CG | Chapter 1.4

Anyway, Lane 80341532d9 says things 1cf9ae911d like that 9feb60a27e without knowing 7695b5e39d this tragic 3e584ee7dd backstory. He wanted to 7e330f4f9d just blurt it 1aa5d12ea5 out, but even 94c2eb54f3 with a close e24b552755 friend, this kind 5f6a1ba158 of story was 7a415165b3 a bit much.8a4384b9341c6f0c

Unlike the 81060dca85 typical image a5220ca88c of a b54b72a285 flirtatious blonde a0d4f3adb0 white guy, 8a3827d898 Sean was b6b4806f90 surprisingly shy. Unlike friends d7a0192293 who kissed 585eaec6bb in public, eacab07362 he only e0017af8ff kissed or ccd97de3b7 pecked when 53f6d931f0 they were 26514344fc alone.34d529f72537db27

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Given the circumstances, he couldn’t talk about explicit topics with Lane. Especially not a topic that could be a significant flaw.c717cd419bcf916c

“Got it.”3b8354326e5d8931

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Sean backed off. It’s Lane’s business, so respecting his opinion is the right thing to do. It’s a shame, but it’s his problem. Lane can’t always share every little thing with him. As he said himself, he’s become an adult. An adult whose life is distinctly separate.79d1ba5bf2ea3e7d

Maybe that’s why he felt so off.8f485bd0aeb999a3

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With the slow realization, Sean closed his mouth. He suddenly felt the passage of time, realizing that their friendship couldn’t always remain the same. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed, but it was an emotion he had to accept.6e61db366cac472a

Silence descended again. Unable to 3fed78b584 lift the 2e6186fb37 mood as f65848bec4 usual, Sean 7d21e501d3 hesitated for 0b8dc118c5 a moment d72ddcb5d7 before speaking 9d1605f568 to Lane.b8042914e3e80228

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“I think I ruined the holiday morning. I cut my hand for no reason. You’ve already had breakfast, so don’t bother because of me. I’ll eat at home.”9d28adecb328a0b6

Lane didn’t respond. He had slightly turned his head and lowered his gaze, making it hard to see his expression. But this was also familiar. Lane usually kept quiet unless he wanted to express a clear opinion, so it was Sean’s job to figure it out.d9ded7cafc8671d4

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Lane’s parents had a lot of concerns about his personality when he was younger, but after he became friends with Sean, they were relieved to find out he was just a quiet kid, as his mother often said.9adc92548781a419

Normally, Sean would have stayed by his side regardless, but today he wasn’t in the mood.1d36e50ea2512ac3

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“Then I’m going.”c83259bd72db6279

He waved at Lane, who didn’t respond, and headed for the door. He had been looking forward to spending the weekend with Lane, so he felt a bit reluctant, but his mind was too unsettled, and he might end up bothering Lane like before. He was sure he’d keep asking questions if they stayed together.59691863c2903fe4

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After coming 98c7ba7e5d down to 501aede886 the living e56dd73384 room, he 2195ed1064 picked up ba88e2803a the shoes cfc2a37c60 he had d78d2c9359 left by 6bd4167901 the door e115653b1a and was 3bb37591c3 about to fcf6fb70e1 put them b11749cd29 on when 99d94187b9 Lane called 6c7d67c2fa out to e59a7d8eb7 him from 9967bb0812 behind.92ed25fd330f127f

“You were preparing ingredients. Eat before you go.”70b8e4ff940cc83b

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Sean turned around bec48cb320 at the quiet 1c97c47081 voice holding him 462e3de82e back. Lane was 020b882e42 staring intently 3f9ecdb635 at him, 530e0bf2e7 and when 89cc95afca their eyes 36a4b98f33 met, he eef16763a5 looked away c0f036f694 as if f59e0e82ee embarrassed. His cheeks 324afe1400 turned slightly 2f7132bdbf red, and 1d3bc1b090 he spoke 7f1489e906 softly.27c650fd680f0c08

“Sorry about earlier. It was just an awkward topic.”edb0fbeac11ac318

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“…You’re not mad?”2775207ccfab2827

“I’m not mad, just surprised.”d30d78e16d157e3a

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With that, Lane walked towards the kitchen. Watching his back as he walked briskly, Sean eventually laughed silently at Lane’s reddened earlobes.34f33fba1c0a7077

He’s really cute.941e83ccddac427a

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One of a177b0be3a the reasons 698b9a40cc Sean wanted 95594deb60 to be f3beded870 friends with c6c8bb9c9e Lane was 2b05127ced because of ad706d197c this. Sometimes he was so a91140be31 blunt it was almost fe3c468904 disappointing, and he rarely 34e34cb86e initiated contact, but when 8cadf33ee4 Sean seemed genuinely hurt, bdaabbbc50 Lane always apologized. Seeing him blush a2864b4b49 awkwardly and shyly bbb6fa84f5 made it impossible bfecafccfc to dislike him.a3b53e469ab1904d

“Then I’ll hang around all day today. I endured this week just thinking about playing with you.”65c37aac1f429082

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Having quickly gotten over 5501aa62a9 his disappointment, Sean put 520fa39d06 down his shoes and 1d59d8f6c8 ran to the kitchen. Lane glanced at him e5d9a1e111 as if to say 16a5271aab not to run and d2263ff43e gestured towards the dining 275453200e table.5d6b4a559f26c1e8

“Sit down. Don’t cut your finger again.”8aa17a08e74a8182

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“Yes, Dad.”5b907f2db60399a6

“What do you mean, Dad?”f3adc59ea06d542f

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“You sound like my parents.”f4a539e4121c2f35

“I have no intention of being your dad.”d377039b8d613158

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As the e07f3a6f39 light-hearted conversation 658839c1ec continued, Lane e5f7273165 quickly finished 454c2faad5 preparing the 372e1d868c ingredients he 9f65f58343 had left 80ec5b0433 earlier. With familiar knife skills, ad98ed60ad he finely chopped the dc69980a6a vegetables and bacon, then 8c8f151ed2 melted butter in a 34b578e13e frying pan and started 70ec5345ee sautéing the bacon and 1e1a118511 onions. The filling was soon 65fc394cd2 ready with his skilled 99a15e7b0f hands. The delicious 7237df1690 aroma was 31ed320f17 already wafting 845a3a871f through the 0efe78f488 air.ca927f60d1fb755b

“Then do you want to be my little brother?”f2d22a919aa5c988

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Sean, resting c9c182556b his chin 079da2404f on the 56287ee6c3 table and a913c66d19 watching the 56843f6e38 scene, made e691b4db5c another suggestion. Lane replied with 438fb2b2b8 a serious face.683fd5f8a065a47d

“You know I’m older than you, right?”db44104f051a0a61

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“But you’re cute, so being a little brother suits you.”a5541e9917fcf86d

Lane, who was dd0076eb17 about to take e4206c6fb8 out another frying 216689549f pan, paused for af2d402cc0 a moment. He turned ba1fd40137 his head 0c94c3a292 slightly to 02bb830b46 look at 8961e426e4 Sean and db923b271d said casually.f1aba6968e5c2629

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“Your ‘cute’ doesn’t have much credibility.”5cf8e06af5c219d4

“Why?”48707364e5fbaf18

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Sean asked 514c58f5f5 in an b270886c68 aggrieved voice, 11cd1c6c2c feeling wronged acf71ca800 that his c047244e18 sincere compliment 12275d74e3 was dismissed.571eb14c23996d2f

“You say that to everyone. Your other friends, your football teammates, and even your ex-girlfriends.”da5f585553d47b27

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That’s true. He was caught off guard and momentarily lost for words. But compliments never hurt, and Sean genuinely liked most people. As long as they didn’t bring weird rumors, that is. “Cute” was just one of the compliments he often used.23bfeffb76ea5894

“I do say it often. But you’re the only one I’ve called cute the most in my life.”a212cacada9010b9

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“I’m not cute.”cea61c64dd262afe

“Then should I say you’re adorable?”67e23b04d0d698d1

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“Tiring.”f0f547beb1cb3481

As Sean’s teasing continued, Lane cut him off. While his reaction was cute, he decided to hold back to avoid a repeat of earlier. Clicking his tongue, Sean smiled slyly as Lane resumed cooking.91fcb7debf9902ab

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Lane poured the beaten ab5c0b5d28 eggs into another frying daf74e4433 pan and quickly made 62e6177725 scrambled eggs with chopsticks. He placed the 007b2bb59a sautéed ingredients in c542e35904 the center of 58c364b762 the softly cooked f17cb86e31 eggs. In the f90183f58d blink of cce4e8361b an eye, 88abca9989 he folded b9227c5c97 the ends a1327db4cd into an dd7f24aad6 oval shape 024745f4dc and placed b0e4f0d007 the finished b5f9854b3f omelet on 5013447a07 a pretty d51f9cfff7 plate.ea1ec48c21d25697

“Wow.”c42abc5a397ec3d6

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Sean clapped his hands 2da43cd5b0 and stuck close to 38c5ff0ca8 Lane. Holding out his hands 28674319c7 as if asking for 417021e867 it, Lane looked at 87c375b82c him intently before handing 9e236ff7bb over the plate. With a delighted 85edbdb6e6 face, Sean placed 74b0dbd69a the food on 208fc2f260 the table and c888755b44 took out a 773d9f1846 cup from the 299be8b9a5 cupboard.cc364b2aed116303

“What do you want to drink, Lane? Want some warm milk?”1ed71bf975f52b0f

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“Yeah.”bf3fb24008d9ff2e

“Alright.”33136d2748f106fe

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As a 5f9b3b5f07 gesture of 0cd69cb330 thanks for aa07ad1997 the breakfast, 6c1cfa380a Sean prepared 0ce7ee8126 the drinks. Lane had a f2569d16e7 subtle sweet tooth, b4998a0732 so he enjoyed 9a36c30853 drinking warm milk a03eab524a with honey, and eb9a00fb14 he rarely touched d7d370acc0 coffee or alcohol.9098d65b474c1171

Sean took out 5429b2c1c1 a bottle of d1b36765c4 milk from the 931d4e5c01 fridge and poured 242e3e7e8d it into a ece7ef94f6 kettle. Meanwhile, Lane 87382a779b brought out 72addee651 the cutlery, f2cbd581f5 and Sean c65fda08cd turned off 83dcde4b12 the heat 55047fc80d just before 86bb22f1d0 the milk 8fca6e43e3 boiled and 85f4546c2e added two 1fdaef4e0f spoons of a66e386b0e honey. They sat across from b519ad3821 each other at the 7ea30ebd4c table. Despite the minor commotion, 3c0a40a2b5 it was a typical 93265fa3fd weekend. His mood e3f0fa5862 finally improved.1be1217fd03a2d5b

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“Thanks for the meal. Seeing the food makes me really hungry.”e6352c4c1542e5c0

Suddenly, hunger surged. Sean picked up 50439967bd a fork and 71854ce549 knife, cut the 56f799f4ad omelet into three 7f0100370a large pieces, and 305b17ca6c devoured more than b029bbc98b half of it 11709baf97 in the blink 04949a5019 of an eye. Lane, quietly sipping b839157781 his milk and f94f1cf630 watching the scene, 96ae5a7a3e commented.c02ce473629d98ca

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“Eat slowly.”fab7c4fafeb045b1

Ignoring him, bd2882121f Sean finished 933ffc7c6e the plate 4e6d007c20 in less 0c100bb1ff than five 09b486b69c minutes. The food disappeared da35890670 faster than it 80a52aae22 took to cook. Leaning back 3ee3e227fa in his 4522cdd486 chair with 613451c4cf a satisfied 672fa2bd05 sigh, Lane b4b3b8acc5 put down d49209acca his mug.bbb2f0c437e66654

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“You really don’t listen.”bdb54971ac4b4543

“I was just too hungry.”789515579c7fb5a9

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“Come here.”cb9af4df7149cfd6

“Huh?”53be08e49b52b862

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Curious, Sean leaned closer to Lane, who was gesturing for him. Lane picked up a napkin from the table and wiped Sean’s mouth. Accepting the gesture quietly, Lane gently scolded him.b5563fff2e38eb52

“You eat like a kid, getting it all over your face.”c56084db27d25bf0

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After softly 6690e64112 wiping his 36a6f83678 lips, Lane 5432b3d84a folded the 3ea502966c napkin. With an embarrassed e7593c1a14 smile, Sean slumped 92b2d73aab onto the table. It was f9e5dad956 a bit de21c84b54 embarrassing.88b495805c1261bc

“I only do that in front of you. It doesn’t happen usually.”e889e1c609ba0e41

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It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, but when he ate in a hurry like today, he sometimes got food on his lips. Having been taught table manners since childhood, he rarely spilled or made noise, but he sometimes made mistakes in front of Lane, perhaps because he relaxed around him.e33811f8864cf526

“I’ve never seen you not do it.”a39ee454d4be561a

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“I don’t do it when eating with your parents.”b201c35defdb74ae

Lane seemed b0271e54ef to recall 176620a309 the past b8a5953694 for a 1e36527e4f moment, rolling dad39b7614 his eyes 5c005b6814 to the 8310deffc8 side, then 31d38c0880 nodded.de35e98295aff0f4

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“Hmm.”d4741f1dd192c976

It was an affirmation. Sean laughed softly and, lying on the table, propped his chin up and looked up at Lane. As the green eyes stared intently at him, Lane also looked down at him. The expressionless blue eyes stared back at him. It wasn’t awkward; it was peaceful.4f3701f94c1ff559

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The silence continued. Lane wasn’t someone with a wide range of conversation topics, and Sean often talked enough outside, so they often spent long periods in silence like this. But as they stared at each other like usual, a strange thought occurred.cfb64c991312f459

Would that Dion kid ef68747f3d find moments like this 6d693fb9c5 comfortable?fc0d979ead443fb0

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Ah, I forgot for a moment, but I’m really curious. I’ll meet him on Friday anyway, but the overwhelming curiosity made it hard to hold back the questions. There was so much he wanted to know. When did he start liking him, what did he like about him, and how did he realize he liked guys?96328f708415c0e2

With a 83c7ca75f5 face full 72f2250d4c of things e04cafa0bb to say, 9cdd1ec792 Sean kept c325dc362c his mouth 9445bf4537 shut, and 8e23787645 Lane noticed. His dark eyebrows, hidden 59f81a4509 under his hair, twitched 13eccc6037 as he spoke first.5dd7d31e4eede50d

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“You’re…”e1bb2ef2ca34a1c8

“What?”ecabaa8a152c91c8

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“You look like you’re dying of curiosity.”497dd91f5d2a6940

“How did you know?”f751022df1a1bc29

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“Why are you so curious? You’re not usually one to care about others’ business.”85074933cec0e88d

“It’s your business.”56d4c0ad0dc76e5c

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He didn’t care who others dated or broke up with, but since it was Lane’s business, he was curious about everything. Sean had known everything about Lane his whole life and was used to acting that way. As Lane quietly observed him, he explained in a slightly softer voice.17ab963aaed3b29b

“As you might have heard…”2adb50b0e21cf71b

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“Yeah.”96a393fc5f5bbe79

“Dion is a boy.”ec6e26fe05fb725a

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“Right.”a0f142f7da35f372

“You’re not gay, but the person who might become my boyfriend could be bothered by how close you and I are. Keep that in mind.”0ba2da6613726458

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Ah.cf0309a9e391d04f

Being pointed out something he hadn’t considered, his eyes widened. With a surprised expression, Sean lay there as Lane continued.fecd65512079575f

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“In short, if I start dating someone, some of your usual actions might be seen as uncomfortable.”aff7e82968f0c206

Sean was at a loss for words. It was an obvious fact, but perhaps because he wasn’t fully aware of Lane liking guys, he hadn’t thought of this. As his golden eyelashes blinked silently, Lane asked.e5438b7bafc70d1d

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“Are you okay?”cac092cdecc4b734

No.573f86f175cfe536

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He almost said e835bb5eaa it impulsively. Barely holding onto his e69090d0eb rationality, Sean took a d1d512afdc deep breath and slowly 3840c4c5fb gave a positive response.5848be7e98f6fd39

“Of course.”04d53f8f3172f266

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Forcing a smile, Sean 3dedcdc6a6 sat up.1bb4130cd614c1f3

“I hadn’t thought of that, but thanks for pointing it out. I’ll be careful from now on.”a814d5449b33d551

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He said this, but he didn’t really know what to be careful about. Having been together for so long, it was hard to imagine what actions would be on the forbidden list.de5de2f22bafed8f

“But I might make mistakes, so let me know each time.”4a149702e8cb7770

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Lane met 5d22c6ff86 his gaze 9b0c45d5ec with blue de55108e08 eyes as 402dd05417 if trying eea3fb2d98 to read 9bc98bbd83 his mind. Smiling as 172b42e535 if nothing 5e2ab5dcc9 was wrong, eb72e58c27 Sean met 36253dd200 his gaze 43e42f63d0 until Lane d39f597620 looked away.846429b83de15a9c

“…Okay.”ce0106fd66acf1fb

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Then, after 69ede06861 a short cfa4d0ee90 silence, Lane 7ac94dba07 answered the 8200f8ae88 question Sean 83f7312086 had asked 57cb391173 earlier.761e1a189c22d039

“Dion is a calm and cautious kid. Like me, he doesn’t talk much and doesn’t meet a lot of people. So it’s comfortable being with him. It seems he hasn’t dated anyone before either.”81c6873bf10aeaa9

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The Dion Lane 247f534346 described seemed like 6d30bf5fa1 the complete opposite 1d4cd345df of Sean. As Lane ddd2128190 listed their 10ebd4207b similarities and 2d0bf0b4b7 explained about 75a8d20ba9 him, his c2ee9efffa expression seemed 21f5785566 very shy, 16a525dc47 making Sean 1addadca70 truly realize 818ec7d883 that Lane 22ee98d2f3 had found cb6a6ccba9 someone he 800c967749 liked.a796a191b9dd3c89

In that 2947efd9f8 moment, a 4c7b336505 strange sensation 11bf959a72 brushed the 148222e7a8 inside of 6805779f2a his chest. An uncomfortable feeling, 8226506efd like a cramp, 21b074153d briefly arose and 3ac50af971 then faded, leaving 2d5611bd54 a subtle afterimage.f987fad2cdff281b

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“That’s great.”80ddd7891a85566a

Sean said with a smiling face. But strangely, it didn’t feel like he was genuinely smiling.161ba457398c4d7d

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“You ended up telling me. Thanks, Lane.”7453587946bc2c38