A/N: The chapters will go Charlotte-Ben-Charlotte-Ben in chapter POV's, so you'll know if it's Charlotte when it starts with "Sweet" and Ben's chapters start with "Sour"

Chapter 1: Sweet as a Strawberry

"You'll never guess this one," the customer said gleefully, shoving something into my mouth.

I chewed carefully, my eyebrows scrunching as I tasted the delicious morsel of bread. "Pumpernickel and rye swirl," I decided confidently, smiling underneath the blindfold.

"With?" she urged, sounding a little put-down.

I chewed some more and thought. "Dried oregano and pickled jalapeño," I added, swallowing the piece.

The blindfold was ripped off and the customer who'd challenged me grimaced, putting some money in my tip jar. "You win," she said grumpily. "I can't believe it. I only gave you a bit with pumpernickel, how'd you figure out it was swirl?"

I smiled cheekily, already aware of her sneaky trick. "I told you I'd be able to guess anything."

In the little bakery called Good Eats that was my second home, I, Charlotte Carter, won yet another challenge from a poor, clueless customer.

It was a thing my boss had set up after realising I could guess almost any ingredient in any sort of food. If a customer wanted to bet that I couldn't guess the main flavours, they'd get a free cupcake. If I could guess, they had to pay however much they bet in my tip jar.

I'm not trying to sound conceited when I say that I've never lost. You wouldn't even believe how business has boomed since we started the whole competition thing.

My boss, Diana, even gave me a significant pay raise because of that.

"I thought you were exaggerating!" she said in exasperation, blowing angrily at a strand of her mousy hair. "Now I don't have enough money for the cupcake I wanted!"

My eyes widened in guilt and I bit my lip. "That won't do, now, will it?" I stuck my hand back in the tip jar and brought out the five pounds she'd put in. I smiled nicely. "Just don't tell my boss-"

As I stretched across the counter to give her back her money, a large, rough hand came down on mine, successfully stopping it mid-way.

I looked up curiously, my eyes meeting a pair of dark brown eyes. "Hello there," I said cheerfully, taking my free hand off the table to extend to him. The man just stared at it distastefully, making me drop it slowly. Oh man.

Who was he? I would've remembered a face like his, but I didn't recall ever seeing him before.

He turned to my customer. "If you didn't have enough money to spare, you shouldn't have challenged her," he said.

She had been drooling at him ever since he'd approached us, but suddenly snapped out of it as he spoke. "W-what do you mean?" she asked nervously, hands twitching to the money I still held in my grip, the hand that was still being held captive by this stranger.

"I mean," he continued, letting the irritation seep through, "you should really have thought beforehand before taking the challenge. You don't need that money back because it's hers now."

My hand twitched under his and I let out a small noise of objection. The two of them looked at me, the lady with pleading eyes and the stranger with irritated ones. "It's quite alright," I reassured the mysterious stranger. "It was my fault she took the challenge anyway! Let me just give her back the money-"

"No!" he growled, making me flinch at his harshness. "It's not your fault, it's your money now, fair and square."

"And now I'm lending some money to this lovely lady so she can buy her cupcake!" I reasoned.

He looked at me for a minute and then at my customer. His eyes swept over her whole body and he clucked his tongue. "You don't need that cupcake," he said scornfully.

I gasped and my customer's eyes widened, looking down at her only slightly pudgy yet still beautiful figure before looking at me, her eyes teary. "Oh my," I said in a rush, guilt invading every pore of my voice. "I'm terribly sorry, madam, you can have the cupcake for free, how about th-"

"No," she cut me off rudely, wiping her eyes furiously. "I'm leaving now, and don't expect my business while this man is around!" She turned and stomped away, her bright red face only serving to make me feel guiltier.

"Oh, wait!" I called frantically, trying to move my hand from the rude stranger's grasp. It wouldn't budge and so I stared at him reproachfully. "Now I lost her business," I said, sagging over the counter.

He simply stared down at me, taking his free hand to slide it through his shaggy mop of hair. "You don't need it."

I raised my eyebrows. "On the contrary, every bit of business is treasured here."

"You're a pushover," he replied, ignoring my words.

"You didn't have to do that," I said. "It's only fair after I guilted her into doing the challenge!"

"No," he said forcefully. "It's not fair, you just like to please everyone." His hand retracted as if he was disgusted, his eyes burning angry holes in my forehead.

I shrugged. "But you didn't have to intervene," I said as nicely as I could. He may have looked all tough with his mean expression and threatening stance, but strangely, I wasn't scared at all. Just a little miffed that he chased away one of my customers.

"Yes I did. You would've allowed her to step all over you."

"No," I objected meekly. "I would've maybe just...given her a boost?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and left yourself on the ground."

I stared at him curiously, a flickering smile turning up the corners of my mouth. "And why exactly do you care?" I asked, my voice lilting in merriment.

The man glared at me even as I smiled at him. "I don't," he said, as if it were obvious. "I just couldn't stand watching you get cheated."

"Cheated? I don't think I was being cheated."

"Fine. Whatever, I don't care. You're going to end up homeless from giving people too much, and then don't come crying to me!" He spun around, stomping his boot clad feet to the exit, a sour expression on his handsome face.

"Wait!" I called, waiting for him to turn around or at least stop. He didn't, ignoring my shouts as he left in a whirlwind of anger. "How can I come crying if I don't even know your name?" He left before I could even finish.

I wonder why he helped me? He seemed so reluctant, but he'd done it anyway. He couldn't be too mean if he'd helped me, even though he'd acted despicably to that poor woman.

Oh cheese and crackers, I should've scolded him for doing that, but talking to him made me forget. He had a very mesmerising voice...I wonder how it sounded when he-

"Excuse me, miss? One strawberry cupcake, please."