Lollipop

Ray paused to unwrap a lollipop, mischief dancing in his eyes as he continued,

“ If this were New York, you know he’d have to pay good money for yours truly to suck his lollipop, bestie. I mean, look what I can do with my tongue.”

“Stop it! The last thing you want is to be arrested for lewd acts in the candy shop. I will leave your Aboriginal derriere in that cell, go straight back to the house to collect Hannah and the twins, and fly home without a second thought.”

That threat was just enough to convince Ray to turn down the volume, and he was rewarded with a rare smile. Leaning down, close to Ariana’s ear, he whispered, “It was worth it to see that smile.”

Ariana nodded, fighting to stay composed as she looked at the gift baskets.

In all honesty, without Ray, she didn’t think she could return to Mercy if it was anyone other than her Dad…

Or a certain grey-eyed god who took your virginity, her inner voice drawled.

Stubbornly, she refused to acknowledge that sentence. According to the local gossip mill, Hael didn’t even live in Mercy anymore. Where his house once stood, there was land, farmed for vegetables, property of some larger corporation called Camora Corp. Her Dad left his job to take over managing the operation since it was so close to home, and he’d loved it. Ariana remembered when her father told her Hael had sold the house next door; it was a hard conversation, squashing her last hope that Hael would wait for her. Why would he? It was three days of sheer ecstasy, holed up in that motel room, after an intense courtship, culminating in a scandalous formal in the final semester, five years ago, probably a good memory to replay now and again if Hael wanted to reminisce, nothing more, after all, she was the virgin, and Hael was experienced. There had probably been a long list of women since their fling. It was a constant struggle to accept that, as her father once said, “My girl, you love so hard that when things don’t work out, it hurts so much more. Being a romantic in this world is a surefire way to walk around with a permanently broken heart, so be careful who you give it to.”

Little had he known, it was already too late.

Shaking herself out of the past, Ariana selected her items, noting that Ray had wandered off again. Mr. Henry was watching the surveillance footage as she put her purchases on the counter, and he turned the screen off with a jump. It didn’t take a genius to work out who he was keeping an eye on, and Ariana frowned whilst he rang up the total. Small towns.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Ari. Jack was a good man.”

“Yes, he was.” Ariana quietly agreed.

“Good lord, looky what I found down the back!” By the way, Raymond came strutting down the aisle, clutching his treasure. Ariana silently prepared for “the ray”; there was no doubt that it was going to hit anyone within a ten-metre radius, and Ray didn’t disappoint.

No matter how many times she’d seen her friend do this, it was still as embarrassing as the first. There was something truly disturbing about a gay black man giving himself struggle cuddles, prancing around like a peacock with his head thrown back, yelling “Ooh derre it is, ooh derre it is!” in a neon pink bodysuit. For the finale, Ray proudly held up his prize as he twerked in front of Mr. Henry, the huge chocolate penis he’d found down the back held triumphantly above his head for all the world to see.

Ariana couldn’t get out of the store fast enough.

There was an instant change in the atmosphere as she stepped onto the footpath. If Ray wasn’t chattering a mile a minute as he emerged behind her, still sucking that damn lollipop and twirling the dick like a baton, maybe Ariana might have noticed the black car stop abruptly just past them.

One good thing that she'd learned through the gossip mill since she'd been back was that the McCann brothers had left town without a word. Shivering in disgust at the foul memories coming through at the thought of them, she looked up again to feel the atmosphere lighten, and smiled.