Playing Hide-and-Seek

The luminous rays from the morning sun permeate through the flimsy shades, successfully infiltrating the confined space. At an alarming rate, Ethan's room is consumed with light. Subconsciously, Charlie screws her eyes shut tighter, wondering why it's so bright. Her room is usually pitch-black, courtesy of the thick curtains that do an excellent job at keeping her hidden away from the rest of the world.

She wakes up with her eyes hooded; tossing the blanket off, Charlie plants her feet on the floor and stands up. Groggily, she fumbles to the door. She manages to open it and find her way to the bathroom without a problem. The layout of her neighbor's house is a near replica of her own, which is why she hasn't noticed anything peculiar yet. Add in the fact that she's exhausted and you've got yourself one clueless gal.

After Charlie is done emptying her bladder, she washes her hands and heads back to the room. Maxwell, who sleeps in the corridor, perks his head up and the girl sends him a tired, dopey smile as she pats his head. Still densely unaware of her surroundings, Charlie crawls back into bed. She cuddles up to her long-body pillow and allows her eyes to rest once again. Just as she is about to succumb to the dark abyss luring her in, the pillow she has her limbs all over shifts.

An arm suddenly wraps around her torso and pulls her in closer. A few throaty groans greet her ears and sirens start blaring in Charlie's mind. Her eyes shoot open and she whispers a soft "Shit," at the sight of the naked chest in front of her. Next she peers down and realizes she has nothing but her undergarments on.

The reaction most girls—no, scratch that—the reaction most sane people would have if they woke up next to a total stranger half-naked, as you can imagine, is absolute chaos. They can be screaming, internally freaking out, or trying to find a way to sneak out of the place without getting caught.

Charlie Whitmen is no exception. Her thoughts are currently running awry; she doesn't know what her first move should be. This has never happened to her before. Then she recalls patting Maxwell. Against her better judgment, she cranes her neck up to see who the person she could have possibly slept with is. She has a hunch, but she's hoping that the Golden Retriever had only been a part of a dream. A loud gasp falls from her lips once her suspicions are confirmed. This cannot be happening. There is no way in hell she would ever be stupid enough to hook up with her neighbor.

Besides, from what she can recollect, Ethan had been far too preoccupied last night with swapping spit with some other girl. So how did Charlie wind up in his bed?

Her senses return soon after and her brows bunch together in anger. Harshly, Charlie shoves the unconscious boy away and jumps out of the bed. Her callous action rouses him and he sits up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "What's going on?" He yawns.

"That's what I should be asking you. How the fuck did I end up here?" Charlie fumes as she glares at him. "You douchebag. Did I have sex with you? You better think long and hard about your answer, Moron-dozo. What you say next determines if you get to live or not."

Although Charlie is rummaging through her brain in desperate search of some kind of explanation, nothing is rising to the surface. All she can remember is talking to Jack and then stuffing her face with a bunch of chocolate chip cookies. Everything following that is a big blur. A fuzzy picture she's definitely having difficulty with.

The sound of her voice reminds Ethan of yesterday's events. He forgot she had spent the night. His vision adjusts and he is able to see her more clearly now. Charlie is standing at the foot of his bed, looking even more attractive now that his eyes have access to her entire body. Instead of trembling with fear because of the vexed expression she's wearing and violent death-threat she just made, Ethan is smirking. Without an ounce of shame, he continues to examine her exposed body with a quirked eyebrow. He wouldn't mind waking up to this view every morning.

The girl notices his smug expression and stares down at herself. It feels like steam is shooting out of her ears and nostrils as she stalks up to him. Charlie pulls her arm back and throws it at Ethan's face with the intention of giving him a bloody nose. He manages to evade her attack in the nick of time. How predictable. He knew she was going to try something like that.

As swift as a fox, Ethan rolls out of bed and holds his hand out to stop her from advancing. "Whoa, there. Calm down, will you? My face can't afford to get another bruise."

"You were checking me out," Charlie hisses from the other side of the full-sized mattress. She is slightly hunched over, ready to leap across and pummel him into a pulp.

"Still am." He winks audaciously.

"That's it! You're fucking dead!" she proclaims as she charges towards him. Since there isn't a lot of space in the room, Charlie manages to catch him with ease. She tackles him onto the ground and straddles him, her fingers coiled around his neck. She might be strong, but Ethan is stronger.

With a firm grasp on both of her wrists, Ethan pries her off. "I'm not going to lie. I would be totally turned on right now if it weren't for the fact that you were trying to kill me," he states, that arrogant smirk still dancing on his lips.

Charlie grinds her teeth and tries to free herself. She gets nowhere. Unexpectedly, Ethan yanks her down so that she falls on top of him, her chest pressed up against his. "You little shit," she growls, the fire in the pit of her stomach intensifying. God, is it fun getting under her skin.

"We didn't sleep together. Relax," he declares. "At least not the way you're implying. I was originally on the floor since I'm such a gentleman and all. I guess the hardwood must have been hurting my back, so I climbed up into my bed in the middle of the night without knowing and completely forgetting you were there."

Charlie stares at him and then notices the pillow and extra sheets sprawled out on the floor. "Then what happened to my clothes?"

"You took them off yourself. I went to shower and when I came back your pants and shirt were already on the ground. All of that pot in your system mixed with the alcohol you had must have made you hot. I may be a hormonal teenager with needs, but even I know that sexual assault isn't cool. Miss Layna raised me better than that."

"Wait, what? I was high?" The embarrassing images come flooding into her mind and she mentally slaps herself. Those damn cookies!

"Higher than the Empire State Building if you asked me. If it weren't for your damn brother threatening me, I wouldn't even have brought you home with me. If you don't believe me, ask him. Now I'm going to let you go. You can't hit me, okay?" The fury Charlie has dissipates, and surprisingly enough she nods. Once she is free, she gets up and extends her arm out. She doesn't feel sore anywhere. Ethan accepts her assistance and is hauled up to his feet. "But I will say this. It was definitely worth it."

"Are you kidding me?" Charlie's hands are now balled up into fists as her jaw clenches. She can't sock him after she promised him that she wouldn't.

"Does it look like I am?" Ethan challenges. "You know, word on the street is you've got yourself a boyfriend. Is that true?"

"What's it got to do with you?" she sniggers.

He opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by his grandmother. "Ethan? Are you up yet? It's almost eleven. I want to go grocery shopping!" Layna shouts from the bottom of the stairs. Since there is no response, the woman ascends the steps. "I can't believe I still have to wake you up at your age!" They hear her nag and Ethan's eyes bulge out of their sockets, realizing that she is drawing closer.

"Get in the closet!" he instructs as he swipes Charlie's clothes and shoes up.

"What? Why?" She frowns as he shoves everything into her arms and ushers her into the closet.

"Did you forget how talkative Miss Layna can be? Do you want your dad to go ballistic once he hears about you being found half-naked in a boy's room when you were supposed to be sleeping at your friend's house? I didn't think so." Without waiting for a reply, Ethan shuts the door and rushes over to his bed. He hops in at the precise moment Layna barges in.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Ethan pretends like he has just woken up and climbs out of his bed, his fingers combing through his hair. Maxwell prances in as well with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail wagging in the air. When he doesn't see Charlie anywhere, he lets out a soft whimper.

"What time did you get back? You look terrible!" Layna remarks, cupping both of his cheeks in her hands.

"I'm fine," the boy assures. "Why don't you go wait for me downstairs, Miss Layna? I'll be out when I'm done getting ready." He gently prods her to the door and the woman complies.

"All right, do you want me to fix you up a quick breakfast?" she questions.

"A bagel would be wonderful." He smiles and pecks her cheek. The door closes and he locks it for extra security. He exhales a breath of relief and walks over to let Charlie out. As soon as Maxwell catches sight of her, he howls exuberantly. He bolts towards her and she drops to her knees to calm him. "He really likes you." Ethan nods, impressed.

"That's what Layna said to me the other day. I guess I have a way with dogs. Well, except with you of course." Her snide comment causes him to roll his eyes.

"I'm not a dog. If anything, I'd be a wolf," he retorts. "Anyways, when we leave, you can sneak out through the backdoor so none of the neighbors see you. I don't want to lose my manhood when nothing even happened between us. It'll ruin my reputation, you know?"

"As if I'd want the world to know that I spent the night at your house," Charlie sneers, standing up. To Ethan's dismay, she is no longer half-naked. She must have gotten dressed while she was in hiding. "You better keep your mouth shut about this. Oh, and if I find out that you lied to me, you're going to be shit out of luck."

"I'll take my chances," he cackles before he leaves to freshen up.

Ethan sets the car in reverse and smoothly backs out of the driveway. As he changes the gear to drive, he glances up to his bedroom window where he spots Charlie's eyes peeping out through the blinds. He bites back a smile and shakes his head. She's definitely not the kind of girl he's accustomed to, but maybe that's what he needs.

Maybe she is what he needs.

---

Author's Thoughts: I know it's not as chaotic as you guys were hoping but then it would be too predictable, you know? I wanted to show that there is a rational side to Charlie as well and that she's not just some hot-tempered girl even though she tried to strangle Ethan... haha I find his straightforwardness so attractive! The song above matches Charlie so well, for the most part anyways haha.

What were your favorite parts? I liked the scene where Ethan pulls her on top and then shoves her into the closet. Usually the girls are the ones hiding the guys! What do you guys think? Comments would be lovely!