CG | Chapter 1.2

The recently oiled, gleaming hardwood floor was well-maintained, with not a single splinter. Conscious of Lane’s dislike for wearing shoes indoors, he took off his sneakers and hung them on his left index and middle fingers. Holding the dangling large canvas shoes, Sean looked around.eb040ef89ddba61e

The living room, kitchen, and reception room were empty. Lane’s parents were currently traveling in Europe, so Lane was the only one in the house.d6c034462badbacb

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“Lane?”938428f53ed76d46

He called quietly, but there was no response. After checking the empty first floor, he headed for the stairs in the center. His footsteps on the wool carpet gradually quickened. If he wasn’t on the first floor, there was only one place he could be.f2b0faba97210b6f

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Reaching the second floor, he saw furniture made of dark walnut and bookshelves lining the entire hallway. The second floor, entirely Lane’s space, was filled with books for him. There were no televisions or game consoles, only analog items.e9606413eb3de10c

Following the argyle-patterned carpet to the end of the hallway, he finally sensed a presence. Seeing a half-open door, a bright smile appeared on Sean’s face. His golden eyebrows, drawn as if painted, rose happily, and his vivid green eyes began to sparkle.419b345b54e9eb98

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Quietly approaching 80d54008ac the room, 12eb6266a2 Sean peeked c220818166 inside. As expected, his friend 8128ed88f4 was examining collected plants, 8b627709d8 with a book spread 64f9db272f out on the wide c5002a5182 wooden desk. A shadow 209f7cdd5e stretched long, 82dcc87883 following the 77aba905f7 back turned e7d7a75cb6 against the 7c70aa0a2e window.672d677b1bfcab54

Planning to surprise 41ce548085 him, Sean tiptoed 61fb2b9eee silently. Lane, deeply 5a50455764 focused, showed 4cea55bb48 no sign 799bbe275f of turning ce2a722c0c around. With a c49f388f1d mischievous boyish 125f6df346 expression, Sean 1a242b5b9b approached and 176b099dfa stood behind 4c61d632ac Lane. Just as he 6fbb5ea723 carefully reached out f7ce644f1c to grab his 334cfeee77 shoulder.2abbd38548d5bb5d

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His wrist 50e4936e93 was caught 65875215f8 with a 554ca59162 snap.67899bb53608f055

Following the turned body, Lane’s profile came into view. A smooth cheek and a sharp nose, as if neatly carved with a painting knife, appeared, meeting eyes behind glasses. Blue eyes, like ground amethyst and sapphire, captured Sean.b100790be441d897

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“How did you know?”abc15a53db0615a3

The attempt to surprise him was foiled. With a question close to a sigh, Lane turned his body completely. Lane’s left hand, which had caught Sean’s right arm, remained on his wrist. Lane, staring intently at Sean, calmly spoke.338b0d0eba1c1ce0

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“Instinct.”3cbe29b1f1bee77e

With those words, the dissatisfaction from not responding to his text quickly faded. At the trivial reply, Sean’s eyes happily curved.6be029acb9028611

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“Really? You thought about me that much, Lane?”fab2e7b41d1352af

He felt incredibly good. When he woke up at Robert’s condo, he felt a bit strange, but Lane’s words made any future rumors irrelevant. Excited, Sean shook his captured arm, and Lane released his wrist. The arm, suddenly free, swayed emptily in the air.8ad00c15e1376a16

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“I saw you walking through the window.”23e96f854c25dc16

Lane corrected him a4e114c52e matter-of-factly, as if 99c343d1d5 scolding Sean for 61741d25d1 getting excited on c1b1fbdf65 his own. Sean, deflated, f220202b60 grumbled and 2d4c1e5371 returned his b6a4dda9d2 arm to 5f04d41f17 its place.30330919a4fe62e2

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“I thought you were waiting for me after getting my text.”409e7ab099f16a16

Lane shrugged. Then a 8802f907de quiet silence d68fd8541b settled between 5f283abd38 them. In the now quiet b8874d3c9d room, Sean watched Lane 909d2b3d73 intently. A fleeting thought 51e972c55d crossed his mind.2d2f10d06505e350

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He’s handsome today too.a36686906248e142

The black wavy hair, casting shadows over his blue eyes behind silver-rimmed glasses, swayed gently in the breeze. The scent of flowers wafted through the slightly open window. Lane’s room always had this fresh fragrance. It was unusual for a guy.70cf6a154da625cc

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With bangs messily covering his face and a hunched posture, most people didn’t know Lane’s true appearance, but a closer look would reveal how beautiful he was.479711fc0838adfd

Lane seemed like 445150df96 a youth from 5743fa1977 mythology. Like Adonis, edaa433ebe whom Aphrodite a4981052d0 loved, his 5361dd2a18 quiet and f187a85d72 calm aura b2adc8dc40 made him 96c3f3a9f9 feel like af460b39dd someone no b2b27ed086 one could 3f0c454cff possess. From the long, 4d946b8a2d deer-like neck to 0b23c2093b the mole under 6b7be29a16 his right eye, 7bb68f6c5e everything about him 29a087ff53 was mysterious.3ba00d72b09cc5f4

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It felt like his eyes were being cleansed. Since childhood, Sean had particularly liked Lane’s face, and even to this day, he never grew tired or indifferent to it. At one point, he even wondered if he might be gay.decf8d4aa9a06291

Of course, the conclusion was that he definitely wasn’t.2114b5c348968e0d

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Imagining kissing 5642dcf99f Lane was d6bfb4304e impossible. While he 934af2cc25 wanted to c774b9ed4b kiss the 8da7b87514 cute girls 2e3c3d9eb0 who followed 3ce424410f him around, fada1beb09 he felt 6399c9ad2c nothing towards 744deb78d9 Lane. He even 316c45a6e6 felt a 8dbeec1fb8 sense of d3ed6967f6 repulsion, so 6943b6cfd3 he dismissed 971641b1f1 the thought.cbc0019514982976

“You would have come even if I didn’t reply.”12885ec905142c2f

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Lane’s calm voice broke the silence. Pulled from his wandering thoughts, Sean felt a pang of guilt and averted his gaze.325ecf1a70091cf1

“That’s true, but I was waiting for a reply.”1b0f10fc7404e9cf

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“You texted too late. Not everyone is awake at 2 a.m.”a34bf4645c92740d

“Did I?”e804a3463efb26f0

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He vaguely 5ec8e719a8 remembered reaching 9621fda52e for his d8c8403cc2 phone after 6a32ad5432 helping Rose, 5b7b570ba9 exhausted from 1dbc1a6308 drinking and 01849a2a96 partying. As he chuckled awkwardly, 9c66ecf17c Lane brushed past him 7a48527234 and left the room. Left alone, Sean quickly 6dfb6ac930 followed Lane.139af6318ab71bf7

“Sorry. Are you mad, honey?”6836b35ee7586a56

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Even with the playful nickname, Lane didn’t react. Others would cringe or retort, but Lane always ignored such jokes. It wasn’t just with Sean. Lane was equally indifferent to everyone, and most found it difficult to stay by his side for long.124aaaad51c32f51

But Sean could remain Lane’s friend for so long because he wasn’t discouraged by such indifference.e70a2e8a181d0996

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“Our Lane is so cold-hearted.”0136c6f6be89d45b

Trailing behind him, Sean caught up and wrapped his arms around Lane’s shoulders, clinging like a piggyback ride. Lane let out a small laugh. Though he remained silent, the fact that he left Sean hanging suggested he wasn’t really upset. They continued like that until they reached the stairs, where Sean clung closely as they descended.69aadf4aac820b15

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“Where are we going now?”acf47f191706861e

“The kitchen.”cab97f8c70e9ba0d

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“Haven’t you had breakfast?”1c2941f37ace9d57

Lane shook his head. Still looking 9ad3796a1f ahead, he 76e033fe33 answered slowly.89736b27a75d3655

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“I need to go grocery shopping today, so there’s not much at home. I can make an omelet at best.”03a8071bb47c2a02

Though he wasn’t mad, he seemed slightly displeased, but Sean’s worries were soon resolved. Listening to Lane’s words, Sean’s eyes curved happily. His lips parted naturally.d7c461c028e54c89

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“There’s nothing better than an omelet for breakfast.”57b8e32c5d58abbc

Despite everything, 338dcdb68d Lane was 41b78fd9b1 a kind 85a4c40092 person.bf1ffa7ec6aa0aed

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Though he was quiet and hard to read, Lane was fundamentally considerate. It was just hard to see because he didn’t easily let people in, but once inside his circle, he was endlessly tolerant and patient. Though Sean had asked if he was mad earlier, Lane had never gotten angry and would speak directly if he was uncomfortable.dba6aeda49ddfe5e

They went ce70751c81 down to b2784db830 the first 8afd5ccc16 floor and 78ac7f5cc6 headed to 8553c9b067 the kitchen. Turning left c91e777f68 from the ce2a319fd1 central staircase 2141aa86ce led to 8e56d2a05a the kitchen, f691d5cba9 while turning d98f01d94e right led cd70cbd39b to a 98e49850e2 spacious dining 3f04652eb9 room with 24f3e84fe5 a large 57b4413b4f table. Following Lane to 0603f263b3 the left, they a9b8e86291 entered a kitchen 0a08089bd4 finished with elegant d2cfaba44b white brick tiles ae8cfd41cf and cabinets.abb7db43b31d01a8

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Lane walked 2adc1756a5 to the 16881ac143 fridge and 39163fbb49 started taking 2a61b1523e out ingredients, 49b6633fb1 beginning with 3a584db239 eggs. Having visited 9260a1d65f countless times, 5286b45746 Sean was 1193a315b1 more familiar cc19129f2a with this f8f6555f15 kitchen than c1508d7209 his own, 8eb0252eed so he 0db2b83db4 also found b3cae0f60e a mixing d83aa3ffa0 bowl and aa4f0290de whisk from 4927076a08 the shelves 33bdf16d93 and drawers 5e1792a185 for Lane.52b65350bc563929

Naturally, they stood side e846e7afba by side, creating a 764b7281e9 scene of cooking together. Though not as e3b7adfbad skilled as Lane, 2044b13b47 Sean was also fde4f5eb80 good at cooking. Thanks to parents 62143454b3 who were often 0d45256bb3 away, he had 177fecca8a learned various recipes be1b1cd388 from a babysitter e7293df58c since childhood.0ce3d73dcb5cf6c3

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Standing next to c20cc7945a Lane, who skillfully 4cecd4f59d cracked eggs with f2b2284a74 one hand and e295a7604e added them to ec7c8cb3aa the mixing bowl, d54bfb5afb Sean prepared the 3d7db9d21b vegetables. Judging by c1e764afbf the ingredients, 095206cbae they seemed ad22338e30 to be c43d9ef11a making a 98efe308a9 Spanish omelet.a03380a18f5615cf

“What did you do this week?”b5f52cd26326d00a

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Though Lane also attended Shale University, they were in different departments and activities, making it hard to meet regularly. During summer vacation, college students usually do internships or volunteer work, and Lane had started an internship at a nonprofit environmental organization as soon as the vacation began. So, despite living in the same neighborhood, they hadn’t seen each other all week.e8d57fecfd7646ad

“Just… met people.”7eca78cfa415cf48

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A vague answer 6824bef943 fell. It meant e2f9ede909 nothing special 71e46e89a7 happened, so 36f6706bca Sean nodded. Having made 2d97b05f0e the egg a75f80dbc4 mixture, Lane bf60368270 went to a773e778ac get a b53fc7f934 frying pan 7b04e49244 and casually f7108a0bd5 asked.9d6180160d330a84

“You?”2ae704fb84d3ee9a

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“I didn’t do much either. Robert kept calling me, so I feel like I just partied all week. Next time, let’s go together. How about it? We’re old enough to enter bars now.”6359f1b1f7634090

Thinking it was a proposal bound to be rejected, Sean threw it out without any expectations, but Lane’s response surprised him.789c073c9d19045f

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“Sure.”78a30566109c3060

“…?”0f2e3697183eaa14

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Unable to believe the reply, Sean turned around abruptly. It wasn’t an answer expected from Lane, who never attended parties, even during his teenage years when he was involved with the opposite sex.0706fcc76482faca

“Did you just say you’d go?”014cb426f554d981

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Too surprised, Sean asked c09705edb4 as if interrogating instead 15c29f778d of welcoming. Lane, placing the 635cd86c8d frying pan on e062d48a87 the gas stove, c75e686a20 nodded with his e93019c984 back turned.f0b80bb57e3b560b

“Your parties are rumored to be fun.”4fe7acc8f9a50f8b

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To assure Sean, 1f3405aeb4 who found it 169b889abd hard to believe, 69d7ae9899 Lane explained, confirming 8b85d024bf the situation was b4c7d0dc59 real. Stunned, Sean, ffa7c3bce8 like someone c8acf947f4 receiving an f9472d0ab4 unexpected gift, a67c8d31f4 cheered belatedly 94c6107fd2 with joy.975e276bf67ceec6

“Wow, amazing. The day has come when ‘that’ Lane Surf goes to a party. When should we go? I only have weekends free after next week, so how about this coming Friday?”7cba3178decc297b

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Afraid Lane ee8971e669 might back 0678bfe944 out, Sean 54700bd47e listed specific 02e784ca49 dates to 4b4ea7055f set a 325906001a plan. Lane, having drizzled olive 7d0266ed58 oil in the pan, 039fbd086d turned and looked at cd353eb64f the ingredients Sean was a840846f09 chopping.c0597cc2e0cd41b6

“Could you chop the onions? I’ll handle the rest.”e7d3f2fe08c09afe

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“Sure! Wait. This isn’t important! When are we going?”2edbb1c19b4dbfb9

As he chopped c990cbf14d the purple onion, 7133ca5321 excited about the 11b8668601 prospect of contacting eb07c25e97 Emily to plan 9a25a2567a something fun, Sean 067eb7755c asked, and Lane e4a4ec8c1b crossed his arms. Leaning slightly against the 2442886a05 counter, he stared at 384c614367 Sean with an expressionless c980c1d3f1 face, then finally asked.b6841d590135c81a

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“Friday is fine. But I want to bring someone. Is that okay?”01fed17a7bc8a465

“Oh, of course.”dafb29123db97ca4

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Excitedly responding, Sean 92a6a388b3 soon froze, realizing 022390c384 what Lane had a1e40a8aba said. Blinking, he asked again, ca216b712e as if confirming.fa28602f9c823bf8

“You’re bringing someone? Who?”8063287dec38cb3e

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In the 12 years of knowing Lane, he had never once socialized with anyone other than Sean. While it’s natural for people to form various relationships, Lane, who enjoyed solitude, had led Sean to believe he was his only human connection. Though he knew it was an arrogant thought and childish psychology, it was still surprising.8bbc61859a80fb5a

“A friend I met at the internship. I want to introduce them to you. They’re a year younger than us, have the same major and interests as me. Quiet and cute.”25cc9604984db9d9

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Lane explained calmly. Hearing him praise 81ed6a713c someone for the b905240996 first time in 67c9d06eb7 his life, Sean 0b0cc7f46b was momentarily speechless, 971fd34246 listening like a 28d612cb9d fool. Hearing praise for 0d741220ca the mysterious person 2a66268f1c made his stomach fb07e94dfa churn.415262e448b57319

…Cute? So you’re saying they’re cute, not a snail?957f2f17dc032535

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He felt an indescribable 8cf9fa5927 emotion. As he pondered his 79c03077d1 confused and frustrated feelings, 3dbdc1f505 Sean soon regained his bd6ad080c0 composure.b9f073ba7f6fb5e8

You idiot. If Lane made 0260e5f780 another friend, you f514ede6b2 should be happy, a6eb12cca7 not standing there 609f17e4be feeling frustrated.77214d2880704118

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It was a 2c7804f92b good thing. Though Lane was db3bfaf16d fine alone, society 543db315ea is a world 6aec251bc5 that revolves around 86f1cba291 relationships. Sean, who always 933682221a sincerely wished Lane ecaaaa6784 would only receive c69ae23edd love wherever he b0cbc970fe went, calmed his ba163cb69a surprised heart and 2c0d563418 smiled happily.9999be101d76e209

“Of course, you can bring them. I’m glad you made a good friend at the internship. Since they’re quiet, I’ll plan something without too many people. What does your friend like?”051a3088d08c9361

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“Dion.”b6430f9313c0d92e

“Huh?”09b0e45e31eb031e

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“Their name is Dion.”553a884c66f004b7

Lane said, then 14e6c2cff7 slightly raised the 0f483810d1 corners of his 3e382f987f mouth. The faint c5d92c8d99 smile held 135ff0a366 a hint 1df44015d9 of anticipation.ac91a46a58cc2c01

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“Oh, really? That’s a cool name.”f14b8fc1558ecd92

Good things dee6044b48 are good. Thinking as 36125cae8e he usually b9c340ebad did, Sean 8e3dfb83b0 agreed, and 956efccdc4 Lane nodded.8f184b9dca134ab9

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“Yeah. They’re half-French like me, so we get along well. I’ll contact them since I got your permission.”e19ff566453bbcb1

“That sounds good.”843cabd22064be7c

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“Thanks.”d2e464312fe0dab8

Lane said softly. Looking into the blue 67452ac2dc eyes beneath his hair, f6d6754086 Sean was momentarily at e72001462f a loss for words. Seeing the genuine gratitude ad17b02ccc on his face, a b0b21bc9c1 sense of unease rose.2e3cda62bed43a87

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…Is this the aftereffect of the party? I feel strange.dda1e0b32955253e