Sex and Candy

As both a hobbyist writer as well as reader of countless Literotica stories, I couldn't help but turn one of my own ideas into a story. I have a couple years' experience with writing scripts for the audio community and switching gears to writing a story was refreshing and new.

This is my first publicly shared work of fiction aside from the aforementioned scripts. I will read all comments, and take any advice or criticism into consideration. Feel free to be brutal, as long as it is helpful. "This story really sucks" is not helpful unless you say why!

Enjoy the read!

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I woke with a start with the sound of loud honking coming from outside. I must have fallen asleep sitting on the couch. As I stood, I felt that my neck was sore and stiff from being upright, but I just rubbed it absentmindedly and went to my sliding glass door that leads out to the balcony. Looking out from my second floor apartment, I could see one of my neighbors fumbling with his keys to silence his own car alarm.

With a soft chirp, the honking stopped.

Groaning, I stretched and tried to loosen all my stiff joints. I checked the time on my phone screen: ten o'clock, Saturday morning. I had all weekend to myself, maybe I should go lay in my bed for a couple hours and try to undo the damage the couch had done to my spine.

Unlocking my phone, I checked for any urgent notifications. My text messaging app was still open, showing the brief exchange I'd had with Sherry last night.

Sherry: Flight was boring, safe landing. Waiting for them to let us off. Letting you know I'm okay, didn't want you to worry. [23:12]

Josh: Hey, good to hear. Thanks for telling me. Now I can relax and go to bed. [23:13]

Sherry: Good night, then! [23:13]

Josh: Good night. Good luck with the job on Monday! I'll miss you. [23:14]

There was no reply after that. I should not have told her that, I'd just made things harder for her. It was a thoughtless thing to say, and in the end it just hurt us both. Luckily, I had been sober enough to not tell her I loved her. It was a line we'd never crossed in the six months we were together. I'd thought it all the time, and I suspected she might too, but we never said it.

I felt the despair sinking in again, so I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and headed for the bathroom.

After doing my business, I looked at the sad sap in the mirror as I washed my hands. Not a pretty sight. My eyes were bloodshot from all the crying into the early hours of this morning.

"You fell too hard, you idiot. You knew this was going to happen." I couldn't help but be angry at my pathetic reflection.

With a snarl, I decided I wouldn't let myself wallow in self pity for the rest of the day. I nearly stomped to my bedroom, gathered up some clean clothes, and climbed into the shower to wash the funk away.

Shit, I thought to myself. I had to start over again. I was terrible at speaking with girls, always had been. Sherry had done wonders for my self-esteem and pulled me out of my shell. When we were together, I could even socialize in groups with her friends.

But now I was alone again, and I hated it. I knew without a doubt that I didn't want to be alone. I was introverted, sure, but not a loner.

"Shit!" I said it aloud this time, angrily scrubbing shampoo into my scalp with my fingertips.

She'd told me it couldn't be a long-term thing. I knew that even before our first date. I'd gathered up the courage to ask her out after seeing her around campus all the time, and she'd immediately told me that she was up for some fun, but wasn't looking for a relationship right now.

Digging deeper, I found that she was only going to be in the area for six months, then she had to go to Dallas for an internship for a year. It was part of some program her father's company was putting her through. I could understand her not wanting to pass up such an opportunity. At twenty years old she already had her whole career figured out.

She'd leaned in, dropping her voice to block out eavesdroppers. "You're still cute, though. If you promise you won't catch feelings, I'd be happy to go out with you. Maybe go to your place, order a pizza? Netflix and chill?" There was a twinkle in her eye and a small smile that I found absolutely adorable and irresistible.

How the hell could I say no? Her playfulness and confidence were so alluring, and dinner flowed casually into conversation laced with flirting and innuendo. It hadn't taken long for her to get me relaxed enough to banter like a pro. With only a hint of awkwardness, we progressed casually into making out, first clothed then not, until she wound up in my lap riding me with her hand quickly rubbing between her legs to a shuddering orgasm.

Afterward she finished me off with her hands into her mouth. As I looked into those beautiful brown eyes I didn't have the heart to tell her that she'd just taken my virginity.

I growled to myself. I need to quit thinking about her. Still struggling to overpower my sorrow with anger, I finished rinsing the soap and shampoo off myself and turned off the water.

In a few minutes I was dressed, and I realized I was wide awake now. A nap didn't sound appealing anymore. I didn't want to be single any longer than I had to. I just needed to make a plan, but first I had to figure out where to start.

Sitting on the couch, I opened the browser on my phone and flicked through the university's website for student events. I hated the bar scene and frat parties, but I knew there were other ways to meet women. There had to be one I was comfortable with.

Suddenly my phone rang. The sound and vibration startled me and I nearly dropped the phone. The notification bar told me it was an unknown number, and I didn't recognize the area code. I was sure it was a very urgent call about my car's extended warranty. Rolling my eyes, I stabbed the "Decline" button with my thumb to send it to voice mail, and I continued my web surfing.

Less than a minute later, it rang again. I hadn't paid close attention, but I was pretty sure it was the same phone number calling me. It was the same area code.

Frowning, I stared at the screen, hovering my thumb back and forth over the screen. If it was a solicitor, they wouldn't have called again today. If it was someone I knew that was using an unfamiliar phone number, they would have left a message or sent a text.

My indecision eventually made the choice for me, and the screen changed to say "Missed call." I guess they had given up. I thought maybe I should do a quick web search for the phone number and see if it belonged to a collection agency or something. I was pretty sure I wasn't behind on any bills, but I've had old debts come back and bite me many months later.

Then, I heard a different phone ringing - from the kitchen. It was the land line. I never used the thing, it just came with the internet service I had hooked up to the apartment. I had plugged an old corded phone into it to use in case of emergencies, since it would work even when cell service and electricity were out.

I'd used it on my resume while I was job hunting a while back. Since then, I only got junk calls and politicians.

The fact that it was now ringing couldn't be a coincidence. Someone was clearly trying to get ahold of me. My mind raced as I cautiously went to the phone, trying to remember who had this number. My parents did, and Sherry, of course. She had occasionally used this phone. But she knew I hated talking on the phone, and would have just sent a text.

Cautiously, I lifted the antique phone handle to my ear. "Hello?"

"Oh good, you *are* awake!" a very pleasant feminine voice replied. I didn't recognize the voice, definitely not my mother or Sherry.

"Uh, who is this?"

Before I could finish the question, I heard a click as the call cut out.

Confused and concerned, I slowly hung the receiver back on the wall cradle.

A gentle but firm knocking came from the front door.

Was this a delivery? I hadn't ordered anything in a few weeks. Maybe I was being served legal papers? Those had to be hand-delivered, I remembered.

I didn't have a peep hole, so I just unlocked the door and cautiously opened it.

Though I hadn't recognized her voice, I knew her face right away. She was as gorgeous as ever, with light blue eyes, dirty blond hair, and probably the best smile I'd ever seen.

I quickly dropped my guard and opened the door. "Oh, hi Candace. I didn't recognize your voice..."

"I figured. Sherry told me you hated to talk on the phone. That's fine, I'm here to talk face to face."

There was an awkward silence, and I realized I was processing what she had said and expecting more. Her smile was fading into nervousness.

I blinked. "Uh, you know Sherry isn't here, right? She left yesterday to go to Texas."

Her smile returned, "Of course, dummy. She was my roommate the whole time you two were shacking up."

"Oh." I frowned in confusion. "So, you're... here to talk to me?"

She rolled her eyes. She didn't have to say it. Duh. Now I wanted to call myself "dummy."

"Can I come in?"

I stepped back and waved her in. She surprised me again by reaching for a suitcase propped against the wall and dragging it behind her into the dining area.

The apartment wasn't luxurious, but it was a big step up from the dorms that most students lived in. Sherry had been just as likely to spend the night here in comfort and relative quiet as she was to stay in her own bed in the dorm she'd shared with Candace.

Seeing her luggage reminded me of the anguish of watching Sherry wander around the apartment yesterday gathering everything that belonged to her and loading it into her backpack.

"So, uh, Candace? What's in the bag? Did Sherry leave some of my stuff in your room?"

"So, uh,Joshua?" She knew I disliked being called that and I had to wince. "When are you going to quit calling me that? I've asked you plenty of times to call me Candy. Only my parents call me Candace. It's weird hearing it from you."

"Okay, okay, point made... Candy." I realized she had avoided my question, but I let it go. She probably had a plan.

Smiling, she went into my kitchen, opening the fridge. "Mind if I have one of your Cokes?"

"No, not at all. They're actually not mine, I never drink them."

She was peeking over the top of the fridge door at me. "They were Sherry's?"

"Yeah. She took everything else of hers yesterday, I was just going to dump them."

She closed the fridge and came back into the dining area handing me a beer. I always felt weird drinking alcohol before noon, but what the hell.

We sat on opposite sides of my kitchen table. I didn't have a separate dining room, the division from the living room was arbitrary and was basically wherever the back of the couch was at the time. From where we were sitting, we could easily see the television and my desk with my closed laptop on it. The decorations were sparse. I had a tidy, utilitarian lifestyle.

"This visit is quite a surprise. To be honest I'd never expected to see you here, especially by yourself. I'd give you a tour, but you can pretty much see it all from where we are."

We both grinned knowingly - the first time I was in her dorm visiting Sherry she had told me the same thing. In her case, it was even more true, since they shared one room.

"But seriously, what's going on? What did you need to talk to me about?" Almost as an afterthought, "And what's in the bag?" I asked again before taking a long pull from my beer.

She chewed on her bottom lip, obviously trying to decide how to answer.

"Is it something serious?"

"No, it's not. Well, maybe, in a way."

She frowned again, then pulled out her phone.

"Um. Would you mind if I made a phone call first?"

"Oh sure, I can go sit in my room if you need privacy." I quickly stood, seeing an opportunity to escape this increasingly awkward situation.

"No, please, stay. I want you to be here. It will help explain things." She had put her drink down and was now focused on her phone, tapping and swiping at the screen with both thumbs.

I heard the ringback tone indicating she had dialed and the call was on speakerphone. She set the phone on the table and we listened to it ring twice before the call connected.

"Hello? Candy?" It was Sherry's voice coming from her phone!

"Hey Sherry! How was your flight? You were worried." Candace was holding her finger across her lips, instructing me to stay quiet.

There was a short laugh. I felt a stab of anguish at hearing her laugh again. She was just here yesterday, but there had certainly been no laughter.

"Totally uneventful, thankfully. I just put in my air pods and slept the whole way with music on."

"See! I knew you were worried for no reason. So, no sweaty smelly guy sitting next to you?"

"Nope. I was the only person in my row. Sorry, no fun story this time."

"That's good, actually. Have you started unpacking yet?"

I had been staring at the phone's screen and didn't really know why. I wished I could see Sherry's face. I took another sip of my beer and looked up to see that Candace was watching me intently and our eyes seemed to lock together.

Unaware of my semi-approved eavesdropping, Sherry answered: "Actually, there isn't much unpacking I can do. I'm going to have to live out of my suitcase for a while. The apartment is provided by the company, but they forgot to mention it's completely unfurnished.

"I have a stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator, but that's about it. I called my brother and talked him into going to our parents' and breaking my old bed down to bring it here with his truck later today. If it wasn't for him, I would be sleeping on the floor tonight."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" She was still immersed in the conversation and her smile reflected her words, but she was also still steadily gazing into my eyes. "Tell him he's a big sweetie and give him a hug for me!"

Sherry giggled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that. I bet I can persuade him to help me hunt down some cheap yard sale furniture. I won't have much of a budget to work with, but I at least need a couch!"

"Let me know if you have trouble finding stuff. My parents can probably find you some free hand-me-downs or something; I have some family in that area."

"I'd love that! Thank you!"

"So..." Candace began, "you still haven't told me about Josh. How did that go?" My eyes widened in surprise, realizing that they were going to start talking about me right in front of me! I started to stand again, but I was motioned back into my seat.

Sherry sighed rather deeply. She sounded kind of miserable. "About how I expected, I suppose. I mean, we both knew it was coming.

"I'm sure you're sick of me saying so, but Josh was really good to me, you know? He always acted like we were going to be together for life. We were supposed to just be friends with benefits. That was the plan!

"The sex was awesome, don't get me wrong. He's, uh, well-equipped enough and knows how to handle it." Both of the girls were now giggling. I felt my face redden, and I couldn't maintain the eye contact any longer. The beer bottle in my hands was much easier to look at right now, so I focused on it, pretending to read the label.

"But it was much more than that for him, I think. I know I hurt him yesterday. I tried to stay unemotional, but when he asked if we could talk every day, I kind of snapped at him. I told him that was a bad idea if we were going to make a clean break.

"After that, he was awfully quiet while I finished packing up my stuff from his place. I know he needs time to figure out how he feels.

"He wasn't really in love with me, I don't think, but he needs to figure that out on his own."

I realized tears were sliding down my cheeks, but I made no effort to stop them. This was so uncomfortable to hear, and I couldn't come up with a quick way out. My beer bottle had no answers to give me, either.

"Give him time, Sherry. He'll be okay. But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I was ready to move on, and I don't think I'll have trouble finding another Josh or two.

"I certainly don't expect him to wait a whole year for me to come back, especially not after the way I handled things. He'll find another girl to take my place eventually. He's just so shy, though, it might take him a long time."

"Well, there's not much you can do for him from where you are besides stay in touch. That would probably just make it harder for him, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm still here, though. And I really like Josh. Would it bother you if I helped him out?"

"Playing matchmaker, Candy? Set him up with one of our friends?" I could hear her smiling as she spoke.

"Actually... I was thinking of maybe taking him out, myself."

Silence was hanging in the air, we were all holding our breath.

"Really!? You... um..." There was another long pause. "Candy, I had no idea you had any interest in him. I mean, he's not your type, right? That's what you told me."

"Well..." I looked up, only this time it was Candy that broke eye contact and looked at her fidgeting hands. She was actually blushing!

"Well," she started again, "the truth is, Sherry, I was lying. I've had a crush on Josh for a long time, but I didn't want to get between you. I knew I just had to be patient, after all."

There was a gasp from the phone. "But, Candy... you could have told me! I wouldn't have been angry."

"Anything I could have said would driven a wedge between us and made things awkward. Besides, it never felt like the right time to say something. But now... it won't get better than this, right? So that's why I'm saying something now."

"Oh." She was digesting the idea. "Okay, yeah, that makes sense. So are you like... asking permission? Candy, we broke up. He's a grown man, he doesn't need my permission, and neither do you."

"No, I don't need permission to ask him out. But I need to know that if I do, you and I will still be friends. If you are going to be jealous or angry, then I'll stay away from him."

Now, Sherry was laughing. "Oh Candy, that's actually a relief. It would make me happy if you started dating him. Honestly, you're a better match for him anyway.

"For that matter, this could be really good for me, too. Let me know after you talk to Josh. Tell him how you feel, then call me. I want to know how he's doing, and I think I will feel a lot less guilty about dating again down here."

Now Candace was grinning at me. "Oh trust me, he already knows. I think he's in shock though, trying to figure out what just happened."

"What!? Josh!? You're there, too, at the dorm?"

I had to clear my throat and wipe my face on my sleeve. "No, Sherry, she's here with me in the apartment.

"She just showed up this morning... I-I... I seriously had no idea. I don't know what to think."

"I bet. You still hadn't gotten used to me yanking you out of your comfort zone, and now you have Candy doing it." She was chuckling at my discomfort, and that made me smile.

Then, she became calm and serious, "Josh? Thank you. For yesterday. I know you were trying to hold in your feelings, and I appreciate that. It could have gone so much worse.

"And Candy, you have my blessing. Take good care of him, okay? He's not going to cheat on you like David did, he's not that type of guy."

Candy just mumbled an agreement.

"I know you'll be good to her, Josh, I don't have to worry about that. But trust her, too. Your heart is safer with her."

Around the lump in my throat, all I could manage was a simple, "okay."

"I know I was your first, so that certainly made my leaving a heck of a lot harder for you. I'm sorry about that, I really am. And I know you won't forget me. I hope we'll still be friends when I get back."

My eyes were bugging out in surprise. I couldn't deny it, but I didn't know how she knew.