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Mr. Cho was quite the perceptive individual. He was also capable of being suavely crafty. So when he happened to notice the sheer fascination directed at this new customer, within Wendy’s large brown eyes, he promptly took out his phone from his pocket. He had already introduced the visitor as “...Chen. He’s a writer.” That was enough information for right then.

                “Oh, it’s that distributor that I contacted.” The café owner said, turning so that Wendy couldn’t possibly see the screen of his phone which was actually, decidedly, blank. “I’ll answer this, okay?” he told his barista. “I’ll be right back. Sorry.” he said to Chen.

                “Sure, sure. No problem.” said the other, waving it off. Mr. Cho capably pretended to answer the ‘call’ and walked into the storage room and then out the back door.

                Thinking fast, Wendy made herself busy wiping down the equipment with a towel, although she had already done it twice.

                “Can I make you anything?” she asked, hoping that he’d say yes with all of her being.

                “Um, sure. That’d be great.” he said, with another one of his award-worthy smiles.

                For whatever reasons, Wendy’s heart was beating a mile a minute. “What would you like?”

                Chen laughed a little. “Truthfully, I’m not too knowledgeable when it comes to coffee. I don’t drink it often.” He paused. “...What would you suggest?”

                Oh, yes. You’ve got this, Wendy. “What are you in the mood for?”━She shook her head then━“No, what do you feel like you need in a coffee drink?”

                He was curious now; cocking his head to the side a little. It was very cute. “Now there’s a question. Hmm. I guess I would like something a milder, not too sweet, but with a good amount of caffeine.” He laughed again. His laugh was also very cute, but somehow very masculine as well. “Is that possible?” he asked, responding to that note with impeccable timing.

                She nodded once, a confident gleam in her eyes that made Chen’s smile endure. “Cold brew.” she said, matter-of-factly. Bending down, she retrieved one of the mason jars that were stored under the counter. It was full of a muddy, dark brown concoction that Chen assumed was some sort of coffee. He watched with continued interest as Wendy dumped the contents of the jar into a pot with a spout. She did this quickly and all at once so as not to spill. With a steady hand and obvious expertise, the barista swirled the pot in precise movements, watching the liquid with attentive eyes.

                Chen was captivated by the demonstration. He had only ever been to a Starbucks a few times before; never had he witnessed coffee being made with such formality. It was interesting to imagine how to go about writing such a barista character into one of his stories━

                “For here or to-go?” Wendy asked, suddenly, pulling Chen from his reverie. She hadn’t realized at all how he had been observing her every facet.

                “For here.” he said, with a nod.

                She nodded back and retrieved a large glass cup from one of the shelves on the wall behind her. She sat it on the counter and gingerly placed a coffee dripper on top. A filter went into the dripper next. Chen observed that the barista took one deeper breath just before she raised the pot, the spout five or six inches above the dripper, and began to pour. The stream was uniform and steady; her eyes surveyed the murky liquid as it flowed into the dripper and was purified by the filter, allowing a smaller stream of pristine amber coffee to flow into the cup underneath.

                After the last of the coffee was strained, she sat down the pot and removed the dripper. She finally noticed, then, how interested Chen was in what she was doing. It was wonderful to see someone actually, truly make notic