AUTHORESS'S NOTE: Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing! Every word is treasured. :) Enjoy chapter seven!
Mr. Burns seemed a bit wary of my suggestion—or rather declaration—of playing Truth or Dare and also of the finality with which I said it. He didn't tell me of this wariness, but I could simply read the nervous sheen in his eyes. However, I pretended not to notice and facilely laid out a couple of pillows on the carpet for us to relax on as we played. Mr. Burns approached me and the pillows with caution and sat down uneasily.
"Are you comfortable, sir?" I asked, knowing the real answer and hoping he wouldn't speak it.
Mr. Burns smiled slightly and nodded. "Um…yes, this is nice, Smithers."
"Thank you, sir," I said with a grin. "Now shall we begin? Truth or Dare, Mr. Burns?"
"This game is stupid," Mr. Burns mumbled, looking groundward.
"Come on, Mr. Burns…truth or dare?" I persisted. I immediately felt guilty for impelling my love to partake in a game he did not wish to, but I told myself that it was necessary to the good of us both.
Mr. Burns sighed. "Truth, I suppose. It might be fun to try something different," he chuckled, his reluctance fading a bit.
I decided to start off basic and pure, so as to not scare him away when the time for steamier questions arrived. "Okay. Truth…hmmm…" It was difficult to think of anything I did not already know about Mr. Burns, or at least anything unknown that would not cause him to blush. "Uh…what was your greatest ambition as a child?"
Looking rather relieved at my question, Mr. Burns answered, "Well, when I was a very small boy, I wanted to be the next Satan. Then as I got older, this changed to Stalin, and then finally I set my goals lower on being the next Rockefeller." He smiled. "Well, I turned out greater than Rockefeller…I guess I'll never be Stalin, and I'll have to wait a few more years to find out if they need a replacement for Satan down there. Heh-heh." I attempted to grin, but it pained me deeply to think of the day Mr. Burns would no longer be beside me. Surprisingly, he recognized this. "Smithers, are you quite all right? You suddenly look very pale and sullen."
I looked up, trying to reapply my mask of joviality. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, sir. I was just…I don't like when you talk about your death. And so cavalierly."
"How else do you suppose one should talk about death? It's inevitable, Smithers. No point in dwelling on it. And it's coming up for me, I know that. I've just accepted it," said Mr. Burns, maintaining the insouciance that continued to knife my heart.
My vision began to blur. I sniffled. "I'll just miss you so much," I admitted.
A bit taken aback, Mr. Burns replied, "Calm down, Smithers. I'm not dying yet. And besides, you won't have to miss me. Remember our arrangement? You'll be buried alive with me," he said, as if that thought was comforting.
I shrugged and dried my eyes. "I suppose, sir."
"Yes, it'll be okay, Smithers," consoled Mr. Burns, momentarily laying his hand on my shoulder. "Now…truth or dare, friend?"
I wiped away a final tear as I said, "Truth." I was deeply afraid yet curious of what Mr. Burns would like to know about me.
"Okay…keeping in the fashion of old slumber parties, I must ask you: whom do you like?"
"Like?"
Mr. Burns rolled his eyes. "Whom are you romantically interested in?"
Now the debate filled my head. I couldn't possibly tell him the truth. Not like this. But then, if I lied, and he knew I lied, he would be inclined to lie later, and that would defeat the entire purpose of the game. "Um…well, I guess I don't really 'like' anyone right now." That was fairly true. I didn't 'like' Mr. Burns. I loved him.
"Oh, come on, Smithers. You must like someone. You're a young, handsome man." The words spilled out of Mr. Burns' mouth and he appeared afterwards as if he had had no control over his tongue when he said it. He coughed and said, "Um…I mean, well…there must be some young lady you've had your eye on."
Mr. Burns called me handsome! He thinks I'm handsome! My heart fluttered to the empyrean and I thought it may very well never have to greet the ground again. I couldn't stop smiling internally, but I knew I had to externally or my cover would be blown. "I'm telling you the truth, sir. There are no new loves in my life." Again, another form of the truth.
Mr. Burns looked a bit incredulous at me, but then shrugged and said: "Fine. Let's continue with the game."
And continue we did. An hour later, we had gone through prank phone calls, taking shots of ketchup, revealing our most embarrassing moments, kissing inanimate objects, singing humiliating songs, and a number of other things that were probably inspired after we switched from drinking hot cocoa to scotch. After I finished doing the robot dance on a dare, Mr. Burns laughed and said, "Okay, Smithers. You can sit down now. Haha."
I laughed and stumblingly sat on my pillow. "Truth or dare, Mr. Burns?" I slightly slurred.
"Dare. The truth could never be as fun," Mr. Burns said.
I don't know if it was the scotch coursing through my body or just the lateness of the hour, but something made me decide that the moment had arrived for me to make my move. "Dare…dare…" I pretended to ponder my request. "Well, in the spirit of old-fashioned slumber parties, I must dare you to kiss me."
Inebriated, Mr. Burns gasped and chuckled from surprise and asked, "Kiss you? Smithers!"
I laughed. "Come on, Mr. Burns. I dared you, you have to do it."
Mr. Burns looked around uneasily and scoffed. "Fine, fine. Come here," he said playfully. He pecked me on the lips and said, "Okay, okay, I did it. Now, truth or dare, Smithers?"
I looked at Mr. Burns, profoundly disappointed by the brevity of our kiss. I felt like someone began to pluck the feathers from the wings my heart had sprouted during the course of the evening. My heart and hope sunk like heavy anchors.
But then I remembered that I had to be in control here. Mr. Burns simply was not going to make this romance happen, but I could. With that thought in mind, I ignored Mr. Burns' question and put my arms around him, pulling him closer to me.
"Smithers, what are you doing?" he asked, chuckling a bit.
And then we kissed. Really kissed. A solid, slow meeting of our lips. The meaningless, drunken frivolity of our last kiss had vanished. Present now was an intensity like no other. I was instantly transported to a magical place where my dreams were more than musings of my fanciful mind. Where Mr. Burns and I were the only ones on the earth, locked together in this peaceful yet enthralling moment. Where the seas and skies and the hands of time ceased to move. Where reality and sexuality and decorum lost all meaning. Where just for about ten seconds, forever was attained.
And Mr. Burns closed his eyes first. Like he knew it was coming and had no objections. And when we opened our eyes and stared into each other's, I saw it for the first time. The reciprocation of my feelings.
I waited for Mr. Burns to say something. He stared and me and opened his mouth. "Smithers, I…" Could this be it, Waylon? Could this be the moment when your life and your world change forever? Is this the moment when Mr. Burns will tell you he loves you? Could it be? "I'm dreadfully tired. I think I should go to sleep now." He took my hands off him gently and left me on the cold, vacant ground with only my heart for company.
