Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

The Walk Home

Kaya had mixed feelings about Ransom letting her go home by herself. 

Part of her liked when Ransom took care of her. The other part felt a sense of relief that she could fall back into her comfort zone. 

Either way, Kaya liked the brief solitude of walking home by herself. People on the street didn't know her, which was how she was used to living. They brushed by like her little world didn't matter in the grand scheme of their own universes. 

Kaya breathed in the air around her. Never mind the smell of exhaust. She focused only on the good things. 

Like the fried food scent coming from the line of restaurants on her left. The laughter of a child as his parents swung him off the ground. The sound of rain rushing down the side of the street. 

The small things could be the largest things when one chose to pay attention. 

Thankfully, the rain had stopped for now. Though it downpoured all day and the pavement held the water firmly, the sky no longer shed tears. 

Kaya glanced up, as if she might be able to see the moon and stars through the glaring street lights. 

No such luck. 

She knew it wouldn't work. The city made it impossible to see the stars, for the lights. 

If she weren't so tired, Kaya would read into that analogy. Instead, she returned her attention to the sidewalk in front of her. 

"Free samples! Samples here! Hey, you, lady!" 

Kaya looked up to see a high-school-aged boy holding up some sort of ice cream or frozen yogurt. 

"Wanna try? It's good!" 

"What is it?" Kaya ventured closer. 

"Organic ice cream. Look, it even has a little emoji. That's edible, too." The boy held it closer to her. "Help me out. Try it." 

Kaya couldn't fault him for trying to get off work earlier. She took the cup and shoveled a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. It didn't taste bad, at all. 

"It's good," she encouraged him. "What's in it?"

"Yeah, I don't know. I just give out the samples. They didn't tell me what's in it." He shrugged. 

Kaya laughed softly. "Can I take this with me?"

"Yeah, sure thing, lady." The boy shot her a thumbs-up. "Thanks for helping." 

"Any time. I'll come back, okay?" Kaya cleared a tickle in the back of her throat. "Is there water I can take with me?" 

"I'll go get some if you watch the table for thirty seconds." The boy grinned and raised his eyebrows, as if daring her. 

Kaya nodded. "Okay." 

The boy hustled inside the store. 

Kaya glanced around her and took another bite of the ice cream. A cough when it caught in her throat. What was with her tonight?

A perusal of the table brought up an ingredient list and Kaya chuckled. Of course the boy hadn't wanted to explain, but he could have been honest. She gave it a once-over, out of sheer curiosity. 

One of the ingredients stood out to her. 

Kaya dropped the ice cream cup and hastened to find her phone. A wheeze snapped her into the reality of what was happening. 

Kaya sank into the chair, hoping she could find her phone before it got worse.