Sweet Revenge (m|m)

Two - Blake

"Mom—seriously. I'm a grown man. If I need something, I'll take my ass down to the store and buy it. Stop worrying."

"I know you will, Hon. I just worry that with the loan you took out, and your tuition costs, that you won't take care of yourself properly. I don't want you eating junk food just because it's cheap."

"Mom," I try again. "I probably know more about nutrition than you do. I don't eat junk food, and I know how to handle my finances. I'm halfway through my MBA, for chrissakes. Please..." I sigh. "I know you worry because you love me. As soon as I'm settled, I'll fly you and Dad out to see the place, and prove that I'm not living on ramen and Coors Light. Okay?"

She laughs. "We never imagined that you'd move back to Asherville, Blake. We always thought you just wanted to get out of Dodge and never look back. If we'd known you had such a fondness for the place, we'd never have sold the old house. Oh well. Hindsight is twenty-twenty."

I grit my teeth and decide I'd better end the call before her use of idioms pisses me off any further.

"I've gotta go, Mom. I love you."

I hang up and shove my phone in my back pocket. Looking up, realize the candy store across the street is finally open. Despite what I told my mom, candy is my weakness. Especially handmade candy. I cross the street and see a flash of movement behind the door. Could they be so busy already? But when I enter, there's just one employee behind the counter. A cute girl with warm brown hair and lips coated in too many layers of gloss greets me with a wide smile.

"Hi! Welcome to Sweet Revenge! What's your pleasure?"

"Uhh..." To be honest, I'm a little underwhelmed. I expected the shop to be overflowing with candy, but there's just one display case and the counter above it. Behind the glass, I see a modest selection of toffees, brittles, nut-clusters, truffles, and fudge.

Behind the counter and along the walls, boxes of chocolates are stacked high on floor-to-ceiling shelves, but it's the specialty stuff in the case that I'm after.

Recovering myself, I examine the goods. On closer inspection, I realize my mistake. The selection isn't limited because the store is under-stocked. It's limited because what they stock is incredibly specialized, and obviously hand-crafted.

My mouth starts to water as I look closer at the selection. A pistachio and chocolate encrusted toffee draws my eye and I can't look away. "I'll take one of those," I say, hoping I'm not visibly drooling.

"Just one?" The girl asks, quirking a perfect brow at me.

"Yep. My daily limit," I grin.

She shrugs and reaches into the case. "Any preference?"

"That one." I point, "The, uh, fourth one back."

It's got 'eat me' written all over it.

"Sure." She pulls it out and drops it into a small waxed paper bag. "That's two bucks, even," she says.

I hand over a five with one hand and fish the toffee out of the bag with the other, taking a bite while she gets my change.

"Mmmfh..." I can't contain the sound of ecstasy as the toffee dissolves in my mouth. It's buttery, salty, smooth, and oh-so-sweet. The pistachios are toasted to perfection, and— 

I realize I've closed my eyes. When I open them, I see the cute shopgirl regarding me with an open mouth. "Oh, my God. I would pay money to watch you eat candy," she says.

I give her a wink. "Hey, I'll take payment in candy."

She laughs. "Come back tomorrow. We put out samples in the afternoon."