Sweet Afternoons Novels & Stories

“He intends to spirit me away—just the two of us. I spent until the witching hour scouring the most secluded villas. Is it strange that I don't care where we land? I simply need him to be present.” I reached for the jar of sweets I’d scavenged from the market and tossed a handful into my mouth, turning back to my work. My heart wasn't in the brushstrokes; my soul was already leagues away. “What are you consuming?” “Sweets. I stopped at the market last night for cooling cream and honey-filled pastries, and these caught my eye.” “Serena, that’s a five-pound sack of sugar.” “Three,” I corrected, grinning around a mouthful. “The pear-scented ones are the finest.”

Amelia as always was taking notes in her small notepad sitting in her lab. I begin going through the plan for the future homes that they wanted me to take care of, I present them the way that I was planning to build the homes I could see them agreeing to it. My mind keeps wandering to Amelia as I can smell her sweet caramel perfume almost filling the room. When I looked at the guest I asked them what they thought about it.

My mind went back to Caeson’s grocery lists and the litter of sugary snacks and the like that had almost gone bad in the fridge during the time he’d been gone. I found it ironic. He was so bitter on the outside, but he had a softness about him that loved candy and sweet things. Odd. -x-x- Hours later, as the sun had set, after a quick lunch, a nap, and a few moments with Madeline during the day, I was looking forward to a quiet evening.

Rebecca raised her gaze and savored the dessert as it melted on her tongue. "Well, that's truly my honor." Rebecca smiled and looked down as she continued to nibble on the small cake. However, before getting through even half of it, she lost interest. While the sweetness could lift one's mood, consuming too much wasn't advisable. Perhaps due to her age, Rebecca no longer craved sweets as eagerly as she did as a child. Hence, it didn't taste as good. Rebecca took a sip of the latte and found it excessively sweet too. Subsequently, she reached for a cup of warm water and sipped it to cleanse the lingering sweetness between her teeth.

"See you later. Enjoy your day at work. Don't work too hard, okay?" Leaving this early isn't my norm, but I need a moment of indulgence, a truce with my stress before I face the firing squad. I head to my favorite local bakery, a small spot that smells like sugar, roasted espresso. I order their specialty: a slice of the most moist, chocolate cake I have ever tasted, paired with a thick, velvety milkshake. It’s my ultimate escape pleasure, a sugary shield against the world. They always run out by mid-morning, and today, I feel like I've earned the right to be first in line.

“I can do sweet.” “Really?” The thunder from the last lighting finally rumbled. The storm was still several miles away. “Give me a sample of sweet.” “Sugar,” he said in a dark, silky voice. He wasn’t even looking at her. With nothing but his voice, he was melting her bones. If she didn’t get him up to her room— “Maple syrup.” Shannon blinked. “Huh?” “Honey. You wanted sweet, I’m giving you sweet. Chocolate cake.

CHAPTER 41 The last remnants of sweetness lingered in the air long after the dessert plates were cleared away. Nancy leaned back, her fingertips gently tracing an invisible path on the polished wood table. The rich, comforting taste of cocoa and cream still coated her tongue, a stark contrast to the knot of tension that had marked the start of her day.

I answer. “Good,” He sighs but doesn’t say anything more. I start the car and put it in reverse. “You never told me where we’re going,” Gabe says. It’s hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement but Gabe rolls down his window. “It’s this cute place in town called The Sweet Note,” I said with a smirk. He’s going to love it. I haven’t gone since my first date with Ethan. Gabe loves all things sweet and even though it’s brunch, I know he’s going to get the waffles with the Nutella, mixed fruits, and special syrup.

I contributed where necessary, diverted when prudent, and silently cursed my brother for leaving me to manage the political aftermath of his wedding night departure. Halfway through Minister Chen's detailed analysis of grain tariffs, it happened. The scent cut through the heavy mixture of perfumes, flowers, and wine like a blade of pure sensation - sharp and sweet and somehow ancient. I froze mid-sentence, my glass halfway to my lips as my nostrils flared, drawing in deeper breaths of that intoxicating fragrance. S'mores by a campfire - the rich chocolate, the sweetness of toasted marshmallow, the earthy graham cracker - layered over something wilder, like forest after rainfall, pine needles

Their first stop was a colourful stall selling an array of sweets, from pink plum pies and candied apples to honeycomb bread and fairy chocolate. Sarang eagerly bit into a sour candy. His eyes watered immediately as he grimaced. “It’s so sour!” He exclaimed, tapping his cheeks. “But it leaves a sweet aftertaste. What’s it called?” “Sour and sweet drops.” Lucian replied, chuckling at Sarang’s reaction. “Careful, too many will hurt your tongue.” “We should keep some for young master.” Sarang suggested and sucked on his tongue. “Next year. The sweets will go bad if we keep them.” Lucian said and stuffed a daisy cookie in Sarang’s mouth.