<If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster> {jon}

[Gary Madison Chandler]

It was a Wednesday morning, and Gary hadn't really had time to grab breakfast before he'd rushed out of his dorm for his nine o'clock class. He had arrived (just on time) to the British Literature classroom, only to find a "class cancelled" notice on the door. So here he was, short of breakfast and something to keep him busy until his eleven o'clock. There was really only one thing to do. Get coffee.

He entered the Sailor's Café, pushing the door open and letting it swing closed behind him, the little silver bell on the handle chiming out its cheerful greeting as he did so. The café wasn't too crowded this time of day; most people had class and those who didn't usually chose to stay in bed. There wasn't a line, just a couple lacrosse players checking out the candy bar rack, so Gary made his way to the counter and ordered. "Espresso, white mocha, with a shot of caramel." It was a good mixture, and happened to be his favorite.

When his coffee was ready and he finally held the steaming beverage between hands still slightly chilled from the near-desert morning, he headed over to the several small tables that sat in the café. Choosing one near the door, he took a seat, and half-heartedly glanced over the newspaper that lay on the table. Nothing worth reading about, really, he decided, and blew a puff of steam away that had drifted up from the small hole in the lid of his coffee cup. It wasn't worth going back to his dorm to sleep for an hour and a half, but he didn't really have anything to do...He sat back, and hoped someone else might come into the café, since it wasn't really likely that the lacrosse players would pay him much attention.

His hands had thawed, finally. It was amazing how chilly it could get in a place that was supposed to be a desert. Lake Arthur wasn’t, though, not really. People thought of it that way because it was in the middle of New Mexico, but thanks to the college, it had grown, and was now a relatively large city. That didn’t mean chilly air didn’t blow in off of the sand at night, though, and while it was usually gone by noon, it was still a little cold outside.

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[Jonathan Dominic Goforth]

It seemed like every time Jon took one step forward, he took two steps back. Sure he had spoken to his brother without the usual screaming and cussing, but he had been yelled at by his coach, father, and doctor. He was also now being watched like a hawk by his own teammates. So when he entered the café that early morning, he nearly groaned. He had come here this morning with the intention of getting a hot chocolate and hiding from his team mates. He could only take some much babying at a time. Yet, there three of them stood.

Silvery eyes darted around the room desperate to find a place to escape to. If he had a purpose besides a drink for being here, his teammates might have left him alone, or just a really good hiding place. Any minute now one of the guys would turn around and spot him and then he would be screwed. Jon's eyes locked onto the only other person in the café. He was sitting by himself, a stripe of white hair covering one eye as he scanned the school paper. Mind made up, Jon started walking towards the stranger. It had nothing to do with the fact that the other man was extremely hot, and everything to do with staying away from his teammates. Which was why he slid into the seat right next to the man instead of across from him.

Leaning across the space between them, Jon gave the man his best disarming grin before whispering, "Please just go along with this. If my teammates think I came here by myself, they'll baby me and order me around for hours. Probably even follow me to my class." The man was hot, and the tight black jeans with a dark red shirt and loose purple tie. It wasn't a normal outfit, but it was eye catching and for some reason really suited the stranger. Reluctantly, Jon pulled out of the stranger's personal space.

With a small laugh, the lacrosse player eyed the stranger's coffee. "So you decided to go and order without waiting for me?" he asked in mock offense, "And here I thought you loved me!" He smiled charmingly at the man, hoping that he wasn't freaking the man out too much.