Throne of Glass and ACOTAR Stories

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

BOO!

Did I scare you?

Hello, SJM fans. Guess who's back with a lil short story for you? :))))

I can't believe I'm doing this, but ... I just had this cute idea for a Feysand one-shot AU and I just couldn't resist. I've been on a bit of a writing spree these past 2 days. I've written, like, 4 one-shots now and the weekend isn't even over. You can check some of those out in my "Multi-Fandom Stories" story on my profile, if you're interested.

Modern AU. Everyone is human. It's kind of stupid and silly, but it seemed cute and funny in my head.

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Okay, Rhysand has a secret chocolate obsession. Screw him.

And yeah, maybe it seems kind of weird that the United States' General of the Air Force is sneaking around the grocery store at four in the afternoon, looking to anyone else like he's heading straight for the leftover Valentine's Day aisle because he forgot a gift for his girlfriend.

Well, the joke's on them, in that case; Rhys is a single Pringle.

But in all honesty, he mainly wants to avoid getting caught out of the fear of his close-knit group of friends, Cassian, Azriel, Amren, and Mor, finding out about his chocolate weakness - which is highly probable, considering how fast word travels in Velaris. He'd probably never hear the end of it.

Rhys glances over at the last box of chocolates, innocently glinting in the light. He is only a few feet away now ...

Just as Rhys is about to reach out and snatch the box, the rustling of cart wheels on tile makes its way to his ears. He barely has enough time to snap his hand back and scramble to scoop up whatever is on the aisle in front of him - which just so happens to be, unfortunately, several boxes of Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups.

There is someone directly behind him. He carefully turns his head to see a full head of beautiful, light brown hair the same shade as chocolate.

He gets so distracted by it, in fact, that he forgets all intentions of subtlety, instead staring in awe at the glistening brown locks, which look so soft.

The woman the hair belongs to decides to turn her head at that very moment, and her face is as beautiful as her chocolate hair. Blue-grey eyes, freckles peppering her cheeks and nose ....

Rhys hasn't realized that the woman was talking. Her lips are moving, but it doesn't quite register in his mind that she is speaking to him.

He blinks a few times, trying to regain his bearings. "What?" he blurts stupidly.

The woman laughs a little, and he marvels at how enchanting it is. "I said," she replies, "do you need help?"

"Help with what?"

She puts her hand to her mouth in an adorable way that makes his heart sigh in the cheesiest way possible. "You're losing your Reese's Pieces there, bud."

"My —" he looks down at his arms, where the overflowing pile of peanut butter cup boxes are sliding to the ground all around him. "Oh! My ... Reese's Pieces ..." God, his face feels like it's roasting from the inside out. Don't they ever care to turn on the A/C in this place?

The woman rolls her eyes and squats to gather up some of the fallen boxes. It jerks him into action. Rhys immediately piles the candy back in its crate, then moves to help her gather up the rest on the floor.

Once everything is back in its proper place, the woman asks, "What's with all the Reese's?"

Rhys clears his throat, hoping it doesn't come out all high and squeaky. "I ... Uh ... Actually, it was a cover."

She raises a brow at him. "A cover?"

He nods. "A pretty bad one, too." He lowers his voice as he continues, "I have a bit of a chocolate obsession and I don't want my friends knowing. I heard you coming and ... I freaked."

This earns him a bright smile that he's pretty sure could make the sun look dark. "I see. And why, exactly do you not want your friends to know you're a chocolate junkie, uh ...?"

"Rhys."

She raises her brow again.

"Really. Not like the candy. It's short for Rhysand."

"Okay then, Rhys, why do you not want your friends to know you're a chocolate junkie?"

The heat of the room seems to swell, and he's certain a bead of sweat is now trickling down his neck. "Well, I'm the General for the Air Force, and I'm always harking on the others about healthiness and such, so I'd never hear the end of it if they found out about it."

The woman huffs a laugh. "Rhys loves Reese's Pieces. How fitting."

Rhys shrugs. "I was initially going for the box of chocolates, but I like Reese's too."

"Well, I promise I won't tell anyone about your addiction," says the woman, and his heart sinks as he realizes she's preparing to leave. "And it was nice to meet you, Reese's Pieces."

With that farewell and nickname, the beautiful woman is gone.

A lingering sadness remains in Rhys's chest, and he looked down at the misshapen pile of Reese's.

On the very top sits one box with handwriting on it. Curious and hopeful, he picks it up.

Feyre

Just in case you need someone to be a chocolate junkie with

Written below is a phone number.

Rhys's heart skips a beat as he looks over at the aisle where the box of chocolates had been.

It's gone.

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So, whatcha think? Do I still have it okay? 😬