~Chapter 17

It didn’t take long for the girls to get over their initial embarrassment. They had spent a little time cleaning themselves up before returning to the TV room to tidy up. With trash in hand, they both walked down to the main floor ready for the onslaught of comments they were sure they would hear.

Somewhat timidly, they both walked down the last flight of stairs to the main floor. Barely lifting their gaze, they looked at the boys sitting around the room. All twelve were watching them, more than half of them looked like they were trying very hard to be polite. Suho, still feeling like he needed to apologize for walking in on their evening, walked to the stairs and offered to take the trash for them. Paige’s cheeks flushed bright red as she handed him the couple grocery bags with trash in them.

“We’re sorry we spoiled your evening,” Chen offered the apology first.

“We just hadn’t really expected anyone home yet,” Amy replied.

“Sorry for yelling,” Paige muttered.

Chanyeol laughed, unable to hold it in any longer. “It’s fine. We were looking for you and only came in when we thought we heard someone crying.”

“Oh man,” Paige said, covering her face with her hands, again.

“Well, that won’t ever happen again,” Amy replied.

“No, feel free to do what you like,” Suho stated still sounding apologetic.

“I have an idea!” Baekhyun suddenly stood up from one of the chairs across the room. Everyone turned and looked at him. “It’s early still! Lets play something!” At least 4 members groaned out loud.

“Like what?” Kai asked, somewhat annoyed.

“A game! Something competitive.” The girls both stared at him wondering what kind of competition would actually be somewhat fair between all of them.

“I’m not arm wrestling, dancing, or competing in singing with any of you,” Amy stated. A few of the guys laughed in response.

“Like a card game or something?” asked Lay.

“No, that’s boring,” Baekhyun replied.

Paige bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should suggest the idea that popped into her head. “I know it’s childish, but the house is big enough for something like hide and seek,” Paige suggested. She watched as a few faces lit up. Encouraged, she took it a step further. “Have ya’ll ever played flashlight tag?”

Everyone stared, even Amy. Paige took that as a no. “Do you have flashlights? Even if you only have about 4 of them, that should be enough.”

Sehun disappeared for a moment.

"That sounds like a lot of running, are you up for that?" XiuMin asked Paige, staring at her feet.

"Yes. My ankle seems fine now. I didn't wrap it at all today and there's no pain," she answered, smiling.

"That's good," XiuMin smiled in return.

Sehun came back with three flashlights. He tested them out and then smiled. “Three that work,” he stated.

“It’s easy. We turn out the lights completely. Since there are fourteen of us, giving three people flashlights will be more than enough chaos. After the lights go out, just count to at least fifteen to give everyone a chance to scatter. If someone finds you with the flashlight, you’re it. You get the flashlight and have to find someone else. It basically ends when everyone is just sick of playing.”

“Give me a flashlight,” Kai stated, joining in the game quickly.

“I’m starting too,” said Sehun before he had to give up the flashlights.

“Me too!” stated Tao.

“Alright, that’s three. You guys go stand near the front door. As everyone scatters, make sure you turn off any lights that you pass. You guys count to like twenty since this is the start of the game, alright.”

“Yes,” they replied in unison.

“Go!” Paige yelled.

Kai flipped off the lights in the main room and joined Sehun and Tao at the front of the room before they started to count in unison. D.O hit the lights in the kitchen. Chen had been the first up the stairs, turning off lights in hallways on the second floor. Once the second floor was dark, everyone fled in different directions. A few stumbled into each other causing a lot of hushing and giggles. Amy ran up to the third floor securing a hiding spot inside the studio behind the audio control panel. Paige had been a little less creative, and after hearing doors closing in every which direction, finally hid in her own room on the second floor. She had just closed the door after hearing someone saying the number thirteen. She crept around one of the beds and waited.

Anticipation was dreadful. Those who were hiding inside rooms saw lights flickering under doors and heard footsteps throughout the house. The wisest thing was to continuously move, unless your hiding space was beyond detection. It didn’t take too long before a couple of members had been switched. But, with the lights off and not always being next to them when it happened, no one could keep track of just who were the ones wielding the flashlights.

Paige waited until footsteps sounded down the hall and seemed to leave again before she stood up from her hiding spot. She walked to the door and waited, listening. When she was sure she heard no one, she opened the door and hoped her adjusted vision would aid in her not falling over anything. She figured all three of the guys had run upstairs, so she took her chance to tip toe downstairs. She successfully made it to the bottom of the stairs and waited, making sure to breathe as quietly as possible. She detected no movement anywhere near her and snuck into the kitchen. If anyone was in the kitchen, they were being really quiet. Instead of hiding around the counter, she walked to the cabinets on the left side and tried to open the door to the cabinet as slowly as she could. She simply left the door opened and tried to hide behind it. Until she heard footsteps again, she’d stay here.

Amy’s heart started to pound when she heard the door to the studio open. She kept herself hunched down as much as she could. She didn’t see a flashlight though, so maybe she was gaining a hiding buddy. However, on the chance that someone with a flashlight didn’t have it on at the moment, she stayed hidden. Whoever was in the room had moved very close to where she was sitting. Amy held her breath and tried not to make a sound. The person who invaded her hiding spot took a step backwards, stepping onto one of her feet. Amy held her hands tightly over to keep from making noise.

“What the...?” Amy’s anxiety shot through the roof when she heard his voice. He’d been one of the starting three with the flashlight. However, even after realizing he’d stepped on something, no flashlight came on. Instead, he had moved his foot off of hers and then shuffled his foot on the floor as if testing to see what he’d stepped on. When his foot hit hers again, she kicked it back. “Who’s there?” Tao whispered.

“You stepped on my foot,” Amy whispered harshly.

“Sorry.” She could tell he was stooping down to her level as he apologized. His hand grazed her knee as he was trying to figure out just where she was. It caused her to jump back slightly, but instead of letting him continue his search, she reached out and grabbed his hand.

“I’m right here,” she directed. “You’re not wielding a flashlight anymore, are you?”

“Nope, I found Luhan.”

“Thank goodness,” Amy breathed.

“This is a fun game,” Tao stated.

“When you’re the one with the flashlight,” Amy countered. “I’ve been so nervous sitting in here.”

“Is there room next to you?” Tao asked.

“I can make room.” Amy scooted closer to the side of the panel while Tao sat to her left.

“We’re good. People were headed back downstairs when I snuck in here. Should give us a few minutes.”

“That’s good.”

“Very,” Tao whispered.

Amy smiled to herself. He was very cute around her. She couldn’t see him clearly, but she stared at him regardless. Tonight, she wasn’t cold. She wasn’t in need of rescuing. Suddenly Amy wished that he would kiss her just because, and not as a reaction to something dramatic. He had been so adorable watching the movie the other day. She kept waiting for her vision to adjust to the dark, at least enough to see more of his features. She couldn’t even completely tell if he was looking at her or not.

Suddenly, they could hear the sound of footsteps running by on the other side of the studio wall. Amy tensed in her spot, while Tao grabbed her left hand and squeezed. “You’re right, this is nerve wracking,” Tao stated.

“Shh!” Amy pleaded. She heard a breathy laugh from him in response. They held their breath for a few moments until they no longer heard any footsteps outside. Amy exhaled first, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Hey,” Tao whispered.

Amy turned her head towards him. With accurate precision, Tao’s lips found hers in the darkness. At first, he kissed her gently. Perhaps, he’d only intended for it to be quick or playful. But then he lifted his left hand to lightly bush against her cheek. The subtle touch was overwhelming. Amy broke from the kiss for just a moment to exhale, not noticing that she’d been holding her breath again. After she managed to inhale again, his hand at her cheek brought her back to him. His hand slipped to the nape of her neck, distracting her from the fact that they were still in the middle of a game of tag, or from even realizing that they weren’t the only two people left on the planet. Curious, and feeling entitled, Amy reached for his shoulder with her right hand. She traced his shoulder to his neck and then the line of his jaw. He seemed encouraged by her touch, and aside from the regret she’d feel in stopping the kiss, she wanted to look into his eyes and see the intensity that always seemed just on the surface.

Both of them flinched suddenly. From above them, the flashlight felt more like a spotlight in its intensity. “Ugh, really?” Sehun complained while standing over them. “Here, you two will have to share the flashlight. Not that you seem opposed to sharing.”

Amy blushed and looked at the floor while Tao stood up shooting a glare at Sehun. “What? Did you forget we were playing a game?” Sehun laughed, handing Tao the flashlight and leaving the room as quick as he could.

“Idiot,” Tao muttered.

“It’s okay,” Amy stated while standing up. “I didn’t even hear the door open.”

They stood there for a moment, neither saying anything. Amy couldn’t stand the awkward pause. She grabbed the flashlight from him and flashed it over him.

“There, now you’re it… so go find someone! I’m going to find a new place to hide,” she smiled.

“Alright,” Tao replied. He leaned towards her, kissing her cheek quickly before leaving the room. Amy paused for a minute, thinking of a new hiding place. She left the studio and found a closet to hide in.

Paige heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She was still hidden behind her open cabinet door in the kitchen. Her legs were starting to hurt, but now that she heard something, she didn’t budge. She tried to breathe as slowly as possible so she didn’t make any sound. The footsteps moved around the main room before coming unmistakably close to the kitchen. She held her breath and waited.

The movement of a flashlight skittered around the floor of the kitchen. She was probably found, but she kept extremely quiet.

“HA!” Luhan’s voice sounded near the fridge. She hadn’t been hit with a beam of light yet, so she waited, even though her position was pretty obvious.

“Okay, you found me,” Lay said from behind the counter.

She hadn’t been found! Paige tried to take a breath slowly so that neither of them would pay attention to her. Lay took the flashlight and bolted up the stairs. Paige let out a breath and waited. As soon as she thought the coast was clear, she was going to find a new hiding spot. Her legs were killing her.

Suddenly, the cabinet door hit against her side, causing her to topple off balance. “Ow!” she cried, unable to control the volume of her voice. She landed on her thankful for the chance to stretch her legs for just a moment.

“Paige?” Luhan whispered.

“Yes. Ow,” Paige replied.

“Sorry. I was backing up to the corner. I didn’t realize anyone was there.”

“It’s okay,” Paige replied. She tried to stand up but her legs were slightly numb. She gripped the counter and straightened up. She quickly looked around, but other than Luhan, she detected no one else around the kitchen or main room. “I was there for so long that my legs don’t work,” she whispered.

“We should find a better place to hide. I have an idea.” Luhan grabbed the side of her arm and walked her to the main room just near the stairs. “See where the shelf stops and the stairs go up? You could fit in there and sit down. It’d be a pretty good spot.”

Paige quickly used the bottom shelf to give herself a boost so she could slide onto the top shelf between the stairs. It was beyond a big enough opening, but one that was tucked in nicely. She could sit up comfortably, but be out of the line of sight for most people running up and down the stairs.

“Sit with me. There’s more than enough room,” Paige suggested.

“It’s okay, I’ll find my own spot.” Luhan was constantly looking around to make sure no one came down the stairs.

“Please?”

“I shouldn’t,” he answered, taking a few steps towards the foot of the stairs.

“Why?” Paige asked, genuinely confused.

Luhan risked opening up a topic of conversation that he had no intention of having right now. “I will find my own hiding spot,” and he started to walk away.

“Luhan?” Paige asked, somewhat mystified with his colder tone. “Is something wrong?”

“Why do you ask?” Luhan whispered.

“You just sounded a little upset.”

“If you keep talking, someone is going to know where you are.”

“Just, don’t be upset okay? Other than Amy, you’re the only good friend I’ve got here,” Paige admitted.

That did it. Despite his reasons not to bring it up, he couldn’t help it after her last statement. “You don’t have a problem making friends, Paige.”

“Luhan? I just meant that you’ve been such a good friend and I don’t want you to be upset over anything.”

“I’m not upset,” but he knew that even his tone indicated otherwise.

“I’m sorry,” Paige responded.

Luhan’s frustrations were getting the better of him. He walked back to the front of the shelf where she was sitting. “Why don’t you find Kai and hide with him?”

She took a second to process what he’d just said. “I don’t understand.”

“You and Kai. Aren’t you just a bit closer to him than me?” Luhan asked.

“No. I…” she trailed off not sure how to explain herself. Yes, Kai and her had kissed, more than once. But, in every other way she felt light years away from him.

“I’m going to go find my own space,” he reiterated.

“Luhan, Kai confuses me. I don’t know what to do about him. He keeps to himself and won’t talk to me. I don’t know where you got the impression that he and I were so close,” Paige explained.

He would have already left the room if it hadn’t been for the helplessness in her voice. He took another second to process just what she’d said. Kai confuses her? It hadn’t looked confusing that morning. Was Kai just messing with her? He hadn’t thought of him to be that kind of person. I shouldn’t be wasting my time worrying about this.

“Just keep quiet. I’m going to try to sneak upstairs,” Luhan stated.

Paige watched as he turned away. She listened to his footsteps go up the stairs and across the floor upstairs. Great, not only was Kai driving her nuts, but also Luhan was beginning to do the same thing. She was tired of feeling awkward. Inwardly, she started to miss being home. It wasn’t anywhere near as exciting, but it also wasn’t quite this dramatic.

Paige had stayed in her little corner under the stairs until someone flipped the lights back on. They had played for about an hour. Paige crawled out from the stairs and waited as everyone left their hiding places for the main floor. Some members had been successful at not being found at all, while others had switched a few times. The winner of that one was Tao. Who had been found and found others a total of about six times.

A/N

Seriously, I love playing flashlight tag. I played it once in Goblin Valley, Arizona after dark with a decent group of fellow college students (about 25 of us). It was so much fun. I recommend that if you have enough people and enough places to hide, you should totally try it.

Or maybe I'm just childish. :D

Enjoy! ~~Until next week!~~