Page 86 of A Taste of Bliss

I get to the bottom of the stairs and turn, finding a long corridor with a few rooms. I check them out one by one and when I enter the last one, I feel a little warmth settle in my belly, as if this room is kept at a higher temperature than the others.

But then the door slams shut behind me and I wheel around, letting out a yelp. Pisces stands there, like he was hiding behind the door. He’s slammed it shut, I realize.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, going to the door. I yank it open and try to take a step out, but find I physically can’t.

Pisces smirks. “We’re stuck here. It’s part of the wristband magic. Prevents you from finding my hiding spot and leaving to tell the others.”

“You guys take this game way too seriously.”

He shrugs. “Sure, but it’s more fun this way.” Says the guy that didn’t seem interested in playing before.

“Why’d you close the door?” I ask suspiciously.

His smirk turns into a grimace. “I wasn’t sure who you were at first. Kinda was hoping to freak one of the guys out.”

I roll my eyes at him and go lean against the opposite wall.

How the stars did I find him so easily? And quickly? I wasn’t even trying.

Silence settles over us, and only the occasional noise from outside permeates the space. Neither of us seem to want to break it, which is just fine by me. I’d rather not talk to him. I spend the next several minutes looking from the window to the open door, anything to keep my eyes off Pisces.

I keep expecting someone else to show up. It’s not like this hiding place is all that hard to find.

I check my phone. I don’t have any service down here. Well, that’s not great.

No email or games to pass the time.

A few more minutes tick by. Pisces clears his throat, and I glance at him, but he drops his gaze immediately. Was he about to say something?

I stop myself from sighing. At least conversation would be less boring.

And if we’re talking, maybe anyone looking for us will hear us and find our hiding spot that much sooner.

“I figured you would have hidden somewhere else,” I say, finally breaking the silence. It’s the only thing I can think to say.

He lifts a brow. “Why?”

“This is so close to where we started. Just seems like it’d be too obvious.”

He shrugs. Stars, Ihatethat. “Sometimes right under people’s noses is the best hiding spot. Why were you searching here if you didn’t think you’d find me?”

I mimic his shrug and don’t respond. There’s a small window in the room. I stare out of it, seeing a few shrubs and occasionally people’s feet as they walk past the building. Definitely in the basement, then.

“Ah,” Pisces says knowingly. “You didn’t want to find me. Why?”

“Why do you think? The first time I was stuck with you wasn’t really that fun.” I rub my temples and cross my arms, deciding to sit on the floor. It looks clean enough. From this angle, I can see out the open door, so hopefully if anyone comes this way they won’t miss me and they can hide with us. I desperately need a buffer.

“No, I guess it wasn’t,” he agrees after a pause.

I huff out a laugh. “You guess? Just so we’re clear, you owe me an apology.” What he said to me was so out of line.

He watches me from the wall he’s leaning on and hangs his head. He breathes out a long stream of air and comes to sit next to me. I arch my brows at him, narrowing my eyes.

He slides down the wall till he’s sitting with his legs spread out straight in front of him. He looks at me sideways, and then straight ahead. “I’m sorry for implying you’re slutty and I’m sorry for implying that you’re just arm candy.”

I roll my eyes, not really sure if he’s being genuine.

“I’m also sorry for making fun of your name.”