Love at First Sip

Haley Hegarty

            Campbell Jenkins watched in horror as some guy picked up her Starbucks order from the counter…and took a sip of it.

            She was already having a bad day. From her hair sticking to her forehead, even though she washed it last night, leaving her to sport a messy bun, to her mascara bottle running out—Cammy was a hot mess. Not to mention, her usually put-together self was wearing pajamas to class. Not even sweatpants. But from finals and college stress, her appearance was the last thing on her mind. She just needed her caffeine, her reward for even doing the bare minimum of her work today, to make her twenty-four hours of mid-term preparation torture…less…torture-y. 

            So, when a guy wearing frumpy grey sweatpants and a crewneck with messy, curly brown hair picked up her precious caramel macchiato with two pumps of white mocha and took a sip —Cammy was about to flip out. Then, just as she was starting to fume, he also picked up the brown bag carrying her warm, sweet, mouthwatering cheese Danish.

            If this had been the first offense that had happened today, Cammy would not have minded and would have just ordered something else. But from a bad hair day, her mascara running out, and final exams stressing her out—and now some random guy taking her food and coffee—this was all just unacceptable.

            With puffy bags of purple and blue painted under her eyes, such eyes that were begging for sleep, Cammy could barely even process what she was doing. School had been her focus this week, having spent hours flipping through flashcards, reading textbooks, and falling asleep with her head between the pages of her books. She had been stuck on a desert island of academia. But now, her mind was drained. Her once vibrant and motivated brain had become a hollow rock of nothingness—incapable of anything other than bland or rash thought.

This all resulted in Cammy approaching the order pick-up counter and saying, “I’m sorry. I think that’s my order,” to the back of the six-foot-two guy holding her precious macchiato with its dainty caramel swirled in the heavenly confines of the cup, as well as the mouthwatering pastry with the sugary sweet cheese delectably plopped in the center of the flaky Danish.

            Although, her heart stopped when this man turned around. She was brought face to face with the guy who sits in front of her in one of her classes, otherwise known as Cameron Sawyer.

            Campbell stared stone-faced at this familiar, yet not so familiar, man. Does she know who he is? Yes. Have they spoken any other words than just “Hey” or “Do you have an extra pencil?” No. Is she worried that he will recognize her because now she really regrets confronting him? Yes.

            But as he stood, being as stoic as possible, with slightly scrunched eyebrows and set lips, Campbell realized he didn’t know who she was. There was no flash of recognition across his stern and unreadable gaze now focused down on her.

            As thankful as she was at this moment that he had not recognized her, she could not help but notice her slight disappointment. She noticed everything about him. From how he would always only bring one pencil to exams, always wore the same blue pajama pants to class on Wednesdays, and how he styled his hair less and less as the week went on. She should have known it was him. After all, it is Thursday, and it looks like he just woke up and got out of bed, judging from the state of his wavy hair.

            Cammy was left star-struck. She was sure she looked crazy just staring at him, with her eyes wide and mouth slightly open. You know those scenes in horror movies when the actor is brought face-to-face with the murderer? —Cammy’s face was like the tamed down, sleep-deprived-college-student version of that.

            Her fumes of anger were smoked away into the aroma of coffee, embarrassment replacing her anger as her attire brought her back to where she was. She couldn’t believe Cameron was seeing her like this. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, Cammy, with flushed cheeks and her head facing the ground, mumbled a less angered apology and rushed to the counter to reorder her coffee before she was embarrassed further.

            She did not dare look back at him. Not only did she look homeless, but she also just acted like a full-on weirdo rushing away from him. Maybe if she  ignored him, he would go away, and this could all be forgotten. Her head was spinning, not only from the desperation to sleep pounding into her head but also now from her inability to stand up for herself and get her coffee normally this morning.

            She tried to keep her eyes fixated on the six people in line ahead of her, but her eyes betrayed her, slowly drifting over to him. When her eyes reached his, she noticed the confusion swirling in his blue painted irises. He was staring at her, studying her as if  trying to understand a complicated biology chapter—the type of chapter that kept Cammy up all night and brought her here.

            However, Cammy didn’t notice a hint of judgment or humor in his eyes; he looked…entranced and stuck in place as if her humiliating actions had frozen him in stone. Oh goodness, did she stun him? He still was not moving. With his head tilted and body directed towards her, his entire attention was planted on her.

            Now, with guilt tumbling around in her veins for stunning this poor guy, Cammy stood in the line that led to a sip of happiness, feeling anything but excited for her drink. So, ignoring what her drained head begging for caffeine wanted, Cammy exited the line and walked over to him. She tried to smile and look somewhat normal to him, but she knew she just looked pathetic. He, on the other hand, looked perfect. Even with messy hair and sweats, he still looked presentable. If only she could pull that off herself.

            As she approached, winds of wariness blew around inside her. She tried to think of what to say, but the thoughts cluttered  her mind. How does one even speak after this? Should she say, “Sorry, I angrily approached you when you took my coffee”? Or maybe, “Sorry I walked off without explaining and then made you freeze in the warmest coffee shop in town”? There was no comfortable way to handle this. So, Cammy pulled together some courage, and her legs moved  toward Cameron, even though her mind still told her to turn around.

            “Hi, there,” was what she brilliantly blurted out when she approached him.

            “Hi,” he replied, his eyes still scanning her, now raking over her face, but then he looked back at the cup and Danish. “Was this yours?”

            Her eyes turned to look at the caramel temptation in his hand. “I think so,” she confessed, still seeing her name on the cup from when her name was given when she ordered it.

            He chuckled. “I figured it wasn’t mine after I tasted caramel. I ordered a cold brew but only looked for my name before sipping it. The Danish was also a very welcomed surprise, but here it is,” he said, handing her her study break snacks. “Sorry about all this by the way. I will totally buy you a new coffee since I sipped the first.” He fumbled in his bag, pulled out a credit card, and then walked over to the counter. “Was it a caramel latte you ordered?”

            “A caramel macchiato,” she corrected. “But seriously, that’s not needed. You don’t have to do that. I don’t mind drinking the one I have—” Before she could finish, Cameron was already walking away from her toward the line. Dread filled Cammy’s lungs as she quickly rushed to him in line. “I’m serious; you don’t need to do this. I think I’m just going to go back to my dorm.”

            “Campbell, just let me get you your drink, okay?” he blurted, annoyance and a hint of aggravation tainted his voice. “You’re going to need it for this biology midterm tomorrow, and I won’t be the reason you’re too tired to study.”

            Any other retort she was planning to say died on her tongue after he said her name. “You know who I am?”

            He gave her a puzzled look. “Why wouldn’t I? We sit near each other in class. I know we haven’t formally spoken before, but I heard one of your friends say your name once. I also saw it at the top of your test when I was leaving the room.”

            “Oh, ok.” That made sense, but it was not what she expected. Given the number of people in her lecture hall, she did not even expect him to recognize her face, However, they always sat relatively close to each other, so she supposed it was not a completely outlandish idea. Yet, romantic hopes bubbled inside her. What-ifs of him possibly noticing her because he liked her, not just because of a shared class, bounced hopelessly in her head. However, when wafts of vanilla, chocolate, and espresso fluttered through her nose, her mind was directed back to what was important. “How did we switch up coffees anyway? You said your name was on the cup?”

            “Mine said ‘Cammy’ on it, so I figured the barista shortened Cameron to Cammy. But I’ve since figured out it was for Campbell,” he laughed. “I’m sorry for the mistake, Campbell, really. I guess I’m not fully awake yet. If I hadn’t been so stressed because of  midterms, I probably wouldn’t have drunk your coffee.”

            The explanation clicked in her mind. It was an honest mistake—one that she would most likely make herself.

            “Hi, what can I get for you today?” cheered the bubbly barista at the counter, and Cammy had not even noticed that they had reached the front of the line.

            Cameron ordered her coffee, as well as two coffee cakes, which Campbell selfishly did not tell him not to buy because she adored those things. Then, as she walked past the pickup counter, she found his actual coffee. “Is there a Cammy looking for a chocolate cream cold brew? Anyone?” she teased.

            “Funny,” he said, rolling his eyes and grabbing his drink. He hesitated after picking it up  unsure where to go from there. His eyes flicked from her then to where her coffee was being made and back again. He cleared his throat and asked, “Do you want to sit at a table while we wait?”

            She could not be opposed to spending more time with him. Even disregarding her feelings, he just paid for her breakfast. “Sure, that sounds good.”

            She sat in the booth, and he sat in the chair. They talked for five minutes about the test material before their stuff was ready and Cameron got up to bring it to her. “Now, I promise I didn’t drink out of your coffee this time,” he joked.

            “Thank goodness for that,” she laughed, standing up to grab her coffee.

            As much as she wanted to stay, she came here to get enough energy to study, something Cameron needed to do anyway so they do not fail their class. “I wish I could stay, but we should both get going. You know, big test tomorrow.”

            “Yeah, yeah. Of course,” he said, yet he made no move to leave or say goodbye.

            “Well, thank you for the coffee,” she smiled and lifted her cup slightly . “I’ll see you tomorrow, Cameron.”

            She began to walk away, but he spoke. “Wait, wait. Just one thing.” He looked almost out of breath, and curious blue eyes beamed down on her. “Tomorrow…,” he paused, discontinuing his thought.

            “Yes?”

            “Would you maybe want to meet here again after the test? I enjoyed this time with you, and I’ve always seen you around campus. I was just wondering if—”

            “Yes!” Cammy interrupted, immediately regretting her obvious enthusiasm after hearing him laugh. Calming her voice before she spoke, she said, “I meant that sounds good. I’d really like that.”

            A grin washed over his face. “Perfect. I’ll see you here.”

            “Yeah. Bye, Cameron.”

            “Bye, Campbell.”

            Campbell walked through the doors with  two coffees and two bags of baked goods; the chilled frost of winter painted her skin with a rosy flush, adding to the flush already on her face for a completely different reason. She sipped her coffee, making her taste buds wish the time spent drinking the coffee would never end, just as she wished her time with Cameron never had to end. She looked back into the coffee shop, finding him still sitting at their table watching her.

            He waved and smiled at her, and she returned the favor. The sweetness of her coffee and their time together had warmed her heart.