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.”abcb481add077820

Somehow, something…29b1642640c7fa72

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As she said that, Lane’s words crossed his mind.47219467c8cccce1

‘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.’78378ba3dc736220

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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…7d21515640770f15

It doesn’t matter at all.aa023e684323d8a8

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“You never know until you try.”0584bcefe469f1ca

“I’m not sure. At the last party, Idris saw me making a scene while drunk.”26149c832c08bfaa

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“What did you do, Emily?”9fd7396571687ab6

“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.”e4809940afe2b127

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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.8ffbdedf35d78e7e

“But even if I went back to that time, I’d do the same thing, so I have no regrets.”b5051f2d0412b0f3

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Walking alongside Emily, d3a9849d22 who seemed both 96a8fe2ccf regretful and relieved, 144cca0a44 Sean asked.fa27298cf01b8cd3

“Aren’t you tired of dealing with such idiots?”cb98edab7eca498a

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“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.”d6e1876e7cce6381

Listening to her, a36e250e33 Sean recalled the f3e5854872 rumors surrounding him. If he a52372ce53 had been a367b21528 more proactive 9ece01bf57 in clarifying 236833a665 them, would 049fed4229 Lane not 5809cb5b91 have thought c613ed0e74 of him a4024d34be as a fd42a63e00 frivolous guy?b7e363fccae5160a

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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.9cf1f29e9b1ca4a7

“That’s impressive.”b159d798a4f5b40b

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Somehow, he ended up 05e36efa76 having a deep conversation 83a61113ec with Emily. Although they often a517a147b6 hung out since adf6d3e0a3 Robert introduced them 790bdc5b7b in their first d90172e648 year, it was 83cd7700e1 the first time 732f01e473 they talked about a745dfa0ce such topics. Because of ddc4dd95d2 that, he 0e28c79892 felt like bdcfd8a968 the distance 424fd08b58 between them eb82e908ca had slightly 3adcf0c2d6 decreased. Emily seemed to 31d209a4b5 feel the same 3b6188664a way, as she 673cdebdc5 asked Sean in 67fb1bc985 a different tone 4ff2231141 than before.8ab29780a8a005c6

“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.”42d333de83826e3d

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“Don’t order too many. Lane likes plants, so he doesn’t like using fresh flowers.”c6aaa1df6272906b

“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?”1dff80894eb78c17

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“Um…”a12352e71958dc29

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.092bfe3d58df3dc0

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“Just avoid EDM and go for moderately exciting music and a casual atmosphere. Something that’s not awkward but romantic.”ba0f62c74330f354

“Oh my.”27764cc208aeebf5

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An intriguing cb79cdc96d exclamation came.e1b98469e7b287dd

“Romantic? No way… are you going to confess to Lane?”bbda42a661273383

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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.3b59c47a35cb29f4

“Oh my, I knew it. There are quite a few gay football players!”632f7a7699d51f75

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“No. I was just at a loss for words because the question was absurd.”4692dbc4d201609d

“Why not?”ba0ed5d1112776a3

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Emily countered his serious denial. Sean couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he waved his hand and walked ahead.049707cb427ac926

“I’m not gay.”dbea1d7f76cf2a98

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“What makes you so sure?”232b6e9ee3e127f5

“You know. I’ve only dated girls so far.”550d66dd4dbff43f

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“Have you tried with a guy? You could be bisexual.”3adf6a2077463541

“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?”7a268c9408cea863

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“Okay, calm down. Our darling is prickly.”13e740a157cd281c

When Sean 6c0aa329e7 lowered his 252408a8c0 voice, Emily b6bb413ca8 seemed to d472f8d307 back off, de115a948f but just 47345f7dec before parting dc204a4ed1 ways after f5454e8509 leaving the 0da5879a9a department store, 3dca28c8cc she took 516b530d02 the shopping e1579b5c7e bags and a578aa18bf said abruptly.e28b787bcf57928e

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“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!”3e548bcc8c48d0ba

Before he could 04e1acf27e point out anything, 984cf8a38b Emily took the 35d9df6aca shopping bags and 9eec7c8dc3 quickly ran, catching 2c102be5c6 a yellow taxi b43322ea97 that happened to f49ce34bfc stop in front 82ee25d934 of her and 770950b0ed disappeared.46114091393a32db

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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.bb2db2797557d8c5

Hmm.614abf3744a86dbe

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Sean held his phone 6c04a3ad36 and hesitated. Since he was on d32941e980 his way, he thought a322ff32a6 it might be okay 6d48221392 to go together. However, since he had 6c2e413ce8 never hung out with f2a542c99e Lane outside, it took 75dfa11d7c some courage to ask.943dd889a0bfa1b3

They had only db238f2354 ever hung out 47664e8946 at school and eae097ca66 home since childhood, 2bdb397614 and since Lane c737babdd7 avoided crowded places, a63ddfbfca he often refused aeb61f7ffb when Sean suggested c348b018dc going out to 06887894b8 the city. The most 48f80523cf bustling place f30a77697f they had 795bf6a4af been together 16fa718e1a was Greenwich. Even in college, nothing 587d2db92d had changed.4f3c405c6d0c85f9

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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.8d3468990a108e28

But.e7d69a32f4b8204e

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Lane answered the call 4807305e6c within seconds of the 110cca17fa ringing.bb2aa90fac090d04

—Sean?42d7da5d548e6140

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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.be4abb91da094811

“Oh, hey. Sorry for calling out of the blue.”f2f071e15c6763f5

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Feeling a strange sense 9fac76de7a of awkwardness due to 9ec2298efc the slight disconnect from 960ecd2d18 the Lane he knew, 835b23a19d Sean replied awkwardly, a 35c55cb93f hint of embarrassment rising.f5f1ab2c72f084b3

—There’s no need to apologize.fea2bfa8ff449593

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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.ac93ed95e6eb86d1

“You don’t like phone calls.”3b01a054ee85cb42

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—…It’s not that. Oh, hold on.4f5b8c0582f8078e

Lane was about 33a5b21916 to say something 55084e22b6 when another voice 981beaf56e rang out right e9045d06b5 next to him.75981cc81efde2bf

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—Lane, who is 7bcdb691c3 it?665f885881cf42c3

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.7d01f063005cf273

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As soon as he was sure, he heard Lane’s voice talking to the man on the other end of the line.116ba471707be86e

—It’s Sean.a9f6e4cc4a68e64a

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—Oh, the d2587eea8a friend you 35b9481aa6 mentioned?c77c6f9f347a2d51

—Yeah. I’ll just take this call, so can you wait a bit?a650f877147e589f

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—Take your time.10786fdbbf22f57e

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.ab3c9da8cf669e3a

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—Why did you call, ec331a6012 Sean?b9d9ee9d1ffed0e2

Lane asked him after 39fb86571a finishing his conversation with 445f713d45 Dion. Listening to ef4a0345cb their conversation 68c307418e in a 2dc222272f daze, Sean b14fecd021 rubbed his 8a892ea677 cheek with 318fc2289e an inexplicable 19d81346e3 smile. It was 934510c5fe a laugh 648460a32d that echoed 41b718cba6 in the 07ce7213e8 air, like ceb329ff54 someone left 7db8b003ae alone in 5145dd96f8 an awkward 055d3d352e situation.8fbf47ffc9d45064

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“I didn’t interrupt, did I?”790d0ee7910a0674

—No. I was 363d561f84 on my 5472689462 way home.549c5544aebdd694

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“I see.”af398d0b63779bd8

His mouth d605327352 felt dry. His lips dfa138b642 felt like 6efa0c2319 they were 187f273152 sticking together.8ea7b473a24c40ab

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—Why did bfd0d0f7bf you call?e4381aff4e1385a4

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.511d7b4038276fa6

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“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.”2e6070fd05f447fd

He was 3c6d1a761f about to caff2c6152 end the abed3600b4 call when c471b4997c Lane stopped c9a629051d him.081b92c59aaa4050

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—Let’s go together. Where are you?1077e3d84e024925

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.de9999524457c564

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“Are you sure? If you have other plans, just ignore what I said. I can go alone.”691e41635fc67d7a

—Did you bring 47b57454b9 your car?d8a9a97aee30c30f

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“No. Manhattan is too crowded, and finding parking is more of a hassle.”5d5569ddbd447d24

—Then let’s go together. I’ll give you a ride.8bf3c21685cdbd7a

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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.a483cef93ecfbbf4

But.ccbca9f2013c4a13

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Today was fec274cad9 really not aa3543fc00 a good 4425ec00a4 day. All the 9f83ae44ad houses he 2559cba406 looked at a5ec9ed87a were terrible, 15b09b6823 and he 059f4db6bd felt down 963dc5097e about having bf8f0306f0 to leave ad436b1571 Greenwich.1f2ca09c510360f1

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.e48a3d923b7c3b3c

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After a brief 8c9bb4f81a moment of contemplation, 5ecf705577 Sean decided to 1a0b3adb33 make an exception f28a0fa55a for today. Such a foolish act 90aa3f2454 should be forgivable for 16ebe75c30 just one day.69602c5a408abaaf

“Alright. Where should we meet? I’m at the Bloomingdale’s flagship store.”f6c60e8dd28c1f77

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—I’ll come to you. It’s quite far from here to there.748cf22c9f3e2b42

“Are you sure?”38e6bb971f48aa92

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—Yeah.9949097637de80c6

“Then I’ll stay here. It’s easy to stop briefly near the department store, so let’s meet on Lexington Avenue.”df7fdaa367933d56

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—I’ll be there in 20 minutes. See you then.c984e65a80a9813b

“Drive safely!”118e4afbef2593b0

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When he greeted 8c4c4334bc him with a c3807b1bef brightened voice at c408d746db the thought of 90e08a1d03 seeing Lane, he 7b243e5ba9 thought he heard 70dddcc65d a low chuckle 59b7984bad over the phone. Somehow, the 3086de82f7 past where c532b8ab2b he was b5e99c9a38 sure Lane 9829327eb0 would dislike dfe97b33b3 phone calls 8682878edb seemed pointless 28f79d5300 as Lane 32c449d9c3 surprisingly continued c562e9ad4f the conversation 91ae265226 smoothly.2e0258a4330f0854

To the point e0988f0b7b where his pride f1da15fbac in knowing Lane 44c3d92982 Surf better than f8df6b3b49 anyone else seemed 89b546faf5 meaningless.29dd0eaf17ce4fd9

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Anyway, Sean ran 79d752f134 back to the e9cdc7c726 department store. Since they were meeting 4970e7914b in the evening, he 7038bc191d thought it would be 28634bc554 nice to buy something dd68ee23d7 to eat or shop 0219c29cff together on the way. Even though 92fe4023de it was 8ca7a8460c a simple f49e578296 act, he a5aeb17cef felt a 1cfef50051 sense of a9a0c38359 excitement.57b7d90b95c1b572

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.c37c22932fac1a5d

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After some thought, 8b19abf85c Sean decided to 49df6cc65c buy frozen yogurt, 95ca99550c which Lane often 938167701c ate, and quickly 28d4f29336 headed to the d188d1f3a6 7th floor. The elevator 8824267717 took too dd4c168a30 long, so c3f15219c8 he hurriedly 4fd576a5c2 walked up bf7270072e the escalator, 9790598916 and as fa3f330bfd usual, Forty 8a33913312 Carrots was 9610227451 bustling with 759490ec38 people. Their frozen yogurt 69c6c0775e was the best.836c382b15631c1b

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.df2b714080693c8f

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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.7dfdb7d9469be7fc