Behind the Smiles

Chapter 6: Babe

            Simon quickly stepped back and sputtered before running off. "I s-should head home. I have something to tackle."

Jason trailed after him and grabbed a hold of his arm to stop him from getting away. "Wait."

"W-What is it?"

"Come with me!" Jason dragged him into his office and shut the door.

Pulling loose from Jason's grip, Simon inquired. "What are you doing, ge?"

"Why are you running away from me?" Jason approached as Simon continued to back away.

"I'm not running away." Simon shrunk in nervousness when he was being hovered over. "I'm only walking away very fast."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes," Simon claimed.

"Let me ask you this."

"What is it?" Simon blinked with wide eyes.

"Where do you think you're going when I'm the one who will be driving us home?"

"I...um..." Simon didn't know what to say.

"We've been living together for 5 months. Why are you still so shy?"

"Lower your voice. Someone might hear you."

"I'm the CEO of this company. They will keep their mouths shut even if they hear me." Jason enlightened.

"That's true." Simon realized that Jason was right and smiled sheepishly.

"So, what do you have to say now?"

"I..." Simon gulped.

"Yes?"

"I think..."

"Yeah..." Jason encouraged.

"I mean I know..."

"Hmm...?"

"I love you."

Damn it! This kid... Jason chuckled. "You are such a tease." He snaked an arm around Simon's waist to pull him closer for a kiss.

***

Timmy pushed the shopping cart, while Johnny went around grabbing all the necessary ingredients needed for his omelet fried rice.

"Hey, babe. Should we get some desserts?" Johnny asked.

"No, I'm not going to be your dessert." Timmy hissed.

Johnny chuckled. "It appears that your mind is forever in the gutter when it comes to me. That only proves that you've fallen madly in love with me without realizing."

"What? No way!" Timmy argued.

"Like I said, you still haven't realized it yet."

"That realization will never be."

"Babe, I asked if you wanted dessert," Johnny notified. "I didn't call you a dessert despite your deliciousness."

"Oh." Timmy was rendered speechless.

"Okay, I got everything," Johnny announced. "Let's go!"

"Fine." Timmy headed to the checkout to pay. "Wait. Why are you calling me, babe?"

"Why not?"

"I'm not your babe."

"You answered to it earlier."

"No, I didn't."

"Why are you being so defensive, babe?"

"I'm not being defensive."

"See? You answered to it again." Johnny pointed out.

"I..." Timmy had no words to retort. "J-Just don't call me that."
"Call you what?" Johnny played dumb.

Timmy rolled his eyes and huffed. "Babe."

"Okay, babe."

Catching on to what Johnny was doing, Timmy sighed. "Whatever. Let's just go..."

"Home," Johnny cut in. "Our home."

"My home," Timmy corrected.

"Your home is my home."

"My home is my home. Not yours."

"In that case, my home is your home."

"That's never going to happen."

"Never say never, babe."

"Quit calling me that!"

"Calling you what again?"

"Babe!"

"All right, babe." Johnny smirked.

"Ugh, you're beyond help." Timmy pulled out his wallet to pay for the groceries, but Johnny stopped him.

"Since you're letting me stay over tonight, I'm paying for dinner." Johnny took out some money from his wallet and paid.

"You're not staying over at my place." Timmy went to bag the groceries.

"We'll see about that."

Timmy placed the bag into the cart and pushed it away.

"Wait up, babe!" Johnny chased after him. "Why are you always trying to escape from me?"
"Do you really need to ask?"

"I ask because I want to know," Johnny responded matter-of-factly.

"What are you? 3 years old?"

"You're the one who called me mom last night."

"I...what?"

"How else would you have gotten ice cream?"

What the heck! Did I really call him mom? Timmy wondered.

"Yes, you called me mom," Johnny confirmed as though he could hear Timmy's thoughts.

How did he know what I was thinking?

"Trying to figure out how I know what you're thinking?"

"N-No," Timmy denied.

Johnny slouched over to whisper in Timmy's ear. "I have the ability to read your mind."

Timmy made a face and returned the cart to its rightful place.

Noticing that Timmy had lifted the bag of groceries from the cart, Johnny suggested. "I'll carry it."

"I'm not a girl," Timmy stated. "I am able to carry my own groceries."

"I paid for the groceries." Johnny reminded and snatched the bag from Timmy's hold. "Let's go home!"

Timmy sighed and walked beside him.

"It's nice when you're not objecting to everything that I say."

"It's not like my objections work," Timmy muttered his complaints beneath his breath, but Johnny was able to hear it.

"Excellent! That means you'll have no objections for what I'm going to do to you tonight."

Timmy's eyes widened in shock. What does he mean by that?