Chapter One Hundred Thirty Two: The Hide and Seek That Almost Broke Keifer (Extended Edition)
The morning after the first checkup, the mansion was buzzing with a different kind of energy.
Not wedding chaos. Not period chaos. Not pregnancy chaos.
Just... chaos.
Pure, unadulterated, family chaos.
Percy had arrived at 7 AM with an idea.
"HIDE AND SEEK! WE'RE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK!"
Honey sighed. "Percy, it's 7 AM."
"HIDE AND SEEK HAS NO SCHEDULE!"
Akshi perked up. "I LOVE HIDE AND SEEK!"
Shreya nodded. "Me too!"
Chethan raised an eyebrow. "In a mansion this size?"
"PERFECT SIZE!"
Mithun looked at Shreya. "You want to play hide and seek?"
She grinned. "I want to watch everyone else play hide and seek."
"That's different."
"Same energy!"
---
Jay walked into the kitchen, coffee in hand, one hand resting protectively on her still-flat stomach. "What's happening?"
Keifer was already there, looking amused. "Percy wants to play hide and seek."
"In the mansion?"
"In the mansion."
She laughed. "This is going to be chaos."
"The best kind."
She touched her belly. "I'm not doing anything crazy. I'm pregnant."
Keifer pulled her close. "Then hide somewhere safe. Don't climb anything. Don't run."
"Bossy."
"Your bossy."
She kissed his cheek. "Find me. If you can."
---
C.N. looked up from his laptop. "Statistical probability of finding everyone in a 20,000 square foot mansion: 34%."
Rakii raised her camera. "I'm documenting everything."
David bounced in. "HIDE AND SEEK! I'M SO GOOD AT THIS!"
Freya followed calmly. "You're terrible at this. You always giggle."
"I DO NOT GIGGLE!"
"You absolutely giggle."
---
Mica grabbed Calix's arm. "WE'RE PLAYING!"
Calix sighed. "We're playing."
"YOU'RE NOT EXCITED!"
"I'm excited internally."
"SHOW IT!"
"Eeeee."
"THAT'S NOT EXCITEMENT!"
Felix and Bridget walked in, hand in hand. "Hide and seek?"
"Hide and seek."
Bridget smiled. "I'm hiding with Felix."
"That's not how the game works."
"I'm making it work."
---
Aries helped Ella to her seat. "You're not playing. You're pregnant."
"I can hide!"
"You're three months pregnant. You hide behind a chair, I'll have a heart attack."
"So romantic."
"I try."
Keiran ran in, Rex in one hand, Ganesha in the other. "HIDE AND SEEK! REX WANTS TO PLAY!"
Rex seemed thrilled.
Ganesha nodded solemnly.
Keigan followed, trying to look cool. "I'm not playing. It's childish."
"You're playing."
"I'm not—"
"You're playing."
He sighed. "Fine."
---
Percy stood in the center of the living room, directing traffic.
"OKAY! RULES! KEIFER IS THE SEEKER! EVERYONE ELSE HIDES! LAST PERSON FOUND WINS!"
Keifer blinked. "Why am I the seeker?"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE THE TALLEST!"
"That's not logical."
"IT'S EMOTIONAL LOGIC!"
Honey patted his arm. "Just go with it."
---
C.N. raised his hand. "Question. What's the time limit?"
Percy thought. "Until Keifer gives up or finds everyone."
"That's not a time limit."
"THAT'S THE BEST TIME LIMIT!"
Rakii lowered her camera. "I'm hiding too. Can't document if I'm hiding."
Yuri appeared from nowhere. "I'll document. I don't hide. I observe."
"You're hiding."
"I'm observing from a hidden location."
"Same thing."
"Different energy!"
---
The hiders scattered.
Akshi grabbed Chethan. "TOGETHER!"
"Together!"
"Where are we hiding?"
"The library! No one ever goes there!"
"BRILLIANT!"
They ran.
---
Shreya looked at Mithun. "Where should we hide?"
"Kitchen?"
"Too obvious."
"Garden?"
"Too cold."
He raised an eyebrow. "Our room?"
She blushed. "That's not hiding."
"It's a location."
"IT'S A LOCATION WITH A BED!"
"Your point?"
She grabbed his hand. "Let's go."
---
David grabbed Freya. "I KNOW THE PERFECT SPOT!"
"Where?"
"The attic!"
"David, no one goes in the attic."
"EXACTLY!"
"There's spiders in the attic."
He paused. "Spiders?"
"Spiders."
"...Let's find another spot."
---
Mica dragged Calix toward the game room. "THE GAME ROOM!"
"Mica, that's the first place he'll look!"
"THAT'S WHY IT'S GENIUS!"
"It's the opposite of genius!"
"SAME ENERGY!"
---
Felix and Bridget walked calmly toward the garden. "The gazebo?"
"The gazebo."
"Romantic hiding spot?"
"Always."
They disappeared into the morning light.
---
Ella sat in her chair. "I'm not hiding."
Aries sat beside her. "I'm not leaving you."
"So we're just... sitting here?"
"We're hiding in plain sight."
"That's not hiding."
"It's strategic."
She laughed. "I love you."
"I love you too."
---
Keiran grabbed Keigan's hand. "WE'RE HIDING TOGETHER!"
Keigan sighed. "Fine. Where?"
"MY ROOM!"
"Everyone will look there."
"THAT'S WHY IT'S PERFECT!"
"It's really not."
Keiran dragged him anyway.
---
C.N. found a quiet corner in the study. Pulled out his laptop. Started working.
Rakii appeared. "You're hiding?"
"I'm working."
"You're hiding."
"I'm working while hiding. It's efficient."
She sat beside him. "I'm hiding with you."
"You're documenting."
"I'm hiding while documenting. It's efficient."
He almost smiled. "Fine."
---
Jay looked at Keifer one last time.
"Find me," she whispered.
"I will."
She kissed him. "Promise?"
"Promise."
She slipped away.
---
Jay walked to their bedroom.
Their room. Their sanctuary. Their space.
She looked around. Under the bed? Too obvious. The bathroom? Too easy.
Then she saw it.
The wardrobe.
Keifer's side. The one he never opened because his clothes were on the other side. The one filled with spare blankets and old clothes.
She opened it. Pulled out a pile of soft blankets. Made a nest. Crawled in.
Perfect.
Hidden. Comfortable. Safe.
She pulled the door closed.
And waited.
---
Keifer counted to one hundred.
"Ready or not, here I come."
---
He found Akshi and Chethan first.
They were in the library. Behind a bookshelf.
Laughing.
"You giggled," he said.
Akshi pouted. "I did not."
"You definitely giggled."
Chethan nodded. "She giggled."
"TRAITOR!"
---
Next: David and Freya.
Behind the couch. David's leg was sticking out.
"David."
"NO!"
"Your leg is visible."
Freya sighed. "I told you."
"SPIDERS!"
"There were no spiders."
"PRE-SPIDER ANXIETY!"
---
Mica and Calix were in the game room.
Behind the pool table.
Mica was bouncing. "HE FOUND US!"
Calix sighed. "It was only a matter of time."
"NEXT TIME WE HIDE BETTER!"
"Next time you hide somewhere that makes sense."
"NEVER!"
---
Felix and Bridget in the gazebo.
Not hiding.
Sitting together. Watching the garden.
Keifer paused. "You're not hiding."
"We're hiding in plain sight."
"That's not—"
"It's romantic."
He sighed. "Fine. You're found."
"Thank you."
---
Aries and Ella in the living room.
Still sitting in their chairs.
"You're not hiding."
"We're hiding in plain sight."
"That's not how the game works."
Ella smiled. "We're winning."
"You're not winning. You're not playing."
"Same thing."
---
C.N. and Rakii in the study.
C.N. was working. Rakii was photographing him working.
"You're not hiding."
"I'm working."
"You're hiding while working."
"It's efficient."
He sighed. "Found."
"Thank you."
---
Keiran and Keigan in Keiran's room.
Behind the bed. Keiran was giggling. Keigan was trying to be quiet.
"Found you."
Keiran screamed with joy. "AGAIN! AGAIN!"
"Later, buddy."
"PROMISE?"
"Promise."
---
Shreya and Mithun in their room.
The door was locked.
Keifer knocked. "Found you."
"Go away."
"You're found."
"We're not opening the door."
"That's not how the game works."
Mithun's voice, calm: "We're winning."
"You're not winning."
"We're happy."
"...Fine. You're happy."
"Thank you."
---
Keifer searched the mansion.
Every room. Every corner. Every closet.
He checked the garden again. The kitchen again. The library again.
He checked the study. The game room. The attic.
No Jay.
---
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen. The office. Emergency.
He answered. "Keifer Watson."
A voice on the other end. Urgent. Something about a deal. Something about documents. Something about needing him now.
He looked around the living room. Everyone was found. Everyone except—
"I'll be there in thirty minutes."
He hung up.
Grabbed his keys.
Walked out the door.
---
The front door closed behind him.
The mansion was quiet.
Jay waited in the wardrobe.
And waited.
And waited.
---
Hours passed.
The sun moved across the sky.
Jay's nest of blankets was warm. Comfortable. She'd been up early. The baby was making her tired.
Her eyes got heavy.
She closed them.
Just for a moment.
Just to rest.
---
She fell asleep.
Peacefully.
Nestled in blankets.
In the wardrobe.
Waiting for Keifer to find her.
---
At the office, Keifer worked.
The emergency was real. A deal was falling apart. Documents needed signatures. Calls needed to be made.
He worked through lunch.
Worked through the afternoon.
And somewhere in the back of his mind—
Jay.
He'd find her when he got home.
She was probably hiding somewhere ridiculous. The garden. The attic. Someplace she knew he'd never look.
She was fine.
---
He came home at 6 PM.
The sun was setting.
The mansion was quiet.
Everyone was in the living room. Akshi. Chethan. Shreya. Mithun. Percy. Honey. C.N. Rakii. David. Freya. Felix. Bridget. Mica. Calix. Aries. Ella. Keiran. Keigan.
All of them.
All found.
All waiting.
---
Keifer walked in. "Where's Jay?"
Akshi blinked. "We thought she was with you."
"What?"
"She never came down. After hide and seek. We thought you found her."
His blood ran cold. "I didn't find her."
Shreya stood. "You didn't find her?"
"I got called into the office. Emergency. I thought—I thought she'd come down."
No one had seen her.
No one had heard from her.
All day.
---
Keifer ran.
Up the stairs. Down the hallway.
Threw open their bedroom door.
Empty.
"JAY!"
Nothing.
He searched the bathroom. The closet. The balcony.
Nothing.
He stopped.
Looked at the wardrobe.
His wardrobe. The one he never opened.
---
He crossed to it.
Pulled open the door.
---
She was inside.
Curled up on a pile of blankets.
Sleeping.
Peacefully.
Beautifully.
One hand resting on her stomach.
Protecting their baby.
---
He couldn't breathe.
She was here. All day. In the wardrobe. Waiting for him to find her.
And he'd forgotten.
He'd left. He'd worked. He'd come home.
And she'd waited.
---
He knelt beside her.
"Jay."
Nothing.
"JAY."
She stirred. Opened her eyes.
"Keif?"
"I found you."
She blinked. Looked around. "What time is it?"
"Almost 7."
Her eyes widened. "7? I've been in here all day?"
"You fell asleep."
"In the wardrobe."
"You made a nest."
She looked at the blankets around her. "I made a nest."
"A very comfortable nest."
She started laughing. "I fell asleep in a wardrobe."
"You did."
"I was supposed to be hiding."
"You were hiding. Very effectively."
She laughed harder. "I missed the whole day."
"You missed everything."
---
He pulled her out of the wardrobe. Into his arms.
She stopped laughing when she saw his face.
"Keif? What's wrong?"
"I forgot you."
"What?"
"I got called into the office. There was an emergency. I left. I worked all day. And I forgot—I forgot you were hiding. I forgot to find you."
She touched his face. "Keif. I was sleeping."
"You were waiting for me."
"I was napping."
"I promised to find you."
"You found me."
"Hours later."
"You found me."
He buried his face in her hair. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"I left you."
"You went to work. That's different."
"I forgot you."
She pulled back. Made him look at her. "I was safe. I was comfortable. I was sleeping. Our baby was sleeping. We were fine."
"You were alone all day."
"I was napping all day. There's a difference."
He laughed weakly. "Is there?"
"Absolutely. Napping is intentional. Being alone is sad. I was intentional."
---
She took his hand. Placed it on her stomach.
"Feel that?"
"What?"
"Our baby. Sleeping. Just like me."
He felt the warmth. The life. The hope.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too. Even when you forget me in wardrobes."
"Especially when I forget you in wardrobes?"
"No. Especially not then."
He laughed. Real this time.
She kissed his cheek. "Next time, set a reminder."
"A reminder?"
"For finding me. In your phone. So you don't forget."
He pulled her close. "I will. I'll set a hundred reminders."
"That seems excessive."
"Your excessive."
---
They walked downstairs together.
Everyone was waiting.
Akshi saw them. "JAY! You were in the wardrobe? ALL DAY?"
Jay nodded. "I made a nest. It was very comfortable."
Shreya was crying with laughter. "YOU SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE DAY?"
"The whole day. It was glorious."
Percy was on the floor. "THIS IS THE BEST HIDE AND SEEK EVER!"
Honey helped him up. "Babe, calm down."
"I CAN'T! WARDROBE NEST! ALL DAY! GLORIOUS!"
---
C.N. made a note. "Winner: Jay. Method: Unintentional prolonged hiding with nesting. Duration: 11 hours, 47 minutes. New record."
Rakii photographed her. "For the album. 'The Wardrobe Champion.'"
Keiran ran to her. "MUMMY! YOU WON! YOU HID THE BEST!"
She scooped him up. "I won by accident!"
"BEST ACCIDENT!"
Rex and Ganesha nodded approvingly.
---
That night, everyone gathered for dinner.
The hide and seek story was told and retold.
Percy reenacted Keifer's panic dramatically.
C.N. calculated the "optimal wardrobe nesting strategy."
Rakii created a "Wardrobe Champion" album.
Keiran demanded they play again tomorrow.
Keifer set seventeen reminders in his phone.
Jay laughed.
Her family. Her chaos. Her home.
---
Later, on the balcony, Keifer held her close.
"I'm really sorry I forgot."
"I know."
"I'll never forget again."
"I know."
"I love you."
"I know."
"That's three 'I knows.'"
"You're counting?"
"Always."
She turned to face him. "I love you too. More than everything."
"More than comfortable wardrobes?"
She laughed. "Especially more than comfortable wardrobes."
He kissed her. Soft. Sweet. Full of promise.
She touched her stomach.
Their baby was sleeping.
Just like her.
Perfect.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Thirty Two