Drew appears beside her, looking both amused and impressed. "She stayed up all night designing the scoring system."
"It's scientifically valid," Emily insists, handing out more clipboards as frat brothers emerge from the house.
The scorecard itself is elaborate with large glittery lettering:
OFFICIAL HOT CHOCOLATE RATING SYSTEM
"This is insane."Shite, don't laugh. That's all the encouragement she'll need to add fireworks or some nonsense.
"This is commitment," she corrects, then squeals as Caleb emerges from the house. "Caleb! Perfect timing. You're our celebrity judge."
Caleb, wearing the 'I Sleigh Under Protest' tee I'd gotten for him, freezes like a deer in headlights. "I'm what now?"
"Celebrity judge. Drew says you have the most experience eating sweets of anybody in the frat."
Caleb shoots Drew a betrayed look, but Drew shrugs. "You spent thirty minutes explaining why the dining hall cookies were 'pedestrian at best' last week. Own your food snobbery, man."
"It's not snobbery to have standards," Caleb grumbles, but he takes the clipboard Emily thrusts at him.
As the bus fills with brothers, I see that about half the frat has shown up, impressive for a Saturday morning when they could be sleeping off finals. Gavin bounds up last, wearing a Santa hat and a sweater that reads "SLEIGH ALL DAY."
"Hot chocolate time!" he booms, high-fiving everyone within reach. "I've been fasting since breakfast to prepare my palate."
"That was literally two hours ago," Kai points out.
"Two hours of palate cleansing!"
Emily claps her hands for attention. "Okay, champions! We have ten stops, each offering its signature hot chocolate.You'll have fifteen minutes at each location. Rate honestly and thoroughly, and may the best cocoa win!"
The bus erupts in cheers as we pull away from the curb.
Our first stop is Beans & Books, which has been decorated for the competition with elaborate cocoa-themed book displays and paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling.
"Welcome to our 'Literary Libation!'" The barista announces as we crowd in. "A dark chocolate base with hints of orange and cinnamon, topped with a quotation printed on rice paper."
Elijah stares at his cup with that serious look he gets. "The garnish is a Dickens quote. Nice touch for a bookstore, but it's kinda falling apart in the whipped cream."
"Three reindeer for Christmas spirit," Taj decides, making notes.
"The mouth feel is decidedly silky," Mike announces, acting as snooty as any wine sommelier ever has.
Watching as Caleb takes his first sip, his eyes closing briefly. When they open, he’s caught me staring again, and the corner of his mouth quirks up.
"Verdict?" I move in to hear his answer.
"The orange is too subtle. The cinnamon overpowers it." He takes another thoughtful sip. "But the chocolate quality is excellent. Seven out of ten."
Emily leans over. "Look at him getting all professional. We should get you on one of those cooking competition shows!"
Caleb rolls his eyes, but I can tell he's pleased.
As we move from shop to shop, Caleb gradually relaxes, getting more animated with each new hot chocolate. By our fourth stop, a café offering a "Peppermint Blizzard" with crushed candy canes and mint chocolate chips, he's arguing passionately with Kai over the proper consistency of whipped cream.
"It should hold its shape but still melt seamlessly into the chocolate," he insists. "This is too stiff. It's like drinking around an iceberg."
"Thank you!" Kai exclaims. "Finally, someone who understands the importance of proper whipped cream structural integrity!"
Drew sidles up to me as we watch the debate unfold. "Your boyfriend’s having fun."
