A TASTE OF CANDY POISON

CHAP 21🌸

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The night had settled in, wrapping the wooden house in a blanket of quiet comfort.

Inside, the sound of the twins giggling and playing filled the living room, echoing off the walls. In the kitchen, I could hear Alissa and Joseph moving around, chatting softly as they prepared dinner.

The warm glow of the lights inside contrasted with the cool darkness of the night outside, where I sat on the balcony, enjoying the peace.

Ah, finally.

I was leaned back in the wooden chair, phone in hand, half-heartedly texting Mark and Adam. They were making plans for Monday, as usual, but my mind kept wandering.

The ocean’s steady hum was in the background, calming, and the glass of wine sitting beside me on the small table had gone untouched for the last few minutes.

There was something serene about being out here, under the open sky, with nothing but the stars for company. I wasn’t usually the type to enjoy quiet moments like this, but tonight, it felt right.

My phone buzzed again—a message from Adam, asking if I was down for the movies on Monday. I started to type out a response when I felt a shift in the air beside me. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

Justin.

He always had this way of appearing, like a quiet shadow, slipping into my space without making a sound. I glanced up briefly as he took the seat next to me, his tall frame settling into the chair with an ease that I could never quite understand.

Without saying a word, he reached over and grabbed my glass of wine.

“Really?” I muttered, watching him as he lifted the glass to his lips.

He just smiled, his eyes twinkling with that familiar mischievous glint. “What? You weren’t drinking it.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes but not bothering to stop him. “You know, you could ask.”

Justin shrugged, taking a long sip, clearly enjoying himself. “Where’s the fun in that?”

I shook my head, trying to focus back on my phone, but the moment Justin finished the wine, he set the glass down and sighed. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes drifting upwards to the stars. I could feel him thinking, the way he got sometimes, quiet and reflective, which was rare for him.

“So…” he started, his voice soft. “You ever think about the future?”

Future?

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. “The future?” I echoed, looking over at him.

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes still on the sky. “Like… where we’re going. What we’re doing with our lives. That kind of stuff.”

I leaned back in my chair, frowning slightly. It wasn’t like Justin to get deep like this, especially out of nowhere. “I guess I think about it sometimes. Why?”

He was quiet for a moment, then he sighed again, almost like he was carrying something heavy on his chest. “I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking about it a lot lately.”

I waited, sensing that there was more he wanted to say. The stars above twinkled faintly, the only witnesses to whatever thoughts were swirling around in Justin’s head.

“I guess… I’ve been thinking about what really matters,” he continued, his voice low, like he was talking more to himself than to me. “You know? Like, what I want to do with my life, who I want to be with.”

I glanced at him, feeling a little uneasy at the sudden seriousness in his tone. “And? Have you figured it out?”

He smiled faintly, still looking at the sky. “Yeah… kind of.”

There was a pause, and then he finally turned his head to look at me. His eyes were soft, and there was something in his expression that made my heart skip a beat. “I think what I really want… is to spend my life with the people who mean the most to me.”

I didn’t know what to say. My throat felt tight for some reason, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his. The night seemed to stretch out around us, the world narrowing down to just the two of us on that balcony.

“And… you’re one of those people,” Justin added quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper.

I swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. The weight of his words hung in the air between us, heavy and meaningful in a way that I hadn’t expected.

He looked away again, his smile turning a little wistful as he continued, “I don’t know. It’s just… I’ve been thinking about it a lot. About how I want to make sure I spend my time with the people who really matter, you know?”

I nodded slowly, feeling like I should say something—anything—to break the tension that had settled over us. But before I could figure out what to say, the sound of Alissa’s voice drifted out from the house.

“Boys! Dinner’s ready!”

The moment broke, and Justin let out a soft laugh, standing up and stretching. “Well, I guess that’s our cue.”

I stood up too, my mind still swirling with everything Justin had just said. I glanced over at him as we walked back toward the house, but he seemed lighter now, as if the weight of his thoughts had lifted just a little. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between us.

Inside, the warmth of the living room hit us immediately. The twins were still playing with their toys, their laughter filling the air as they rolled around on the floor. In the kitchen, Alissa and Joseph were setting the table, the delicious smell of dinner wafting through the room.

“Finally!” Alissa said with a smile when she saw us. “I was starting to think you two were going to stay out there all night.”

“Just enjoying the view,” Justin said lightly, though I caught the brief glance he sent my way as he said it.

I rolled my eyes but smiled despite myself. We sat down at the table, the warmth of the family around us wrapping me in a sense of belonging I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.

As we ate, the conversation flowed easily, with Justin and his parents bantering back and forth, and the twins occasionally chiming in between bites of food. But every now and then, I would catch Justin’s gaze across the table, and there was a softness there—a quiet understanding that made my chest tighten in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

And as the night went on, I found myself thinking about what he had said. About spending time with the people who mattered most. About the future, and what it might hold for both of us.

Maybe, just maybe, Justin was right. Maybe the future wasn’t something to fear, but something to embrace—with the right people by your side.

🥀🥀🥀