Lukas decides to tolerate this one.

“Lukas! Wanna go with us to Wuthering Heights**?” Mathias asks, anchoring himself against his friend’s desk.

“And get drunk beyond my ability to process information? No, thank you,” Lukas bluntly answers and affixes his eyes on his textbook.

“Aw, you’re too stiff, Lukas. You were even like this as an undergrad. After you become a doctor, you’re not going to get to do this again.”

“I never intended to get myself involved in your shenanigans to begin with,” Lukas reminds him. “Now, unless you have my duvet—which I would gladly like to have back—I’m going to have to nicely ask you to get out. I’m trying to finish this blasted prognosis paper, and you’re distracting me.” He flips a page after making a note. “Don’t you have a case you’re supposed to be studying?”

“Oh that?” Mathias asks as though an aforementioned afterthought. “That’s what we’re going to be working on.”

Lukas raises and eyebrow and looks up from his book at his friend. “At a bar? You can’t be serious.”

“It’s the best place to concentrate since there’s so much noise,” Mathias explains looking around the med student’s desk. “If things are too quiet, then you want some kind of noise to get you focused, right?”

A vein throbs in Lukas’ temple. “You mean the noise coming from your loud mouth?”

“Yea—Wait, what was that?”

Irritated beyond tolerances, Lukas scoffs and rolls his eyes. “And your uncle told me you’re one of the highest ranking students in this year’s class. If he wasn’t credible, I don’t think I would have ever believed him.”

“Whatever!” Mathias laughs it off and clicks off the desk lamp. Lukas attempts to click it back on and leave it at that, but Mathias has already swiped his textbook from underneath his arms and his dashing away with it—along with the stackful of papers and notes that are wedged inside.

“That damn nuisance has gone too far!” Lukas seethes and runs after him in, his anger to its limit like a pressure gauge ready to blow its top off. He knows this trick as Mathias has used it before: he will take something precious of Lukas whether it is his wallet, his family heirloom hairpin, or his expensive textbook full of his papers due in two days. It is a hindrance. This will set him back, and to make matters worse, Lukas knows full well that he does not have nearly as much stamina or speed as his Danish counterpart. If he is to retrieve his possessions, he knows he will have no choice but to follow after his friend perhaps to Wuthering Heights, that cacophonous bar for delinquents for graduate students.

By the time Lukas makes his way outside of his dorm, he spots a group of students—law students by the way they present themselves—and stops to catch his breath before lashing out at his friend.

“Real mature, Køhler,” someone says.

“At least you got him out,” another one laughs. “Guy’s such a tight-ass even for a med student.”

“Wait a second. Whose things are those?”

Lukas pauses. There is a female voice in the mix, and judging from the sound, he feels he has heard her voice before. When he looks up, he sees that it is none other than ____________, the barista from the café he went to this afternoon. She must be off her shift, and from the looks of things, she must be tagging along with Mathias and their colleagues for a night out.

“Bondevik’s,” Lukas hears Mathias say. “It’s the only way I can get him out without getting covered in bruises and scratches.”

“Really?” ________________ does not look too thrilled or impressed. “That’s terrible. Why would you do something like that? He’s a med student, isn’t he? What if he has a paper due?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Lukas speaks out, stepping into view. The rest of Mathias’ friends laugh and greet him with plastic smiles as he approaches the culprit, his eyes burning with a cold passion.

“I’d like my stuff back, please,” he says in a voice so low, the only ones who can hear him are Mathias and _______________.

“Not until you promise to go out with us,” Mathias stubbornly responds.

“Mathias, didn’t you hear him?” ________________ asks. “He said he has a paper due. Give his things back.”

“Oh, wait. This is the first time you two have met, yeah?” Mathias suddenly asks, ignoring her demand.

“Actually, we met briefly this afternoon,” Lukas corrects him.

His friend looks at him questionably. “You did? Where? ______________ told me she has work in the afternoon.”

“That’s where I met him,” _______________ smiles. “He came to the café and ordered some coffee.”

After putting the pieces of the puzzle together, Mathias lets out an addictive laughter. “Oh, yeah, that’s right! The café you go to is under renovation now!”

Suddenly, Lukas feels exposed and embarrassed. He does not even know why he is here among these patches of weeds the university calls law students. He is above this. He does not have to succumb to this type of exposition. More importantly, he is wasting time. He would like to have his things back and retreat into his dorm.

“Køhler, that’s not nice,” _____________ says earning “Oooohs” from the others. Lukas rolls his eyes surprised that this collective bunch even made it into Eliatha University. Mathias thinks differently. Against his colleagues’ laughter, he is almost wearing a look of regret. It took him long enough to come to this conclusion.

“Oh, I get it,” he says. “You don’t want to go because you’re afraid of _____________.”

“What?” Lukas blinks.

__________________ shakes her head. There is a faint trace of sheepishness in her eyes.

Lukas scowls. “I never said I was afraid of anyone. I just want my book and papers back before you ‘unintentionally’ crush them.”

“Køhler, just give him back his things,” ______________ tells him.

Now it is Mathias’ turn to raise his eyebrows. “And if I don’t?”

_______________ leans towards him. “How about if I do, I’ll give you something nice?”

“Like what?” he asks.

“It’s a secret.”

More “Oooohs” from the law students and more rolling eyes from _____________ and Lukas.

“Ah, alright,” Mathias finally consents. “But one of these days you’re going to have to come with us, Lukas.”

“Don’t count on it,” Lukas coldly responds as he snatches back his book and turns to leave. He doesn’t look back as Mathias and his colleagues continue to chatter until their voices die out all together.

-----

Back at his dorm, Lukas is tapping his fingers along his desk. He has adjusted his hairpin several times to focus the way one might adjust his glasses on the bridge of his noise to concentration. His efforts are fruitless, unfortunately, and before long, Lukas’ paper has come to a standstill towards the second half of completion. To distract himself, he calls his younger brother, Emil, to see how he is doing. All is well in his undergraduate studies, though for the light of him, Lukas never understood why his brother chose to major in marine biology of all things. After calling, Lukas is left in dull silence again. He quietly misses the occasional barrage of Mathias’ disruptions. In this rare case, he is right: it is hard to concentrate where there is a lack of noise to block out. Even after his watch reads nine at night, the paper remains unfinished barely five paragraphs later.

Around eleven at night, Lukas hears some voices running down from under his dorm. His dorm just so happens to be situated right above an archway where students and professors frequently pass, and as a result, he is subject to hearing muffled conversations from below. The voices this time around are familiar as he recognizes Mathias’ loud voice and the drunken laughter of his colleagues. So the law students have returned.

As expected, Lukas hears a knock on his door a few minutes after the voices pass. Mathias must have gone out of his way to come up to his dorm and say goodnight before saying something foolish and nonsensical. However, as Lukas opens the door with a dark and exhausted scowl expecting his friend, he instead finds himself face-to-face with the familiar color of his duvet piled over the carrier’s face.

“Can I come in?” someone asks, and Lukas hears that this voice belongs to ______________.

“How did you—? Sure. Come on in.”

After _____________ tosses his duvet on his bed, Lukas offers her a seat which she gladly takes. He understands this since he knows his duvet is heavy, and Mathias’ dorm is all the way at the other building.

“Nice room you’ve got here,” is the first thing ______________ says as she settles herself down on Lukas’ bed.

“Thank you,” Lukas says before adding, “for the compliment and for bringing me my duvet.”

“It was nothing,” she breathes after a chuckling. “It’s kind of heavy, though.”

“I can understand that.”

“How did it get all the way over at Mathias’ room?”

Lukas’ eyes fall towards the ground as he recalls the events. “He stole it from me so I’d go over to his room to help him with something. I never got the chance to get it back since I’ve been busy.”

“I’ll say,” _____________ smiles. “It’s tough becoming a doctor. I’m assuming that’s what you’re studying to be, right?”

“Yes,” Lukas nods. He thinks it to be cold of him to leave it on that thought so he adds on a question. “So what field are you specializing in?”

“Insurance cases,” she replies. “Scandals, loopholes, policies, coverage, things that weren’t promised to those who deserved better.”

“Oh.” He pauses. “What did Mathias—Excuse me for this, but why do you sometimes call him Køhler and Mathias at others?”

______________ hunches her shoulders. “I call him Køhler when I want to be serious and Mathias when I’m his friend.”

Lukas understands this. Unlike doctors who work collectively together, lawyers may one day find themselves sat opposing ends of a case. They cannot allow themselves to value personal preferences over a case as it could possibly compromise a case and their commission.

“So what were you going to ask before that?”

“Sorry, what did Mathias mean when he said I was afraid of you? Should I be?”

“Oh that.” _____________ begins to laugh. “It’s because…well, this is kind of embarrassing, but it’s because I can be very…different…when I do mock trials. I don’t know why people are surprised when I present my side of the case. They said I can be intimidating.”

“Aren’t you all?” Lukas smirks. He has seen the way Mathias has practiced in front of him. Despite being an overly carefree and oblivious individual on the outside, Mathias can be upfront and hard-working when the situation calls for it.

“Are you done with your paper?” _______________ suddenly asks craning her neck to see if the paper is complete.

“No,” Lukas says looking back at his currently unfinished paragraph. “I think I’m going to stop after I finish up another two paragraphs.”

“How does that work, your med papers, I mean?”

“You are presented with a list of symptoms and a background of the patient,” Lukas explains. “You are then required to write out a detailed list of the possible prognosis and diagnosis of the given patient. In most real-life cases, I don’t expect to be dealing with more than a few common illnesses, but it doesn’t hurt to know the serious cases.”

“Of course,” ______________ nods.

Lukas decides that he enjoys this person’s company. She does not offer her own insight to make herself appear intelligent, and she does not appear completely oblivious and ignorant unlike Mathias. In addition to that, she is surprisingly considerate and respectful of Lukas as a person. In cases where Lukas has worked with his colleagues, he has seen women who would get flustered around him or attempt to over-demonstrate their capabilities to a point where he would just get annoyed. ______________ does none of these things, and Lukas finds this refreshing. He feels that he can be himself around her even if the person that he is happens to be no more than any other med student trying to complete his or her studies. Curious, he thinks it appropriate to pry into her relationship with Mathias. It can be just a coincidence that they are friends who hang out with each other as colleagues, but he wants to know more.

“So what do you think of Mathias?” he opens with.

The suddenness of his question causes _____________’s eyes to lighten up. As a lawyer in the making, she is trained to be prepared for anything, and yet, Lukas finds it odd that she would make such a reaction.

“What do I…?” She smiles and looks to the side. “M-Ma—Køhler is nice. He’s pretty impressive when it comes to mock trails, too. I’ve seen the work he’s done. He looks scatter-brained. I was shocked when I found out someone like him was even in this school—and then there was his uncle being the dean of the health and social sciences department.” She swallowed. “But he’s good. He’s really good at looking into our case studies and coming up with all sorts of arguments I couldn’t think to put a spin on. It’s nice working with him. He’s really easy to get along with, and his charisma’s so addictive. You just want to be around him. It’s a good thing we might not go against each other in court. I’d hate to be up against him. He’s good.”

“You’re trying to be a lawyer, aren’t you?” Lukas reminds her. “Everything you say matters. If you doubt yourself for even a fraction of a second, the case will have completely shifted before you can retaliate. Why not turn your longing and weakness into something you can use?”

“I…” ______________ briefly laughs. “I don’t think it’s that, Lukas.” Lukas likes the way she says his name. “It’s more of a…personal thing.”

“Personal?” Lukas repeats. He does not like this. Such a word can only mean she feels something towards his friend. If not admiration, then what? It is too early to pry. He thinks it best to change the topic before he gets involved. “So why’d you want to become a lawyer?”

_______________ smirks. “Tell me why you want to become a doctor.” It is in the form of an imperative statement, not an interrogative.

“Why else does anyone want to become a doctor?” Lukas flatly responds back with a question of his own. He suspects _______________ is used to such treatment in her classes. Questions get people thinking on their toes. They have to be quick, cold and calculating. Precise and unrelenting.

“Money, right?” ______________ scoffs. “Yeah, I figured. The whole talk about people wanting to make others feel better doesn’t hold true as much as I’d like to see. So now I owe you an answer, huh?”

“I’d like one, yes,” Lukas replies.

“It’s just because I feel it’s right. It’s thrilling to be able to just represent something you’ve dedicated your time and energy into. You see all the different angles of your opponent’s case and attack at the angles they miss. It’s all strategy and delivery. I like that sort of thing. And to be able to get paid for it and make a difference…I like that, too.”

“Hmm.”

“What about you and Mathias? How’d you two become friends?”

Lukas presses his lips together. “I’d rather not say. It’s a dull story. We’ve been ‘friends’ for a long time, though. Since elementary, actually.”

“Really.” ______________’s eyes light up again. “Oh, wow, I thought you guys met as undergrads or something. That’s a long time, and you guys still act like this?”

“Yeah,” Lukas blankly stares. “That’s just how things have been.”

_______________ looks amused. “Whatever you guys do, it’s still working.”

“Speaking of working, how is it that you’re able to balance having a job with school?”

“It’s just something I deal with,” _____________ says with a tilt of her head. “After I graduate, my parents aren’t going to give me any more support. I’m on my own from here so I figured I needed a little pocket money in case the worst comes to worst.”

Lukas has nothing to this since he has never been in an unfortunate situation involving money before. In comparison to everything else, this quality makes him naïve. True, he has worked hard to get into Eliatha University, but he will never know the hardships of the world at his level. He will continue on with his life for another comfortable thirty years after earning his license with a steady wage and a never-ending supply of patients; people will continue to have children, those children will grow up, and in the time they grow up, they will all eventually get sick or require a check up at some point. For this, Lukas has no reason to empathize.

“Back at the café,” he murmurs, “I should have properly thanked you.”

______________ sits up. “Excuse me?”

“At the café,” Lukas says, studying her eyes, “I told you the coffee was good, but I left it at that. I don’t usually drink coffee quite like yours. That means a lot from me. I thought you should have known.”

“That’s okay,” ________________ smiles. “If I was in that situation, I’d give myself the excuse that I didn’t have time to remember—what with all the case study analyses floating in my head. The same probably goes for you and med studies, right?”

“Perhaps so.” It is a poor excuse but one Lukas is willing to settle on. He is about to say more when ________________ nearly jumps.

“Shoot, I almost forgot,” she hisses and swings her tote around. “Oh, gosh, I don’t know if it’s still good…” Then, she brings out a little thermos with a clean chrome finish out and presents it to Lukas.

“Here,” she says. “For you. Mathias was talking about how you study all of the time at crazy hours so I thought I’d stop by my workplace real quick to bring this.”

Lukas does not say anything.

“I mean…you said you liked my coffee so I thought it was okay. I paid for it so it’s not like I stole anything. I…I didn’t make it, though.”

Hearing that, Lukas gingerly takes the coffee. If she did not go out of her way to make it herself, then it is fine. He will feel no obligation other than to thank her for the drink. Though, when he thanks her and takes a sip, he has to refrain from twisting his lips in a disapproving frown. The coffee is not as good as before, far from it. He suspects the coffee he will drink from the university will be equally as mediocre in comparison to _______________’s. It will be an inconvenience, but he can afford to spare a few minutes of his sleep.

“You don’t like it, do you?” ____________ notices. “I can tell from the look in your eyes.”

That is a first. Lukas usually gets compliments for the color of his eyes but not the expression they give. Mathias even once said his eyes were like a dead man’s.

“It’s not as good,” he confirms.

“That’s too bad,” she sighs. “I was hoping it’d help. Looks like you’ve still got a while to go on your paper.”

“I’ll manage.”

Neither person says anything for a while. It is then that Lukas decides to check his watch to see the time. Nearly midnight. He has a class at nine in the morning and a paper he plans to work another three hours on. It was nice of _______________ to bring him this coffee despite its taste.

“Do you have anything you were supposed to be doing?” he asks. “Maybe a paper you had to work on, too?”

________________ laughs. “We did that at Wuthering Heights. Now all that’s left to do is to clean up the outlines and I’ll be good to go. Oh, but I’ve stayed too long, haven’t I? I’ll just go, then. Thanks for letting me come inside.”

“Ah—” Lukas gets up and attempts to reach out when he stops. He does not have the courage to call her back nor does he have any valid reason to make her stay any longer. In any case, he has wasted far too much time conversing with her. She must have better things to do. There is no reason for her to stay at this hour, and yet…

“Did you need something?” ________________ asks as she faces him.

Lukas stiffens up. His eyes wander around his room to find a distraction, something else that he might look at to prevent himself from falter. Despite his internal pleas, his eyes remain focused on ________________, and a quick image of the anatomy diagrams in his textbook flashes in his mind. Shaking them out, he refocuses his attention on the present.

“Thank you for bringing this,” he says. “I’ll need it.”

“Yeah, sure. No problem,” _______________ smiles at him and remains smiling as she leaves. As she goes farther away, Lukas remains watching her, his mind swimming with questions and fascination. He knows that at this point in given time, he will not be able to concentrate on his paper and finishes the rest of his coffee. With the caffeine pumping into his blood stream, he lies on his bed and wraps himself in his duvet, the lingering smell of ______________’s scent still potent on the fabric. It is then that he believes _______________ is far too good for Mathias—Køhler if he wants to be serious. What better way to get back at his friend for all these years by finally putting his charm to use?

Lukas is a busy man, one with limited time, yet he possesses intelligence, charm, and money. If he is able to utilize these things to his full abilities and have the patience to set them to work, he might just be able to get what he wants. Powered by the caffeine and inner desires of his brain, Lukas begins to think; he begins to desire. This afternoon, an inconvenience threw him off his normal routine towards the road unknown. He does not know where this road will take him, but he can either choose to tolerate it or work around it. This time, he chooses to step off and go towards the unknown. He will have to be careful. There are pitfalls and traps along the way, but the reward is far more tempting than any threat. If he succeeds, he feels that he will be truly satisfied.

And so, Lukas springs up from his bed and sets to work on his paper once again. If he is to set his plan into motion, he must have the time and energy to do so. The quicker he finishes, the sooner he gets to sleep. The more sleep he has, the more energy he will have for the day ahead. He will need to stay on top of things. It might be an inconvenience; it might be a challenge; but whatever it is, he looks forward to this.

Tomorrow, he thinks, he will walk the extra two blocks and return. He will not go every day so it will keep her expectations on edge. He will prick Mathias with questions from time to time, and perhaps, he will travel to the Wuthering Heights to see how noise can be beneficial to concentration. For now, though, he will simply return tomorrow for a cup of coffee, black coffee, the fastest kind to make, yet the purest and darkest of all.