When we stepped into the elevator, Willy pressed on a button that was labeled, Luminous Lollies. The elevator lurched into the designated direction, and Willy caught me before I could stumble.
I looked up at him and asked, "What'd you make the lollipops luminous for?"
He grinned at me and said, "So you can eat them in bed at night."
He leaned down to me and murmured, "I know how rebellious kids will want to be."
I giggled and said, "Really? How so?"
He smiled, but then it slowly faded, and he seemed to zone out.
"I was a bit rebellious myself," he whispers, staring at nothing.
"Willy, are you sure you are okay? These flashbacks you've been having since the Golden Ticket tour worry me," I said, taking his hand.
A smile tugged at his lips, and the elevator stopped, its glass doors opening freely. Willy pulled me out, leading me into a darkened room, ignoring my worried questions.
We stopped, and he said, "Watch your step."
He then took my other hand pulled me gently forward, his face illuminated by the elevator's light.
We continued forward for some time, and he pulled me close to him, whispering, "Watch this."
He then stepped away from me, and I was alone in the dark. Suddenly, a round, purplish shape began to glow brightly. Then a red one. A yellow one. Green. Blue. Orange. Pink.
The room was immediately lit up with the rainbow of colors from the rather large lollipops. I looked around and observed the sight in awe, completely captured by its simplistic beauty.
"This is absolutely beautiful..." I whispered to Willy.
I felt his hand take mine slowly, and he murmured, "I know."
I turned and faced him, asking with a smirk, "How were you inspired to make this, being you said you were rebellious as a child?"
He grinned softly, and then let go of me, sitting down on the floor, motioning me to sit next to him. I took my place beside him, and he sighed.
"You see, when I was a child, my father—being the city's most famous dentist—had forced upon me to wear this horrible, cage-like brace for my teeth. He wanted me to have the best teeth I can have. With that, sadly, he treated me rather more like a patient, which made me feel like a nuisance to him rather than his son," he says with a slightly bitter tone. He takes a deep breath and sighs with sorrow, continuing on.
"Well, being under the intensive dental care, he never let me eat anything that could damage my teeth, which included candy. Every Halloween, after I would go trick-or-treating, he would take my candy, pour it into a glass bowl, and then tell me how each piece of candy was terrible for my teeth. I remember exactly what he would say to me every year. 'Now, let's see what the damage is this year, shall we?' he'd say. 'Caramels. They'd get stuck in your braces, wouldn't they? Lollipops. Ought to be called cavities-on-a-stick. Then we have all this... All this... chocolate.' He told me about how he was reading in a very important medical journal that some children are allergic to chocolate. That it makes their noses itch.
"I had tried to convince him to let me have a piece, telling him I might not be allergic. My father then said, 'Really? But why take a chance?' He would then dump all of the candy I ever received into the fire, and I never got to taste the sweet candy all the kids my age enjoyed."
I studied him in the glow of the Luminous Lollies, sympathy filling me. He hadn't gotten much of a taste of sweets in his youth, just like I hadn't. He glanced at me and smiled wanly, returning his empty stare to the floor.
"But I very clearly remember the first candy I ever ate. I was cleaning the fireplace, and a golden glint caught my eye. I took it, seeing it was a piece of chocolate. I made sure my father wasn't there to see anything, and fit it into my mouth. The taste was the most tasteful taste of tastes I had ever tasted..." he murmured. A soft smile tugged on his lips at the memory.
"I had begun to spend my earnings on different kinds of candies, writing down the different flavors and textures of each piece, wanting to learn more about the fascinating treats. This went on for weeks, and I was afraid of telling my father at first of my candy investigation. But one day, I told him, and he reacted just as I believed and feared he would.
"He had told me, 'Candy is a waste of time. No son of mine is going to be a chocolatier'. I then threatened him, wanting my freedom to follow my dream, 'Then I'll run away. To Switzerland. Bavaria. The candy capitals of the world'. I remember his anger, and his hurtful words. He told me, 'Go ahead. But I won't be here when you come back.'"
"That's why when we went to see him, his house was the only home in the middle of nowhere?" I asked Willy. He nodded, looking down at the floor with a sad gaze.
"I ran away with only a backpack of belongings important to me, and left for the train station, only to be told that it was closed for the night. I then made my way home, only to find my home completely removed from the street, every brick gone," he finished solemnly. He seemed deeply depressed after telling me his sad childhood, his usual giddy charm far away from where he sat.
I placed my hand on his, and he looked at me, smiling softly. I murmured, "I am so sorry."
He looked at me, tears swimming in his eyes. He then scoffed slightly and said, "Don't worry. That was the past. Besides, if I wasn't left on my own, I wouldn't have been able to explore the candies of the world, make my very own candy, and build this fantastic factory."
Willy grinned widely and poked me in the sides, receiving a light laugh from me in response.
"And I most definitely, equally importantly, wouldn't have met you," he murmured looking at my eyes, then to the lollipops around us.
I blushed, grateful that the room was dim enough to hide it. My heart throbbed in pain for his parentless past, but also for him. The very thought of his sweet laugh made my heart race and pound like a train's engine pushing against the tracks.
"Willy?" I asked, biting my lip and looking down at my feet in front of me.
"Hm?" Willy replied, and I could see him looking over to me.
"Can... can I try something?" I wondered, lifting my focus to his.
He studied me for a moment, and questioned, "What is it you want to try? Is it another candy? Do you have an idea?"
I shook my head and chuckled quietly. "No, it isn't about candy. But, it might be just as sweet. I don't know."
He furrowed his brow and purses his lips. "Is this a riddle?"
"Nope," I answered, popping the "P."
"You've got me intrigued. What is it you wish to try?" Willy asked, facing me more.
I bit my lip again, and glanced down at the floor beneath us. "Close your eyes."
"What for?"
"Just close them. Please."
He sighed quietly, and shut his eyes. I took a moment to study his face, seeing the tension beneath his knitted brows, the slight amount of fear in the creases of his eyelids.
I took a breath, and placed a gentle hand against his cheek. His tension first increased, then vanished altogether. His expression relaxed against my hand.
My heart continued to hammer within my chest, as I used every ounce of bravery to follow through my intention.
I slowly brought my mouth to his, my lips just floating against his own. The tension filled his demeanor again, this foreign touch rather intimidating to the two of us.
I kept my lips just over his, my nerves challenging my courage. My breathing wavered, and I leaned forward. His lips parted with the contact, the both of us frozen in the new embrace.
I lowered my hand from his cheek to his chest, feeling for his heartbeat. When I felt the rabbit-heart of his—fluttering faster than a hummingbird's wing—I parted from him, my eyes closed.
I bit my lip, embarrassed. Conscious of what I just did, my breathing went ragged, shakily inhaling and exhaling.
Slowly I lifted my eyes to his, and we just stared at each other. His expression was unreadable, apart from the shocked surprise that swam in his eyes.
I whispered, placing my hands back onto my lap, "Sorry. I just... thank you."
Agonizing minutes ticked by, feeling like an eternity. Not a word came from Willy, but I felt him take my hand in his, entwining our fingers.
I lifted my eyes to his again, and he smiled softly at our hands. With the look he gave me, I can tell the feeling was indeed mutual. But, at the same time, terrifying for him. He hasn't had such human contact before. But, neither have I.
Softly, he brushed a strand of my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear.
I leaned my head against his shoulder, and sighed again, "Thank you."
He hummed in contentment, and I felt him lean his head atop of mine. I heard him murmur, "You too, Starshine."