Page 26 of Best Friend Burden

“Dare,” I said, closing my eyes, ready for him to kiss me.

“I dare you to...” he trailed off and I could feel his lips just millimeters away from mine, but I refused to move my face towards him, as much as my whole body ached for it.

“...pick a card, any card.”

I opened my eyes, and he had a deck of cards in his hands. He shuffled the cards up and did a few impressive stylish cuts before fanning them all out in front of me.

Was he for real?

There was a goofy smile on his face. He was teasing me.

But a dare was a dare.

I pulled out the eight of clubs. “Do I show it to you?”

"No,” he said. “Make sure I don't see it. In fact, here...”

He walked into the kitchen and pulled a permanent marker from out of one of the drawers.

“Sign your name on it and then put it face down on the top of the deck.”

I did so and kept my eyes on the deck of cards. “So we're going to try something here,” he said. He took the card and put it on the kitchen counter, then grabbed my wrist and put my palm on top of it. His hand felt sturdy on mine. Again, it was that danger and comfort thing. He was strong and powerful, taking hold of my arm and putting it on the counter like that, but I felt safe like I could trust him. He wasn't going to do anything I wasn't comfortable with.

“Don't move your hand,” he said. “Make sure I can't get that card.”

I leaned onto the counter. And looked down at the card between my fingers. It was there, and there wasn't any way he'd be able to grab it without me feeling it.

“I'm going to do the same as you now,” he said. He flipped the top card over: King of spades. Then he signed his name on it and in full view, held it up and turned around, then slowly put the card in his back pocket.

“You have your card and I have mine,” he said, “but if I give a little snap...”

He put his hand above mine and snapped his fingers.

“...they'll switch places.”

Kiefer gestured towards my hand. “Take a look.”

I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. I replayed the actions in my head. I signed the card and he put my hand down on it. He signed his card and put it in his back pocket. I saw the whole thing. There wasn't anywhere he could have switched it.

But I slowly lifted my hand and looked at the card below it. Sure enough, it was his king of spades.

He slowly began to reach behind him to his back pocket and then stopped himself. “You know what?” he asked. “Why don't you grab mine and take a look?”

With a sly smile, he turned and presented his ass to me in those tight jeans.

“Go ahead and put your hand in there.”

He didn't have to tell me twice. I reached into his back pocket and felt, indeed, that there was only one card. I also felt that he had a great butt.

“Pull the card out and take a look.”

It was my card: the eight of clubs with my signature.

“How'd you do that?”

He shook his head. “Magician's code,” he said. “Not going to tell you.”

“Truth or dare,” I said, hoping I could get him to truth his way into revealing the secret.

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