It was a typical spring evening in a house on the edge of the forest. Dipper, as usual, was immersed in his research, and Stan was completely immersed in yet another calculation for his business. For Mabel, such an existence was unbearably boring. She felt that life was slipping away, and so she decided: enough of sitting cooped up - it's time to throw something really fun! A party, of course.

Enthusiastically getting down to preparing, Mabel thought through everything down to the smallest detail: garlands, snacks, music. But something was missing. "What's a party without games?" she thought. The first thing that came to mind was board games, but soon it seemed to her that this was not enough. She needed something more daring, something that would tickle her nerves. And then her memory helpfully suggested: "Seven Minutes in Heaven." Yes, that would be perfect.

On Saturday, the house was filled with the noise of guests. Wendy came, Mabel's friends Candy and Grenda dropped by. Soos couldn't miss the party, and Dipper himself, though grumbling, looked intrigued. But the most surprising guest was Bill. Yes, that same demon whom Mabel somehow "persuaded" to show up. He behaved calmly, assuring that he had long ago left his old plans behind and had now "reformed". However, those present still cast sidelong glances at him: it is difficult to forget past battles, even if a truce has been formally concluded.

When it came to the game itself, tension hung in the room. Everyone sat in a circle, the bottle spun, and everyone secretly prayed that it would not point to Bill. After all, even a reconciled demon was still a demon. But fate likes to joke - Dipper was next. And the bottle stopped right on Bill.

The boy went cold. The memories came flooding back, and they weren't just about the battles, but about other things, too. Bill had been flirting too much lately, making innuendos that Dipper preferred not to analyze. He told himself it was just manipulation, a game... and yet, somewhere deep inside, there was a shadow of doubt.

And now the two of them were locked in a cramped closet. The space was so narrow that Bill had to lean almost right up to his face, his shoulder touching the wall and the edge of his smile touching Dipper himself. The silence was thickening, the air seemed heavier. And Dipper's heart was pounding so loudly that he was afraid Bill could hear it, too.

"Well," the demon drawled, tilting his head to the side and smirking. "Excellent choice of game, don't you think?"