Black Coffee

Dark. Intense. Refined. Definitely hard to get used to.

Aside from dark, all were qualities she had immediately assigned to him, when they had met three years ago. He was an enigma among the Go club members – and an enigma that made it clear that he didn't want anyone trying to figure him out.

She tried anyway.

She had noticed certain habits about him when they played Go; he took time with each move, he was analytical about everything, and he had this small, irritating smirk that came out whenever he won. Maybe not condescending, but irritating nonetheless. Aside from the smirk, he seldom showed emotion.

Oh, and he drank black coffee. In other words, the bitter kind. She hadn't been able to figure that one out for the longest time, but she noticed another odd habit that came out whenever he drank it; his smirk turned into a small, serene smile.

Odd as it was, she never found that annoying. Only the smirk that preceded it.

Once, after a game, he had offered her a cup. She had refused, but he then brought up the fact she had lost, and therefore had to pay the price. This was a condition that had never come up before, but she wasn't in the mood to argue.

When she drank it, her first thought was that it would be hard to get used to. It was bitter, and there was no sweetness to balance it out. But as she drank more, she felt a pleasant, warming sensation coating her insides as the coffee worked it's magic.

That was nothing compared to seeing that small, serene smile being leveled at her. It had only been for a second, but it had been worth it.

She had never minded drinking black coffee after that.

Even if she did have to deal with that irritating smirk.