Plesure Pain and Sugarblast! (English)

Chapter twenty-two - One taste is all it takes.

"Motorbike" would not have been the name that Mandy would have given Chester's brightly coloured vehicle. It looked more like a very large tricycle with an unusually long seat, at the end of which was a large box for sweets and other groceries. Chester loved this machine dearly and it had often been part of his pranks.

While the prank master fiddled with the handbrake in front, Mandy put on her helmet and stepped onto a small platform behind the box, just like on a tricycle. Chester rolled his eyes and smiled. He had offered her so many times to just sit behind him, the seat was long enough for both. But he knew that Mandy didn't trust his motorbike that much and was convinced that it would be easier and faster to jump off from the platform.

Although he had never caused an accident. Except for the one time he crashed it into the stuntshow. Or the other time he'd crashed into the swamp on the run from Mortis because of the prank with the chattering teeth. Or when he'd literary flown over Amber's stage on his motorbike while it was burning. That was awesome, almost as awesome as...

"Can we just go now?", Mandy's voice tore him out of his thoughts.

"You're right, let's go," he agreed and started the engine.

***

The errands went surprisingly quickly, and Mandy caught her co-worker only twice attempting to smuggle suspicious gumballs into the supplies. Everything went way to easy. She was almost a little suspicious when Chester stopped at a remote lake on the way back to Star Park.

Surprised she looked at the reflective surface of the water. The lake wasn't particularly big, firs and willows grew along its edges, some of whose branches hung into the water. Only at one point did the lake border on a green meadow on which a few flowers bloomed.

She knew this place!

"What are we doing here?" she asked Chester with a raised eyebrow.

"Just a breather," he replied and walked towards the lake. Mandy hurriedly dismounted and followed him.

A brightly coloured picnic blanket, a large basket on it standing, was spread out close to the bank. Chester started rummaging around in the basket and Mandy took off her shoes so she could dip her bare toes in the water. It was freezing cold, but that didn't bother her. This is where she used to come as a kid and play with Chester for hours... She smiled. She even hated him back then...

"Cherry Lollipop?"

Chester was now sitting next to her, also dipping his toes in the icy water. She reached out and took it. It was big, red and heart shaped.

"You know, you could have just asked me to go on a date with you."

"Would you have said yes?"

"Probably not," she sighed.

"There you go!"

Mandy quickly dipped her hand into the water and splashed a few drops of water on Chester's face.

"Hey!" he complained but laughed.

"Because I would have taken the invitation for one of your stupid jokes!", she justified herself and put the lollipop in her mouth.

"Oh, come on, my jokes aren't stupid. – Not most of them, anyway." Apparently, Chester had found what he had been looking for in the basket. He placed a box resembling that of a box devil in Mandy's lap.

"Oh please, not that old trick again!" she mumbled.

"Come on Mandy, open it!"

Mandy hesitantly lifted the lid - and promptly got a load of pink glitter sprayed in the face. Chester started laughing. Inside the box was a framed photo. It showed the scene from the night they were snowed in at the Candyland store. "I love you" was written on the frame.

Chester still chuckled softly as he watched Mandy's glittered face. She wiped the glitter from her cheeks, took the lollipop out of her mouth, quickly leaned over, and kissed him on the lips. Chester fell silent, closed his eyes, and kissed back.

"Hm, cherry!" Was the first thing he said when they broke apart again.

"Idiot." Mandy mumbled with a red face and put the lollipop back in her mouth.

"Maybe, but only your idiot if you want it." Chester's cheeks were flushed, too.

"If you think I'll tape you to the wall less because you're my boyfriend, forget it."

"I'll take that as a yes!"

Slowly he leaned towards her, carefully pulled the cherry lolly out of her mouth, and kissed her again, again and again.

One taste is all it takes.