Third Person's POV
After taking a break to eat and rest, Chaylen suggested playing a game. Initially, Terban and Vincent were hesitant, feeling too old to play games. However, they eventually joined in, becoming quite competitive and not wanting to lose.
Chaylen had created a unique game just to spend more time with Ryan - hide and seek.
“Hide and seek? Are you sane? We are too old for that,” Terban expressed his disbelief.
But Chaylen explained, “Why not? The boarding house was big enough for the game to work well.”
Aside from that, Chaylen believed that game would allow him to take Ryan to a quiet spot and talk to her in private. It was a selfish wish from a heartbroken guy who wanted to spend a lovely time with his first love.
“Childish game suits you so much, Chaylen,” Vincent complained, but still, he was willing to participate.
“There are seven of us,” Emily said, ignoring Vincent and Terban’s complaints. “We should group ourselves into two! Whoever doesn’t have a partner will be the seeker!” she added before pulling Kyle for a hug.
Kyle's cheeks turned red as Emily wrapped her arms around him. He was known for being shy around women, so her embrace caught him off guard.
Chaylen quickly stepped to separate Ryan and Slyvester and hugged Ryan.
Meanwhile, Terban and Vincent, who had been in a heated argument, suddenly embraced each other.
“…!”
“…!”
They both looked surprised by the sudden display of affection and quickly pulled away.
With the pairs now formed, it was clear that Slyvester would be the seeker for the game as he was the only one without a partner.
“Why did you hug Ryan?” Slyvester complained.
Chaylen stuck out his tongue to Slyvester, “Bleeh~.”
Emily, who let go of the blushing Kyle, then announced, “Slyvester is he seeker!”
Even if it was against Slyvester’s will, he stood in the corner and started chanting the hide-and-seek song:
"The moon is bright in hiding. Nothing in front, nothing behind..."
The game’s participants spread out like ants. They were eager to find a particular spot to hide in. However, Chaylen has one goal in this game, so he only kept his eyes on Ryan.
There is a large cabinet in the kitchen. Chaylen thought that would be the perfect place for him and Ryan.
"When I count to ten, you should have been hidden," Slyvester chanted, “one…”
"DO IT FOR 30 SECONDS!" Terban complained as he couldn't find anywhere to hide.
"When I counted 30..." Slyvester grunted.
"40!" Vincent negotiated.
Vincent and Terban strongly opposed the game but could not resist its immersive nature. Remarkably, both individuals have attained an equal score by tallying their respective victories. Undoubtedly, they will exert their utmost effort to defeat each other. It is crucial to note that the loser of the game would surely regret their defeat, as the winner would continuously taunt them for the remainder of their lives. Terban and Vincent were determined to emerge victorious against each other.
"35!" Slyvester exclaimed triumphantly. "I will count up to 35! No more negotiating! One!"
Chaylen hurriedly rushed to Ryan's side, only to have her hand pulled away. Quickly he guided her towards a massive cabinet and dragged her inside, sealing the door behind them.
"We can hide here," Chaylen whispered. It was dark inside, so he took his phone out of pocket. He used it to light up the space. However... "Oh, sh*t...!" He gasped to see another person beside him.
"Thank you. I couldn't find anything to hide earlier," thanked Kyle, who was touched by what Chaylen did.
So, it was Kyle he pulled, not Ryan!
'Damn it!' Chaylen cursed inwardly. So, where did Ryan go?
Fortunately, Ryan found an excellent place to hide. Near the boarding house door is a cabinet for storing brooms, mops, dustpans, and other cleaning supplies. They couldn't immediately think of opening it because their colleagues were clean freaks. So, Ryan felt proud of herself, especially since the hiding place is quite enough for her.
"26, 27, 28..." Slyvester continued.
Everything for Ryan was going smoothly.
"29, 30, 31..."
Not until the door opened again.
'Wait! The count is not over yet!' Ryan wondered as she lifted her head. She saw Terban, who was also surprised when their eyes met.
[What are you doing? Close it!] Ryan mouthed.
But Slyvester was almost finished with his counting.
"32, 33..."
Having no choice, Terban crammed himself into the dirty cabinet.
[Hey!] Ryan shouted in silence.
It wasn't that dark inside, so they could still see each other's faces.
"34, 35! Game!"
The countdown is over.
[Get out! It's crowded!] Ryan mouthed.
[I will be caught!] Terban mouthed back.
[Why did you come here?]
[Shsssh!] Terban pressed his finger firmly to his lips as if begging Ryan to shut her mouth.
Ryan rolled her eyes and just sighed. And together, they looked at the cabinet door.
"Emily! Boom!" they heard Slyvester shout from outside.
"Oh, that’s too fast!" Emily complained. "Did you take a peek?"
Terban's longer legs make it difficult for him to fit inside, which results in him having to adjust his position. Unfortunately, his movement caused his legs to bump into Ryan's, causing them to make sudden physical contact.
“…!”
“…”
They looked at each other, and Ryan expressed her discomfort by saying, “Go away.”
Terban was blushing and defended himself, "I told you I can't get caught."
Fortunately, the dim lighting inside prevented Ryan from noticing Terban's blushing face.
Suddenly, Slyvester shouted again after catching Chaylen and Kyle.
“Chaylen and Kyle! Gotcha!” To which Chaylen protested, "Damn, dude! How did you see us?"
" Slyvester is really good at hide and seek," Kyle sighed.
Vincent, Ryan and Terban are the only ones who have yet to be caught. As time went on, Terban’s knee became numb.
"Argh," Terban groaned.
[Why? Why?] Ryan asked upon hearing Terban’s grunt.
"My knee feels numb," Terban whispered.
"Be patient," Ryan pleaded.
As the discomfort in Terban’s leg intensified, Terban inadvertently trapped Ryan with both hands.
With a sudden jolt, he straightened his leg, causing their faces to collide in an unexpected moment of contact.
"...!"
"...!"
The cramped space of the cabinet left them with no room to separate, prompting Ryan to push against Terban's chest in a futile attempt to create some distance.
But their awkward struggle was abruptly interrupted as someone suddenly opened the cabinet, putting them in a compromising and embarrassing position.
And that person was…
“Tadah! Gotc…” Slyvester shouted unfinished words as he saw Ryan and Terban together.