Indulgence

Chapter 1

Hot chocolate. The beverage that I turned to when the world turned against me. The once a week indulgence that I still kept hidden because he said it was fattening. The temporary solution to all my problems. The one constant in my ever fluctuating life. And no, it wasn't just any hot chocolate. Not the one from the cheap plastic bottles, not the one from the packets. 

This was the real stuff, just the right consistency, temperature, with just the perfect amount of fluffy whipped cream to crown it. And there was only one place you could get it. 

I pushed open the door below the dangling wooden sign that read, 'Le Mystic Cafe'. A small silver bell against the door jangled to announce my presence. Well, at least someone- something notices my existence, I thought bitterly, looking at the tiny bell with a sigh.

I simply stood in the entrance of the cafe for a moment, revelling in the various rich, sweet aromas that had begun to assault my nostrils the moment I pulled the door open. 

Le Mystic Cafe was one of those places that you could only imagine to exist in a desolate corner of some exotic city with cobbled roads and winding alleyways. Definitely not your typical Starbucks type of scene. And yet, it sat (proud and not very visited) merely a convenient two blocks away from my college, Fell University. 

The owner, Luciana Salvatore, was an archaic woman with kind eyes and a soft corner for her limited, but loyal customers. 

The whole vibe of the cafe was, well, homey. It was all wood panels and squashy armchairs so comfortable they should have been illegal. The employees 

Luciana was busy attending to another customer, but the moment she spotted me walking in, she shot me a radiant smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling with the intensity. That's another thing about Le Mystic. The cosy atmosphere immediately wrapped around you like a protective blanket, shielding you from the world, even if only temporarily. 

I walked over to the counter and aimlessly allowed my eyes to rake over the menu taped to the wooden surface. It was hopeless, though. I always ended up ordering the same thing, every week. It was my comfort drink. My escape. From everything. From the world, from him. His constant scathing comments about my appearance, his sudden mood swings, the way he would lovingly caress my cheek one moment, only to viciously slap it the next.

No, I wasn't allowed to think about him now. When I entered Le Mystic, I shut out reality. So that for that short period of tranquility, it was only me, my hot chocolate from heaven, surrounded by some of the saner people in the world.

"What can I get you, sweetheart?"

I was jerked out of my wandering train of thought by a sleek male voice that completely threw me off guard. I looked up from the counter and was met with a new face; a strong jawline, perfectly sculpted lips, and features that would give any Greek God a run for his money. 

Forget all that for a moment. Any other part of his face paled in comparison when my eyes met his. The azure of the sky, the tumultuous waves, the crystalline glaciers....nothing. They were nothing on the perfection of the cerulean hue that was this man's eyes.

He coughed, uncomfortable. I realised that I had probably been staring at him in awed silence for quite a while now. Who could blame me? He was like a living, breathing sculpture. My cheeks immediately flushed. Well, damage done. I might as well just order what I came here for instead of subjecting myself to further humiliation. 

"Um...hot-" I started, my voice raspy. As I cleared my throat, I mentally smacked myself. Really? You just had to stop there? "I mean, one hot chocolate, please," I said lamely, blushing like there was no tomorrow.

The man, who had first been watching my struggles with a more than slightly amused expression, was now grinning like a cheshire cat. "Good choice. You look like you could use a pick - me - up." He proclaimed, smirking, while my heart joined the cheerleading squad and started to do some pretty impressive flips.

He turned around, his back towards me. And a very fine back it was. Snap out of it, Elena. You can't just blatantly check people out like that. You have a boyfriend. 

 

Yeah. Some boyfriend he was. I pushed those thoughts away for the moment and allowed my focus to return to my beverage. I watched as the man added the finishing touches to the drink and pulled out the whipped cream. He added a generous dollop, but he didn't stop there. He grabbed another bottle and I watched in horror as he drizzled something else onto the whipped cream.

Woah. Wait there. He might have the face of a smoking hot angel, but anyone who messes with Elena Gilbert's hot chocolate has a reserved seat in hell. As he turned back to face me, my apprehension must have been evident on my face, for he was quick to reassure me.

"Relax," he said, rolling his eyes. "I know it's not the usual, but I think caramel adds a little..something to it. Try it out. I think you'll like it." He winked at me then, causing me to grab the proffered hot chocolate off the counter, ducking my head with a mumbled thanks.

I retreated to my habitual corner of the cafe, the perfect place to hide myself and my utter mortification. Who was he? He was definitely new here. Believe me, I'm pretty sure I would remember a face like that. I looked back at the counter and saw him attending to another one of Le Mystic's regulars, Matt Donovan. Almost as if he sensed me looking at him, he turned towards me and flashed me a bright smile that only did wonders to his already perfect visage. The looks on this man were just downright unfair. I blinked hard and dropped my gaze. This was getting overwhelming. I needed to focus on something else. Anything else. 

I lifted the cup to my lips and let the sweet, delicious aroma of sublimity wash over me. Ah. Perfect. Just what I needed. I was curious to know how the new addition to my hot chocolate would turn out so I took a long, slow, tentative sip.

I swallowed the mouthful in silence and stared down at the cup in front of me. Though I hadn't noticed it before, the caramel was like the missing piece to the puzzle that was this beverage. It made it whole. Pure. Complete. Its innocent sweetness only accentuated what I had thought to be the epitome of drinks. Before I knew it, I had polished off the entire mug in a few gulps, and I could literally feel the chocolatey goodness coursing through my veins, refreshing me.

I looked towards the counter discreetly, and found myself staring right into his eyes. Had he been watching me this entire time? I offered him a tiny, faltering smile and his omnipresent smirk only magnified. His eyebrows raised and he mouthed, "You're welcome."

This time, my smile was anything but small.