CG | Chapter 2.2

“Idris doesn’t like my type. He prefers quiet and plain types. I investigated through the kids about his past girlfriends and ideal types, and they were all like that.”

Somehow, something…

As she said that, Lane’s words crossed his mind.

‘Dion is a quiet guy. He’s similar to me, not very talkative, and doesn’t particularly like meeting many people. So it’s comfortable being with him.’

Lane’s statement echoed in his mind, making his heart feel heavy. But he soon pulled himself together. Emily was having a hard time because the person she liked had such preferences, and as for him…

It doesn’t matter at all.

“You never know until you try.”

“I’m not sure. At the last party, Idris saw me making a scene while drunk.”

“What did you do, Emily?”

“There was a guy who said, ‘How good can a girl be at kickboxing?’ so I kicked his butt. I laughed as he fell and turned around, but Idris flinched when he saw me. I admit my laughter was pretty frivolous.”

Emily, who was speaking with a gloomy face, chuckled to herself as if recalling that moment. Shrugging her shoulders, she took half of the shopping bags from Sean’s hands and turned around.

“But even if I went back to that time, I’d do the same thing, so I have no regrets.”

Walking alongside Emily, who seemed both regretful and relieved, Sean asked.

“Aren’t you tired of dealing with such idiots?”

“Ignoring them is the answer sometimes. But rumors tend to spread bigger if left alone, and I don’t want to be belittled by worthless people. It’s not about what others think of me; it’s about wanting to protect myself.”

Listening to her, Sean recalled the rumors surrounding him. If he had been more proactive in clarifying them, would Lane not have thought of him as a frivolous guy?

Such thoughts crossed his mind. But ultimately, the rumors surrounding Sean weren’t false. After all, he was someone who didn’t form proper relationships and had never genuinely liked anyone.

“That’s impressive.”

Somehow, he ended up having a deep conversation with Emily. Although they often hung out since Robert introduced them in their first year, it was the first time they talked about such topics. Because of that, he felt like the distance between them had slightly decreased. Emily seemed to feel the same way, as she asked Sean in a different tone than before.

“So, what do you think the party for Lane should be like? With only two days left, it’s hard to decide on a concept. By the way, I guessed and ordered simple flowers.”

“Don’t order too many. Lane likes plants, so he doesn’t like using fresh flowers.”

“But artificial flowers look too cheap. It’s the Surf family! They have friends who are founding fathers of America. How can we use artificial flowers?”

“Um…”

Sean fell silent because it wasn’t entirely wrong. The party didn’t really matter. It was just an extension of Lane’s date with Dion, so whatever theme it had, it probably wouldn’t be of interest to Lane.

“Just avoid EDM and go for moderately exciting music and a casual atmosphere. Something that’s not awkward but romantic.”

“Oh my.”

An intriguing exclamation came.

“Romantic? No way… are you going to confess to Lane?”

He had never heard such words in his life, but recently, he heard them twice in a row. First, his brother Spencer said it, and now Emily. He looked at Emily with an expression that said, “What nonsense are you talking about?” but contrary to his thoughts, he couldn’t immediately deny it.

“Oh my, I knew it. There are quite a few gay football players!”

“No. I was just at a loss for words because the question was absurd.”

“Why not?”

Emily countered his serious denial. Sean couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he waved his hand and walked ahead.

“I’m not gay.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“You know. I’ve only dated girls so far.”

“Have you tried with a guy? You could be bisexual.”

“There’s no need to try. Just the thought of it makes me uncomfortable, so stop. You know it’s rude to go any further, right?”

“Okay, calm down. Our darling is prickly.”

When Sean lowered his voice, Emily seemed to back off, but just before parting ways after leaving the department store, she took the shopping bags and said abruptly.

“Imagination and reality are different, you know? So Sean, if you get the chance, go for it. You only live once, so it’s best to try everything you can, right? We’re young, so we should take risks now!”

Before he could point out anything, Emily took the shopping bags and quickly ran, catching a yellow taxi that happened to stop in front of her and disappeared.

Sean stood there, dumbfounded, staring blankly at where Emily had gone, then let out a hollow laugh. He knew she was a lively person, but he didn’t expect her to be this much. Sean swallowed a sigh and checked the time. It was 5 PM, Lane’s quitting time. Fortunately, his office was near Central Park, not far from here.

Hmm.

Sean held his phone and hesitated. Since he was on his way, he thought it might be okay to go together. However, since he had never hung out with Lane outside, it took some courage to ask.

They had only ever hung out at school and home since childhood, and since Lane avoided crowded places, he often refused when Sean suggested going out to the city. The most bustling place they had been together was Greenwich. Even in college, nothing had changed.

After hesitating for a few minutes, Sean finally called Lane. Considering his nature, he usually only contacted him on weekends, so calling like this was a first. Normally, he wouldn’t have dared, but seeing him talk to Dion gave him the courage. The chances were higher that he wouldn’t answer and it would go to voicemail.

But.

Lane answered the call within seconds of the ringing.

—Sean?

When was the last time he called? Was it two years ago? He usually contacted him through texts or visited directly, so Lane’s voice over the phone felt unfamiliar. It seemed a bit lower than he remembered, and his pronunciation was slightly more precise.

“Oh, hey. Sorry for calling out of the blue.”

Feeling a strange sense of awkwardness due to the slight disconnect from the Lane he knew, Sean replied awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment rising.

—There’s no need to apologize.

Lane replied. His low voice was like a lake. A shiver ran down Sean’s ear, causing a ticklish sensation. He rubbed his arm and mumbled softly.

“You don’t like phone calls.”

—…It’s not that. Oh, hold on.

Lane was about to say something when another voice rang out right next to him.

—Lane, who is it?

A voice Sean had never heard before. A soft, gentle voice like a boy singer that girls would like. Sean flinched, gripping his phone. Oh, it’s him. Dion.

As soon as he was sure, he heard Lane’s voice talking to the man on the other end of the line.

—It’s Sean.

—Oh, the friend you mentioned?

—Yeah. I’ll just take this call, so can you wait a bit?

—Take your time.

Lane’s tone was much more affectionate than usual. His gentle, encouraging tone was just like his father’s. He hadn’t noticed it before, but it seemed Lane was very kind to those he liked. It was almost embarrassing how he had thought of him as someone who didn’t express much.

—Why did you call, Sean?

Lane asked him after finishing his conversation with Dion. Listening to their conversation in a daze, Sean rubbed his cheek with an inexplicable smile. It was a laugh that echoed in the air, like someone left alone in an awkward situation.

“I didn’t interrupt, did I?”

—No. I was on my way home.

“I see.”

His mouth felt dry. His lips felt like they were sticking together.

—Why did you call?

Lane asked again. Although there wasn’t much emotion in his voice, Sean couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being a nuisance. He decided to just hang up quickly. Having made up his mind, he started moving his legs aimlessly.

“It’s nothing. I was in Manhattan today, so I thought I’d go with you if you were off work. I thought it might be lonely going alone. But don’t worry about it. Let’s meet tomorrow.”

He was about to end the call when Lane stopped him.

—Let’s go together. Where are you?

The words that held him back brought relief and guilt at the same time. He didn’t want to ask over the phone because Dion was there, but he wondered if he was thoughtlessly interrupting their time together.

“Are you sure? If you have other plans, just ignore what I said. I can go alone.”

—Did you bring your car?

“No. Manhattan is too crowded, and finding parking is more of a hassle.”

—Then let’s go together. I’ll give you a ride.

There was a battle between instinct and reason in his mind. Seeing Lane was always nice, so seeing him today and tomorrow would mean two days of happiness, but as a friend, his reason screamed that he shouldn’t interrupt someone who was getting along well with someone else.

But.

Today was really not a good day. All the houses he looked at were terrible, and he felt down about having to leave Greenwich.

So on a day like this, couldn’t he see a friend and get some comfort? Dion would have plenty of time to spend with Lane in the future.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Sean decided to make an exception for today. Such a foolish act should be forgivable for just one day.

“Alright. Where should we meet? I’m at the Bloomingdale’s flagship store.”

—I’ll come to you. It’s quite far from here to there.

“Are you sure?”

—Yeah.

“Then I’ll stay here. It’s easy to stop briefly near the department store, so let’s meet on Lexington Avenue.”

—I’ll be there in 20 minutes. See you then.

“Drive safely!”

When he greeted him with a brightened voice at the thought of seeing Lane, he thought he heard a low chuckle over the phone. Somehow, the past where he was sure Lane would dislike phone calls seemed pointless as Lane surprisingly continued the conversation smoothly.

To the point where his pride in knowing Lane Surf better than anyone else seemed meaningless.

Anyway, Sean ran back to the department store. Since they were meeting in the evening, he thought it would be nice to buy something to eat or shop together on the way. Even though it was a simple act, he felt a sense of excitement.

Since the weather was quite hot today, he wanted to buy something for him while waiting. Lane was surprisingly sensitive to heat but didn’t show it, so when Sean took care of him, he would only then realize he was hot.

After some thought, Sean decided to buy frozen yogurt, which Lane often ate, and quickly headed to the 7th floor. The elevator took too long, so he hurriedly walked up the escalator, and as usual, Forty Carrots was bustling with people. Their frozen yogurt was the best.

Fortunately, the line at the store moved quickly. He chose a medium size to share and added Lane’s favorite fruit toppings. Just in case, he also picked up two fruit juices.

He barely made it to the entrance in 20 minutes. Blending into the crowd of people rushing by, he looked at the road, and from 65th Street, a familiar car turned right and came down. It was Lane’s car. For someone who lived in a massive mansion, his taste in vehicles was simple, with the only criterion being whether it could go off-road.