A New Game

"Pfft!" As Aiden struggled to contain his laughter, the grinning face of the man slowly deadpanned. "Y-you're actually being serious, aren't you?"

"...Yes. That's what they call me."

"Bahahaha! Why? That's so corny! Haha! So w-what should I call you? Mr. Hyde and Seek? Pfft! Mr. Seek? Hahaha! Are you a villain in a kids book or something?"

"Are you done now?" The man asked, unamused. 

"Whew!" Aiden wiped a tear from his eye and caught his breath. "Yeah. I think I got it out of my system. But seriously, you should consider a name change. Anyway…I'll just call you Hyde. So, why am I here? What do you want?"

"Hm?" A wide grin returned to Hyde's face. "Should I tell you? I bet you really want to know." This time, it was Aiden's turn to look unamused and he sighed.

"If you won't tell me then I'll just leave." 

"Ah! Wait, wait, wait! That's no fun!" Hyde quickly waved both his hands frantically and blocked the door with his body. "Don't you want to know why I did all this?!"

"Obviously but I'm not in the mood for childish pranks."

"Childish?!" Hyde made a shocked and appalled expression. "You're just a stick in the mud! Boring! Don't you know that games are the best?!"

"Not yours." Aiden replied dully. Hyde's mouth hung open and he struggled to find the right words.

"I…you…that's! Oh, come on! There's gotta be something! I can't just tell you without having any fun!" The two of them stared at each other in silence for a moment before a smile found its way back to Hyde's face. "Alright, if you want to know why I led you here you'll still have to play a game with me but I'll be nice and make it more interesting for you. Wait here. Really though, don't go anywhere!!" 

"Wait! What?" Before Aiden could even get the words out, Hyde had run back out of the building, leaving Aiden to stare incredulously at the empty space. "What the hell is wrong with this guy's head?" He wondered if he should just leave while he had the chance but then everything up to this point would have been a waste of time if he didn't get any information. So, he reluctantly stayed.

About fifteen minutes later, Hyde returned panting and covered in sweat. He was carrying a large wooden crate from who knows where and smiled widely when he saw Aiden.

"Good, you didn't leave!" He walked over and placed the crate down at Aiden's feet before roaming around to find intact crates in the warehouse to use as chairs. He sat down and ushered for Aiden to do the same. "Come on, take a seat!" Aiden sighed and sat down across from Hyde. 

"Now what?" Aiden asked. 

"This!" Hyde pried the top of the crate off and pulled out two glasses and a large bottle of vodka. "We're going to play a drinking game! Fun, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Hyde continued. "The rules are simple, we each get to ask the other questions in turn and once the question is answered, we take a drink!"

"What if we lie? What if the person doesn't drink after their question is answered?" 

"That's what makes it interesting! If you want answers, you'll have to take the risk!" 

"And if I say no?"

"Would you though? You clearly want to know at least why I did all this, otherwise you would have left already, and one question is sure to lead to more. So…let's play!" Hyde poured alcohol into both glasses and stared expectantly at Aiden.

"...Fine, then why did you lure me here?"

"I was hired to get information on you. Now, drink! Drink!" With another sigh, Aiden picked up the glass and downed it in one go. "Yay! My turn! What's your favorite color?" Was this guy serious?

"...Red." As soon as the word left his mouth, Hyde gulped down his drink and refilled both glasses. "Who hired you?"

"Kain Grant. Bottoms up!" Aiden drank. "Are you a morning person or a night owl?" 

"Both." Then another drink. "What kind of information did he want?"

"Everything! Drink!" Question after question and glass after glass, their game continued for quite a while. The sun had set and Hyde's face was as red as a tomato while his words began to slur. "H-how are yooo s'fine wit all dis booze?!" He shakily pointed to the now empty bottle and partially empty second bottle.

"Last question," Aiden said, ignoring Hyde's drunken mumbling. "Do you know why Kain Grant is so intent on messing with Derek and his company?"

"Hm…" Hyde pondered the question while tapping a finger on his chin. "Nu-uh. Ne'er really thought 'bout it…Cheers!" After they both downed the last glass, Hyde collapsed, passed out on the warehouse floor. Aiden let out a sigh of relief as he felt his head start spinning. He quickly called for a taxi before carefully standing up and stumbling outside.

The cool night breeze felt pleasant against his skin that was warmed by the alcohol. While waiting for the cab to arrive, Aiden heard his phone chime. He checked it and saw a text message from Derek.

Derek: It's late and you're not home. Where are you? 

Aiden: I'm waiting for a cab. I'll be back soon. 

Derek: I'll come get you.

Aiden: No need. The cab's here.

Derek: Mm, then hurry home. 

Aiden: Will do. 

Aiden sat in the back of the cab and smiled down at his phone. For some reason, having Derek refer to his house as 'home' for the both of them filled him with warmth. It was a pleasant feeling, one he didn't want to lose. 

Leaning his head back in the seat after rolling down the window, Aiden closed his eyes. The more time passed, the more the world seemed to spin. He definitely drank too much. Luckily, he'd be home soon and could rest.