I gaped at the bright pink sign that read, "The greatest candy store on Earth."
A set of stairs designed like the keys of a piano led to the store entrance. A short musical note rang out when I set foot on the first step. I burst into amused laughter, almost falling over as I ran up and down the stairs.
Jason rushed over to grab my hand. An ecstatic grin stretched his lips, his face mirroring my happiness. Our hands entwined, we skipped up and down the steps, creating a random tune that was drowned out by our laughter. As his palm touched mine, a wave of heat passed through my fingers all the way to my heart. From there, the heat seemed to radiate throughout my body, down to the tips of my toes.
When we finally reached the top of the stairs, I noticed a large, wrought iron archway with the word "Wonka" fashioned out painted glass. Jason's hand disconnected from mine as he stepped towards it. Instantly, my fingers regretted the absence of his.
"Willy Wonka," I whispered in awe, ignoring the tug of longing in my stomach.
"Shall we?" Jason grinned.
Shuddering with excitement, I followed Jason into the large, brightly lit store. Jason's surprise for me turned out to be better than anything I had ever expected.
"I come here whenever I need some cheering up," he said with a soft chuckle.
The shiny black-and-white tiled floors, a thousand varieties of candy stacked in jars everywhere, the oohs and aahs of the excited crowd, and the adorable workers dressed as Oompa-Loompas were sure to lift even the lowest of spirits. Towering glass displays filled with sweets inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory glinted under the lights, beckoning my attention.
Jason led me to a vending machine that dispensed free candy of every flavour under the sun. We took turns sampling them, experimenting with flavours ranging from raspberry pie to chocolate chip cookies.
"Look," Jason said, pointing to a stall manned by two youngsters in green polo shirts. "You can watch them make candy."
"Really?" I gasped, feeling like a five-year-old on a sugar rush.
On approaching the little stall, I noticed that the two people were busy working on a silver countertop, kneading and pulling at a mass of bright red goop.
"They make the candy from scratch," Jason explained, his eyes glinting with childlike fascination. "They even print whatever you want on the candy."
We stood next to a family of three, enraptured by the candy-making process. A young girl, presumably the daughter, clung to her mother's arm, squealing with excitement. Her eyes widened as she watched the two workers expertly roll the syrupy goop into uniform, shimmery sheets.
"Mommy, look!" she cried in joyous tones. Her mop of orange-red hair bounced when she jumped about shouting, "Magic!"
"Yes, baby," her mother agreed, bending to kiss her child's forehead. "It's like magic."
The father smiled, ruffling his daughter's hair affectionately.
A hot pang of jealousy pierced through me at the sight of the little girl, blessed with the love of both her parents. I blinked rapidly, forcing myself to look away from the family.
When I turned to Jason, I found him talking to the young man behind the counter in a hushed voice. The man nodded in understanding.
"What did you say to him?" I asked when Jason returned to my side.
"You'll see," he said, winking cryptically.
I lost track of time as I watched the two people turn the thick, syrupy substance into perfect, round candies right in front of my eyes.
"Enjoy," one of the workers said, handing a small pouch to Jason.
"Here," he turned to me after paying for the candy.
I reached into the small pouch and grabbed one of the sweets. The striking, disc-like candies had a white centre with a small object printed on it which, on closer examination, turned out to be a muffin. A soft giggle tumbled out of my lips as I remembered the muffins that Jason and I had shared at Java Lava.
"Thank you, Jason!" I beamed as I popped the candy into my mouth, revelling in its tangy sweetness. "I love it!"
Jason murmured in approval as he chewed on another sweet. Handing me the sealed pouch, he led me to another section of the spacious candy store.
"You might not exactly like this next one . . ." he trailed off.
"What's not to like in a candy store?" I scoffed.
"You say that now," he smirked, a devilish glint in his eyes.
I groaned in distaste when Jason led me towards a neon-green sign that depicted a young boy throwing up. A trail of colourful food particles flew out of his mouth, lighting up one after another. The small storefront promised the "yuckiest, gnarliest, nastiest" candy ever.
"Having second thoughts?" Jason teased.
"No," I feigned courage, raising my chin defiantly. "Let's do this."
My confidence immediately faltered at the sight of an array of candy shaped like sticky eyeballs, gummy candies that spelt obscene swear words, lollipops shaped like fish heads, sheets of seaweed disguised as dried zombie skin, and bubblegum shaped like cat's butts. Another shelf held boxes of a variety of candy called Wooly Willy. I turned away, not even wanting to know what those were.
Jason led me further into the store. He stopped in front of two urinals connected to liquid chocolate dispensers, almost like a soda machine. The entire section was designed to look like a public restroom with tiled walls and harsh, unflattering lighting.
"Oh, no," I gasped as understanding dawned. "No way."
I stepped back hastily, my shoes clacking against the smooth floor. Quick as lightning, Jason reached out and grabbed my wrists, causing my body to freeze. I was momentarily paralysed by his touch as he tugged me forward.
"I dare you," he challenged, his eyes shining under the fluorescent lights. "I dare you to drink out of the chocolate urinal. It's either this or an entire box of Wooly Willy. Trust me, you do not want to eat those."
"You're evil," I muttered, glaring at him as he let out a mad scientist laugh. "I'll do it if you do it, too."
"Fine," he agreed. He bowed, making a sweeping gesture towards the outlandish candy dispensers. "Ladies first."
"How gentlemanly of you," I sighed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
With great reluctance, I stepped forward, ducking until my mouth was positioned under the nozzle inside the urinal. Groaning with disgust, I pressed the button until liquid chocolate poured into my open mouth. Forcing myself to swallow the liquid, I hurriedly stepped away. A deep shudder coursed down my spine as the warm chocolate travelled down my throat. Jason doubled over with laughter at the unhidden horror and aversion in my face.
"I cannot believe I drank chocolate from a urinal," I whispered, shaking my head. "Your turn."
As Jason positioned his tall frame under the nozzle, I reached into my backpack and pulled out my phone. My fingers fumbled over the screen as I hastened to snap a picture of him at the exact moment that the chocolate trickled into his mouth.
"Ugh," he groaned as he straightened, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.
I dipped my head to look at the photo that I had just snapped. I scoffed, unable to believe how gorgeous Jason looked despite the circumstances. His parted lips and angled head accentuated his strong jaw, strands of his wavy, light brown hair falling over his closed eyes.
"Did you just take a picture of me?" he asked incredulously, forcing me to look up from my phone.
I winked, mimicking his mad scientist laughter.
Jason reached for my phone, but I swiped it away, holding it firmly against my chest.
"You win this time," he conceded, shaking his head with resignation. "But I'll have my revenge."
"We'll see about that," I teased back.
Jason and I spent the next few hours roaming the vast store, trying candy from all around the world. My senses ran on overdrive as I saw, tasted and smelled an unfathomable range of chocolate, including lollipops that tasted like mint chocolate chip ice-cream, candy bars in green tea flavour, and bite-sized hard candy that tasted of baked beans.
Finally, when we stepped out of the store, I felt like we had just exited a fictional fantasy world.
"Jason, thank you," I said to him as he led me towards his car. "Thank you so much for today."
"You're very welcome," he smiled.
"Wow," I murmured, glancing at the digital display above the car's stereo. "I can't believe it's six already."
Jason turned in his seat, smiling my favourite lopsided smile. Weak sunlight filtered into the car, casting an orange glow around us. Only half his face was illuminated by the rays of the setting sun, the other half shrouded in darkness.
"Leena," he said softly.
"Yeah?" I breathed, transfixed by his warm, hazel eye as it caught the dim sunlight.
"I wanted to say this before," he hesitated, gesturing to my floral turquoise blouse. "That colour looks beautiful on you."
Taken aback by his compliment, I stuttered, "Th-thanks."
We stared at each other, an overwhelming silence slicing through the warm evening air inside the car.
We're just friends.
But we almost kissed at the restaurant today!
Didn't we?
You're overthinking things again. He probably wasn't even going to kiss you.
But what if he was?
Just ask him!
At that precise moment, my phone chimed, causing the both of us to jump.
"Sorry," I mumbled, pulling it out of my backpack.
The screen indicated a call from Claire.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hi, darling," she said. "I just got home. When are you and Jason coming?"
"Uh, we're on our way, Claire," I said, buckling my seatbelt as Jason revved the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. "We'll be there in an hour."
"Okay, I'll see you then. Bye, Lee."
"Bye!"
Gazing out of the rolled-down window, I sighed, lost in thought. With an absent mind, I directed Jason to Claire's house. He drove in silence, his eyebrows furrowed, attentive to the road ahead.
For the rest of the ride, only one thought circled my brain, growing faster and louder with each passing minute:
Jason and I are friends. We're just friends.