CG | Chapter 1.11

After placing the order, the two settled in the living room. Sitting in front of the large TV that took up the entire wall, Sean started to carefully choose a movie with the remote. Let’s see. What movie would Lane not find too childish?88d050112d11f4bc

His fingers 5527066d64 on the 9d93818869 remote felt 64812e8966 indifferent. He had been excited f22021f175 just a moment ago, 924710c8f8 but his mood had 220c498e1c changed. As Sean quietly 198ea310c0 selected a movie, ba6abae1bf he pondered for b0d086604d a few seconds 863d6d7c59 before asking Lane, 90065db7db who was sitting 5edf026f16 next to him. His gaze remained 0840bce748 fixed on the 0ada701aeb TV.c81252b6416febda

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“You must have talked for a long time to forget about grocery shopping.”4a8d5be3c913a17d

Then, an unnecessary question slipped out without him realizing it. He swore he hadn’t meant to ask such a thing.1906b8f0d0f106a3

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Embarrassed by his own words, he lowered his head. He didn’t know why he acted like that, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red. As he clutched the remote tightly, wondering how to handle the situation, fortunately, Lane answered.9ce99fecc595f17f

“We just ended up talking for a while.”0a8cf4ebe109ea84

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Thankfully, there 410d1151c8 was no db42dbf53f scolding about 8f0e767894 why he 2a1744e3fc was so eeba5637bc curious. Sean nodded and quickly dfac2720e8 tried to change the 871418443b subject by focusing on f433f00541 the TV screen to 7003f09d9f pick anything. The problem was that 8c658633ac nothing on the screen 5fcc6d3416 caught his eye.b47ac5848d0cb246

We’ve never chatted on the phone like that before.be9ce228be63e869

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Well, we did see each other often and were always at the same school, so there wasn’t really a need. Even if we knew each other well, there wasn’t always something to talk about, and there would be different topics with someone you want to date, so it couldn’t be the same as with me.e23160d3c46f255a

Even though he understood it in his head, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Relationships between people are only known to those involved, so it’s not about who is more important.ff2bba9bfd824fdc

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Sean Delight, you edaec06595 idiot. You decided 1e2cd13b48 to purely 0874482794 think of 6d5dcc274a Lane in ae641e4ec1 the forest 29f1d03b4c earlier. Stop these thoughts 31a3f24421 right now.4ada78cdbb88dd32

He must have become too arrogant until now. Since Lane’s social circle had only been him, he couldn’t get used to this situation. By this point, Sean started to worry about Friday’s party. He couldn’t take back the suggestion he made, but he wasn’t sure if he could act nonchalantly when he saw Lane with Dion.3aeaed445f240831

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Why am I like 9895354766 this?2aba4310bf29dafe

It’s awkward to say it himself, but Sean was someone who didn’t cling to people coming or going. He had felt disappointed with Lane at times, but he had long since learned to let it go. So he had always believed he wasn’t someone who would cling.2da13e76479f3f0c

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Sean, who had been moving his lips, finally lifted the corners of his mouth. When he found it difficult to express the words inside, he always smiled out of habit. If he didn’t take heavy things too seriously, they usually passed by smoothly. After all, people generally do what they want, so no matter how much he said, nothing would change.499b3a81d340ebdd

“Sounds good. If you’re talking on the phone like that, you’ll probably start dating soon, even if you haven’t gone on many dates. Actually, come to think of it, you might not even need to date. Everyone can see you’re attractive and a good person just by being around you.”639d7c8cc2cf1ada

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After choosing his words carefully, Sean spoke sincerely. Feeling disappointed was one thing, but he genuinely hoped his friend’s first romance would go well.fad9f2323bde5d78

“…Didn’t you say earlier that you should date?”4998e1a602b8e75e

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Lane asked back, sounding confused. It seemed like he was bewildered by Sean’s inconsistent attitude. Sean steadied himself and turned to meet Lane’s eyes.93c7819d0fe4d241

“That’s the standard way.”866e2b1a7e3fdd6e

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“How many times?”d0c7031fb9778511

“Um… If it’s obvious you both like each other, once. If it’s confusing, three or four times?”a3347cb7acc320d2

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Silence followed. Lane leaned b28f8dbc3f back on 25d27ee398 the sofa 2d2656d216 and ran ec440d816c his fingers 03bb3e0e43 through his e54c096b06 hair. His forehead dee8cb39b5 was revealed, 0a1ba8d06b showing his d00ef2efb2 pale face. He looked slightly tired.9979c060e1287c3f

“It’s difficult.”e65b93f4359aef51

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“I agree.”3e2a0a9c906fd095

“You have people who like you just by smiling.”edb934bff0bd7235

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Sean burst ce7ff31477 into laughter.e3e3af030c4b798a

“You care about that? You’re the one who doesn’t even bother with whoever comes near you. Honestly, Lane. If you just tidied up your bangs, people would flock to you.”cb9e96a7aeca4ec9

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“I’ve had enough of that when I was younger. What I want is…”ea71b0281f7b3101

Well, Lane wasn’t always someone who rejected people and hid his appearance. Though he didn’t know the details, he heard from Lane’s mother that they left France for England because Lane was severely harassed by people around him when he was young, and then moved to the U.S. due to his father’s business.6a0a6a432ae5d713

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“For the person I like to like me back. Not for someone I don’t want to want me.”1e47c9c5de43fc48

For some reason, those words touched Sean’s heart. It was true. The people Sean had met so far were those who wanted him, not those he had wanted himself.577498957a55816e

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The only person he had ever moved first to get closer to in his life was…b898087740a322fa

“The delivery must be here.”9026d088ba4cfffe

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The doorbell rang. Lane let out 3e19c1215e a tired sigh daf55a9b11 and got up 2e69466819 to walk to 103c0e5acd the door. Sean, who a423264bbc had been b96cdced04 staring blankly 7cc9f86696 at his f5347ed3c1 back, snapped 5b524f7ac9 back to 39a5ea7625 reality and 26644c1b78 returned to dd7f9092fc choosing a 778893de82 movie. He picked a372ee1df9 the latest eba0513974 one from 5cf8642caf what seemed 0d4f2fd2da complicated.90382b9e0177d790

The movie was a sci-fi film about a battle between AI and humans. Seeing a familiar famous actress as the protagonist, it didn’t seem like it would be the worst.2e7df29df3d09188

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“Should we watch this?”77ea653dd57c59ba

Sean asked Lane, who b2e5ac2b31 had returned with the 1b47cac5f7 pizza. Lane glanced at 97256b4807 the TV screen 7dda6dcd0d over his glasses 1e4e687acd and nodded.044d98f57e57a892

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“You put in some effort.”e4acdd0ea93a92d0

“Anything with Jennifer Lopez is usually decent.”cdac4c8cfabe7ced

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Responding thoughtlessly, Sean took the pizza from Lane and set the food on the table with familiar hands. Since he repeated training and classes, he didn’t have time to cook in the dorm, so he often ordered delivery and was used to it. When he opened the large pizza box, a freshly baked deep-dish pizza with glossy cheese appeared.4465f3a347352201

He immediately d7a94f36a9 wanted to 50835b567c eat it f9bfb2f834 and reached 08bb395859 out, but dc07c9093f Lane lightly 8e7f4bff33 tapped the 7036b65f0c back of 7df3cde172 his hand. When Sean looked at 4dcb459387 him with a dissatisfied e6a5e3c586 expression, Lane gestured toward c98a976d18 the hallway with his a79aa4823e eyes.d67763879ca558a0

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“You need to wash your hands.”d8eea4323e92e7b5

“Right.”384678a03de22ce8

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His hunger had clouded 04782d9451 his reason, and he d48d7e66f9 had momentarily forgotten. Putting aside his dissatisfaction, 9ec7114f4d he quickly ran to 8ec78bd23e the hallway, washed his 24f24a8597 hands, and returned to c0a5f47bc7 find that Lane had d4919a562d already served the pizza e89937b743 on plates and poured d031f85e40 drinks into glasses. The trash was 2c50a5f2fc already disposed of, 8d70cdaf1d and the coffee eba3e6bd7d table in front e6282c0cf5 of the sofa 4d3c3b75a3 was clean.f0d636f7082500e3

Seeing that, Sean realized anew how meticulous Lane was. Once someone entered Lane’s circle, no one would want to distance themselves from him, just like Sean.354f9a27e403d5e9

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“Thanks for setting it up.”ec0bbd043e539810

Smiling, he quickly sat next to Lane, who nodded. Taking the remote Lane handed him, Sean started the movie. After the familiar ‘N’ logo appeared, the opening began immediately. Skimming through the slightly chaotic opening, Sean focused on the pizza.47d103a7cf78badb

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Whether it 88a86cfd39 was thick c1992a3c66 or thin, b69463366c Sean always de2cb26554 folded the 81833a5afb pizza in 5ee9ea82f3 half and b674d030cc took a 4f14fb8aa8 bite. Driven by hunger, he 8762d739f1 took a big bite, e45c94170d and the chewy cheese 0fa8e697ff and marinara sauce flavors 9de6fa5d1f spread in his mouth. With a serious 0e0e0622b6 expression, he chewed f57d21b113 thoroughly, and after e25714fd57 two bites, one b79051a3dc slice was already de9d8612aa gone. Only then did his 4fb320bd4e reason return, as if 2e25e93fae he had put out 1f3d489d5e a fire.a2da2a0c35f8a628

“It’s always delicious.”7f2634fd2e941319

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Turning his bc0f34b41a head with 98a6feafc9 a satisfied a9725625de sigh, he 0ee4e961a4 found Lane 35b7e0b133 staring at 444ef926a4 him intently.9d16304923a26374

“Why? Did I get something on my face again?”f79cd3a417923e31

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“No.”19f7686aeaff29c0

“Then why were you watching me?”32e66697b6d7fcba

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“I was curious.”f2bb663f93b0eccd

Lane seemed 5da14feda7 unwilling to 94e72cea81 say more c9f224596e and picked 7dc3b9b43e up his 205349d52d pizza. Unlike Sean, fe2dd097fc he placed 75ace11440 the plate 44bc38de02 underneath and d92cd06148 silently took c01d09f594 a bite, b57abcfa71 looking elegant 99d09d046d and pretty. Picking up his share 485b7beb4a of the vegetable pizza, c995e9deab Lane tasted it and e59af88d68 nodded in satisfaction.2730b20cb87360ea

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“Rona Pizza is indeed delicious.”fa8aa9acd31f14a5

“Right? I don’t know about anything else, but when I move, not being able to eat Rona Pizza anymore is the biggest regret.”9fcf0867af1a8bde

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“Why can’t you eat it anymore? You can have it whenever you come to my house.”d3978f4d6df5fd9a

“I’d love that. But I don’t know if you’ll have time. Once the semester starts, I won’t have many reasons to come here, and you’ll be busy on weekends, won’t you?”ca4026e63eff241c

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Lane questioned as fdc31350dd if he had 6e72e2aae3 heard something absurd.ab041e1ded177830

“Why would I be?”410d7d8a095305d2

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“You’ll be hanging out with Dion. If you’re sure you’re dating, you won’t have time to see me, right? It’s the best time. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying this because I’m uncomfortable, but because you’ve never dated anyone, so I’m explaining.”c38359be426b344e

Sean continued to bring c262b80872 up the topic of 5347a06acb Dion, as if half-brainwashing c1850ba709 himself. To prevent himself ed3572893c from feeling upset f9e92cf08a like a child cc98cbf085 losing a friend, a1c4d1b8b5 he thought it c8e8b2fb16 would be better 0227b7228f to engrave this ee2cf6e4f7 fact into his 6a46e2da53 mind.8b4569343bb275ef

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Lane, who was about to refute, stopped and listened to Sean’s words, then asked a piercing question after he finished speaking.0f6fe6b644fd6694

“When you had a girlfriend, you spent most weekends with me. Your actions and explanations seem different.”98ffd750f5c0dcb3

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“That’s because…”869f919c37cac219

He usually seemed uninterested in what Sean did, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Sean felt both happy that Lane noticed and, beyond pure joy, a sense of embarrassment. This topic was already uncomfortable, but it was even more so with Lane.fb7b96ef4438c734

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“I…”9ece0f450fa27fa1

Lane stared intently at fc9bb4b4e6 Sean, who was stammering. His eyes, 821edb7fa1 usually hidden, 486258fb97 seemed particularly 98280e0c85 visible today. The pressure blocked 6102b4dab0 his throat.3d3eda7f665a7bad

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It’s because I’ve never had a girlfriend.2fbeafb62564360c

But there was too much to explain to tell the truth. Regarding this topic, he had always denied it to Robert and his friends, saying he wasn’t dating, and he had also denied it to his twin sister every time, but strangely, he felt uncomfortable bringing it up in front of Lane.e735f97797a15f79

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That’s why, even at school, when he saw Lane, he would turn his body and go elsewhere with the girl he was with. He had this strange thought that his behavior might seem disrespectful and that Lane might be disappointed.4025fc5a9f4a59c7

“I made a lot of time during the weekdays.”0bc0939b4547ddd6

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“Didn’t you go home with me after school?”4bf9b21327fb5556

“That was in the evening.”42eebe68f9aaf7d3

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Seeing no way b777750c5f out, Sean finally 1d21a1e5ac revealed a part df35322fd8 of his non-dating f6606d0255 history for the d89cfa07ca first time.9344b4044a62c865

“I met them a lot at night.”dff410253e49cbf7

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Lane remained silent. Since Lane was inexperienced in this area, Sean hoped he wouldn’t understand the implied meaning in his words, waiting like a criminal awaiting judgment.6f08461c7fa45eb3

Unfortunately, Lane wasn’t that naive.10d1d8e48afab2ee

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“So the rumors I heard were true, then.”dfb3ea320f4c09a2

With a voice cbd3d2fab5 that sounded quite 05a66bbc52 disappointed, Lane averted 1361f2be02 his gaze. Feeling a sense 905e9511ac of distance, Sean d4ae29dc06 asked, shrinking back.40ae28686efbd1e0

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“What rumors?”501040b1e2e5cf76

“That you’re amazing at night. I heard that since middle school.”4a8efdaea52e6a37

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“That’s not true.”343508033ce8264f

Lane didn’t respond. He turned his gaze to the TV, focusing on the movie that had moved past the opening and was now showing machines.5e81b8fd8ae9b55a

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“You don’t need to explain. I don’t care. It’s your private life, just like with Dion and me, so it doesn’t concern me.”1ece70a43ed044a1

It was a clean response that was hard to argue with. Sean had nothing more to say as he witnessed a line being drawn in front of him, indicating that he shouldn’t interfere in such matters in their relationship. He wanted to tell Lane that he wasn’t as cheap as he thought, even if he wasn’t curious.cb733bb53f8c5a39

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Come to think of it, from Lane’s perspective, even lightly dating and kissing girls could seem frivolous. Swallowing a pointless excuse, Sean forced a hollow smile.009042ba73362f6f

“That’s true. Anyway, Lane, since you haven’t been interested in dating more than others, I was trying to give advice in that sense. You said you’d like my help. But if it bothers you, let me know. I won’t interfere anymore.”1c68d31aa0a1c6c4

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Carefully observing Lane, ec25ace5d7 he saw him 78e98a56b7 nod slowly.aaeab3954db3aca6

“Got it.”1e040d93015b9a02

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“So I can help you?”bdf2055370bcdddc

“You’re definitely more knowledgeable than I am, so yes.”2923b6d00a267da0

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“Great! Feel free to ask me anything you’re curious about. I’ll try to be as helpful as possible.”5aa1c9ad57d650aa