A Sad Reminder Of His Oddness, Part 2

(My long-term boyfriend and I are pretty laid back and tend to avoid discussing serious relationship questions. On this day we’re both lying on our backs on his bed and he grabs one of my hands and pulls it so my arm is over his chest. I grab his other arm and position it the same way. We lie in silence for a few moments.)

Me: “Let’s be buried like this.”

(I expect him to laugh, but instead he stiffens up.)

Me: “You know that was just a joke, right?”

Boyfriend: “Yeah, but it reminded me that you’re going to die someday, and then I’ll be sad.”

Me: “Well, maybe, but not for a long time. H***, we’ll probably be broken up by then.”

Boyfriend: “But what if we’re not? I don’t want to be without you.”

Me: “Well, you’ll probably die first. You’re ten years older than me. So you don’t need to worry about that.”

Boyfriend: “Yeah, but I come from a long-lived family.”

Me: “My great-grandma lived to 101. My grandma just had her 90th birthday. I think I’m probably going to outlive you.”

Boyfriend: “You’d better.”