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For The Love Of Lane

By Dreamtime

Part One

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Another dreary morning welcomes me with open arms as I step foot out of my car, smoke in one hand, tie in the other. It's not even 8am and I have already passed several people waiting for the shop to open as I drove through into the staff carpark. The usual assortment of retirement aged pensioners seeking today's deal on used crockery and trinkets. Sucking down the foul smoke and straightening my tie, I lock my car and head across to unlock the staff door as other staff start pulling into the parking lot. After finishing my smoke and heading to the staff room, I flick the switch on the kettle and wait for it to boil over, much like the pensioners seem to be doing, pawing at the front door. Not a chance now though, I still have 5 minutes before starting what is guaranteed to be another busy day.

"Morning, Adam. I'll have a cuppa, thanks love", Cindy greets, as she heads to the lockers and puts on her apron.

"What am I, your slave?", I reply in jest. I've worked with Cindy for over five years now. I may be the manager, but Cindy is the unofficial store mother. Even I find myself coming to her on occasion for advice or to unload. We sit for a moment and talk over our drinks.

"Get up to anything interesting on the weekend?" She asks, "Meet any women?".

The same question every Monday, without fail. At 29, most people expect me to be at least dating. Most of my friends have settled down, started a nest, popping out mini versions of themselves. But not me. I try to tell myself it's because I'm putting all my focus on my work and don't want the distraction of a partner, but the truth is that it gets lonely. I never let it show though. In fact, I take great pride in my ability to maintain a well leveled facade, very rarely slipping.

After opening the doors and nearly being trampled by a horde of seniors, I work my way behind the cash register and start greeting. "Good morning, Joan", a regular steps through the doors. Every Monday morning, Joan comes in for wool for her knitting. This morning was different, instead of waddling slowly over to the arts and crafts aisle, she walks up to the register. This is when I realise she has a boy in tow. As he steps out from behind her, I find myself taken aback by how beautiful he is.

A crown of wavy golden hair sits in a mop on his head, brushed to the side revealing piercing blue eyes, the kind that seem to sparkle and glow, even in the dimly lit shop. I can actually feel, not just see him staring into my eyes, past my eyes and into my mind. He looks to be about thirteen or fourteen, but I've always been a poor judge in age. But with his smooth, unblemished skin he can't be too far into puberty. "Good morning Adam, so lovely to see you!" Joan replies, stepping up to the counter.

"And you, too!" My reply, "Who do we have here?". A flash of confusion jumps across her face before it lights up and she turns to pull the boy forward.

"Adam, I would like you to meet Lane, my grandson. He's looking for some work experience and I was hoping you could help the boy out here". The boy, Lane, steps forward as his grandmother gently pushes him by the shoulders towards the counter. By now, a toothy grin has spread across the boys face, showing a pure white set of teeth set between bright pink lips.

"Hello sir, nice to meet you", he says as he reaches his hand out for me to shake. His skin is as soft as silk.

"Please, call me Adam", I say before turning back to Joan, "I would be delighted to sort you out, love. How long are we talking about and when does he want to start?"

"Straight away, if it's possible. He needs to do a minimum of two weeks during the day, but if he does well, perhaps you might have some paid work after school?", she suggests, hopeful.

"Haha well, let's not get too far ahead of outselves", my reply, turning to Lane with a smile, "Let's see how you like it here first, shall we?" The boy just smiles his toothy grin and nods in acknowledgement.

"Alright, well let's get you inducted and sort you out with an apron, okay?", I turn to Joan and suggest she browse through the shop whilst I get Lane ready. Lane walks by my side as we head into my office, I can smell his sweet boy scent and it has a noticeable effect on me. As we walk, his hand brushes against mine and we both apologise awkwardly, as a rush of blood runs through me. I feel like a teenager again, his mere presence filling me with an incredible sensitivity. I motion for Lane to sit down at my desk and quickly plop down into my chair, hiding my embarrassment under the desk before he notices. Looking across at the boy, he's staring right at me with a hint of a smirk on his face. "Well then, let's get this started then shall we?"

"First order of business, I need you to fill out this information sheet. It's the standard affair, full name, date of birth, allergies, emergency contact, etc". As Lane starts scribbling away, I search for the induction material and swing my computer's monitor around after cueing up a Health and Safety video. Glancing over at the boy, his brow is furrowed and his tongue is poking ever so slightly out of the side of his mouth as he concentrates on filling the form out. Once he's done he hands it to me with a smile on his face, showing me his pearly whites once again. "All done, sir", he says.

"Cheers", taking the form before glancing over the details, noticing that he was indeed fourteen, as I had suspected, "but again, please call me Adam. 'Sir' is just too formal".

"Sorry si... Adam", he sheepishly smirks. I smile wide right back at him. This boy is absolutely adorable.

"Alright Lane, I need you to take this induction test, but don't worry everything is in the video. It's practically impossible to fail. While you're doing that, I'll take your info sheet out to your grandmother and sort the rest out from there, sound good?"

"Can't wait!", he replies sticking his tongue out in jest. My God, this boy is having a strong effect on me. After getting Joan to sign a guardian release and insurance papers, and double checking that the information Lane wrote down was correct, I made my way back to my office. The video had finished at this point, and I found Lane sitting in my chair playing with my computer. "Oh sorry Adam, I was just on Facebook. I saw you were logged in so I added myself to your profile. I hope that's okay?", he looked at my sheepishly.

"Cheeky little bugger. No that's fine, we're all friends here, I've got most of the other staff on Facebook", he smiles at me brightly, "Let's get you an apron and print out a name tag and I'll show you around the shop". Bringing Lane out onto the shop floor, we bump into his grandmother who had been waiting by the staff room door. She lets us know she's found what she was looking for and as long as everything is sorted out, she was heading home with promises to pick Lane up at 4pm. A kiss on the cheek and a warning to do everything he's told, Joan was gone.

I lead Lane through the shop showing him where what items went where, how to tidy up and refill items and how to interact with customers in need of assistance. After setting an example once, I let Lane handle the next customer and he did a fantastic job, conversing naturally and leading them to the product they were searching for. The boy was naturally good with people and it made me smile as I watched. Next I brought Lane behind the register and showed him how to process a sale, handle the money, pack items into a bag and print a receipt. He was a little nervous at first, especially with the EFTPOS machine, but before long he became comfortable and showed that same confidence I had seen earlier.

"You know Adam, I was a little worried that this would be like a chore -- working -- but I'm actually having a lot of fun doing this with you". I felt my cheeks burning as I blushed.

"You've been doing a fantastic job, Lane. It's been an absolute pleasure having you around today", it was his turn to blush, a small smile creeping across his face. "Looks like it's about lunch time, how about I get someone else to cover the register and we head to the cafe next door to grab a bite to eat?".

The blush fell from his face and his smile disappeared, turning into a frown. Uh oh, did I go too far in assuming he'd want to have lunch with me?

"I... Uh... I don't have any money". I let out a sigh of relief, which gathers a look of confusion from the boy, "Oh don't you worry about that, it's on me. Consider it a thank you for being such a great help today".

"Oh no, I couldn't let you...", I cut him off before he could continue.

"I insist, Lane. My treat".

He smiled and shows me that big toothy grin again, "It's a date!". That caused my heart to flutter a little.

At the cafe, we order a soft drink, pie and sausage roll for Lane and a coffee and wrap for me, then head outside to bask in the warmth now that the sun has emerged from behind the clouds. "So what do you like to do for fun, Lane? Got any hobbies?".

"I like to create music", he says between bites, "I love all kinds of music and try to make all different styles and mix them together".

"Oh nice, that's really cool. I used to be in a band when I was younger myself. Have you ever recorded anything?".

"Yeah! I have a little USB cable that plugs into my guitar and computer. I'll have to show you some time". Was that an invitation, I ponder. " That's really cool you were in a band. What did you play?"

"I would love to see your set up. Actually, I was the singer of a little alt rock band, nothing special. I can play piano and bass a little, but never played them in a band. Have you ever considered joining a band?"

"I don't really know any body that plays any instruments or wants to learn so there's not really anyone I could join up with," then his eyes light up, "Hey! Maybe you could come over to Gran's and sing to one of my tracks".

I have to contain my excitement at this point, we've been getting along so well but it has dawned on me that not only do we hardly know one another, the boy is just fourteen years old. "I'm not sure that would go over very well with Joan, buddy".

"Nonsense, Gran knows you and besides, we're friends now". God, this kid warms my lonely heart. I know I need to be careful, I've been having some pretty inappropriate thoughts about him since I first laid eyes on him. It would do me no good to continue getting close to him like this. But where the heart leads, the brain will follow. "How about I call Gran when we get back and tell her you'll bring me home from work. That is, if you want to", he shyly remarks.

"I don't usually leave until 5:30 as I need to finish up the end of day routine, but maybe learning the business side of things might be good for you". Good lord, what am I doing? "Alright, let's do it". And so we head back to work, Lane in tow as I make my way to the office so he can call his grandmother. "She said it's okay!" he exclaims, "This is awesome, I can't wait to show you my bedroom. I've been working on a new song and you have to tell me what you think".

Just then he comes over and hugs me tightly, burying his face in my chest. My heart has just about exploded at this point and all of the blood seems to be rushing to my lower extremities, too fast for me to realise and pull myself out of his embrace. Lane hangs on tight but looks up at me and gives a cute little smirk that does nothing to help the situation, but sure sends some of the blood back up into my cheeks.

Eventually we separate and head back to work and the day absolutely flies past, I've been having so much time working alongside Lane and it appears that others have noticed my spirited mood. "You seem so happy today, Adam. Are you sure you didn't meet a girl on the weekend", Cindy ribs. If she only knew, she would probably cry out in horror.

The end of the day finally arrives and I bid farewell to the staff as I close up shop. All are gone but Lane and I alone. We head back to my office and I begin to show him what I go through at the end of each day. Lane brings his chair around to my side of the desk and watches intently, occasionally asking questions. He's so eager to learn.

As I continue working, answering his questions and explaining what I'm doing, I'm suddenly aware of how close he is now sitting. The boyish scent I've been bathed in all day is almost overwhelming. The moment I feel his should press against mine and his arm come to rest alongside mine on my arm rest, I lose all concentration, begin to stutter and fumble with the paperwork. Looking at Lane, I see he's no longer paying attention to what I'm doing but staring right at my face with a warm smile.

"Alright, I think the rest of this can wait until tomorrow", I say, snapping us out of our little trance, "it's nearly 5, why don't we get you home?"

"And you have to come in and see my room, don't forget". He jumps up, offering his hand. Taking my soft hand into his, he pulls me up and drags me out the door never letting go until I have to separate in order to close and lock the door. Using my remote lock to open the car, we jump in and Lane gives me directions to his home.

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On the ride there, Lane bounces in his seat talking a million miles a minute. His excitement is contagious. Reaching his house a short while later, Lane once again grabs my hand and drags me up the garden path and through the front door. "Gran, we're home". He hollers out.

"Hello boys, come in to the kitchen," Joan calls out through the house, "How was your day, dear?" she asks, giving Lane a kiss on the cheek as we walk in to the kitchen. She takes me by surprise and gives me a motherly peck on the cheek as well.

"Hi Gran. It was actually really fun. Adam showed me how to work the cash register and stock the shelves and greet customers and he even bought me lunch". Lane lets out in a hyperactive jumble of words.

"Oh my, I can't believe I forgot to give you change. That was so very kind of you Adam, how much do I owe you" Joan exclaims as she starts digging through her hand bag.

"Joan, don't you dare even attempt to give me any money. It was a treat from me to Lane for being such a great and enthusiastic worker and a pleasure to be around. Think nothing more of it".

"You are too kind Adam, thank you. I've baked some biscuits, you boys sit and have some milk with them", Joan whips out a tea towel and empties a batch of chocolate chip biscuits out on to a plate in front of us and pours us each a glass of milk. For the umpteenth time today, I once again feel like a little kid again.

"Gran, can we take these to my room? I want to show Adam my songs", suddenly I feel nervous and guilty, despite having no reason to be. I very much doubt Joan would allow me alone with Lane in his room, but she surprises me.

"Of course dear. But watch your crumbs or you'll be the one cleaning them up. Now hurry along, boys". Joan motions for us to go after placing our cups on the plate alongside the biscuits. Lane carefully grabs the plate in one hand balancing the cups and my hand in the other as he drags me up the stairs towards his room. Once we enter, he closes his door behind us and I'm overwhelmed by the musk of teenage boy that has deeply entrenched itself. Scanning the room, I see the usual teenage boy charms. A cricket bat and wicket set sit in one corner alongside a large wooden chest I can only assume are toys from his childhood. His cupboard appears to be hemorrhaging clothes, most notably a strew of boxer briefs sitting in a mess on the ground in front. On his bed side table, I spot a framed photo of a man and a woman holding a young child. I assume they must be his parents and remind myself to ask him where they are if the situation arises. Next to the photo, I see a box of tissues and glance over at Lane with a knowing smile as he blushes, what a cutie!

Lane puts the biscuits and milk down at his desk and pulls up a second chair, motioning for me to sit as he sits in front of his monitor and starts clicking away, loading up a program. "First I want to show you my newest recording. It's kind of pop-py but I think you might like it".

He has an air of confidence while telling me this, but it doesn't seem like a cocky kind of confidence, but a show of pride in his work. He opens a file marked 'Tar & Feather' and hits play. As the track plays, he tells me that the song's meaning is about being different and rejected. It starts off with a very solemn chord progression, and eventually leads itself into a bright and uplifting melody. A mix of guitar and virtual orchestral instruments bring the song to an epic crescendo and draws me in completely. Once the song is over, I look over in to Lance's hopeful eyes with a look of shock and satisfaction. "My God... Lane... That was amazing. You are so incredibly talented. It was beautiful!".

Lane sighs in relief and breaks out in a big toothy grin. My approval seems to make him happy, and he moves on to the next song, and several more after that. At just fourteen, this stunning young lad has shown me a level of musicianship I struggled to find amongst adults in my time.

The last song he shows me is titled 'Forever', and is a slow, sad ballad. A very powerful piece that evokes such strong emotion in me that I find myself with watering eyes. Looking over at Lane I see he is trying to hide tears of his own so I leaned over and captured the boy in a side hug and he moved across to my lap and just let go of his self control at that point and began sobbing and shaking uncontrollably, leaving me very confused and concerned. Eventually, the song comes to an end and I continue to hold Lane as he calms down.

Eventually he pries his head away from my chest, tears streaking his handsome face and I pull his chin up gently, staring into his eyes. He looks back at me, then lifts his head and presses his forehead against mine, softly rubbing his nose against mine. His breath fill my nostrils and nearly puts me in a trance. I feel myself begin to firm up at the close contact and hope against hope that Lane cannot feel the growing lump in my slacks. I moved my head up and planted a reassuring kiss against his forehead and he buried his head into my nape, his breath tickling my sensitive neck and I inhaled his intoxicating natural perfume.

"Lane buddy, are you okay?", I ask tentatively. He lifted his head back up and slunk back off my lap into his own chair. "I'm sorry Adam. That song is about my Mum and Dad. I get a little emotional when I listen to it but I don't know what came over me". His sheepish reply.

"It's okay, mate. You have absolutely nothing to apologise for. It was a beautiful song and you are a beautiful boy, even with tears streaking your face". Oops, did I just call him beautiful to his face? I was trying to lighten the mood and it slipped out. But his reaction to the song is starting to make a little more sense now. I gathered something terrible happened to the boys parents and that's what lead him to live with his grandmother.

"Do... Do you really think I'm... Beautiful?" he asks skeptically. No point in backing out now, "Indeed. You are absolutely stunning, Lane. I shouldn't say this but from the moment I laid eyes on you I've been almost overwhelmed by your beautify. Both in looks and your personality". I gushed out.

Lane stares at me intently for a moment, fear rushes through my body as every hair on it seems to stand up on edge. I've messed up now, he's going to run screaming to Joan about what a dirty, perverted sicko I am. But just then, adding to an ever increasing number of surprises today, Lane climbs back in to my lap, wraps his arms around my neck and stares directly in to my eyes as his presses his lips against mine.

At first I indulge, a feeling of fire rushing from the contact of our lips throughout my entire body. Lane pushed his crotch into mine and I grind back in fevered passion. My hands found their way down his back, lower and lower as they reached the hem of his shirt and went underneath and back up his back feeling his soft, warm skin in my hands. Our kissing became bolder, Lane's hands raced around the back of my head pushing my face into his own as he opened his mouth slightly, his tongue pressing against my lips. I parted my lips and met his tongue with my own as we began a dance of saliva and grunts. Just as my hands started making their way back down to his hips and under the waist band of his trousers, a knock at Lane's bedroom door startled us. "Boys, dinner will be reader in 5 minutes. You're more than welcome to join us, Adam. I've made shepherd's pie and pudding for dessert", Joan calls through the door.

Lane jumped in shock and extracted himself from my lap as we both tried to tidy ourselves up and look presentable. We looked at each other with flushed faces, guilt evident on both of our faces and tents on obvious display. "We'll be right down, Gran".

"Oh my god, I am so sorry Lane", I say once I hear Joan make her way down stairs, "I can't believe I did that".

The look of disappointment that spreads across Lane's face is horrifying at this point, "Yo... You didn't like it?" he whimpers out.

"Oh Lane, no buddy, it was amazing. YOU are amazing. But it was wrong of me to do that with you." I try to reassure him, "You are just a boy, I'm an adult. I should never have done that, and if your grandmother had walked in on that, I'd probably be standing in hand cuffs right now".

"I started it, I wanted it!" He raised his voice defiantly, "I like you, Adam, I've always known I was different and after today I know what I want. You make me feel happy and I wanted to show you how happy you made me feel".

Lane walked up to me, pulling my head down and planting another kiss on my lips. This time there was no fiery passion, just a show of trust and determination. Lane grabbed me by the hand and walked me out the door, down the stairs and in to the dining room. "Well, it's about time. Are you staying for dinner, Adam?".

"Unfortunately not, but thank you so very much for the offer and for the biscuits. I've got to get an early night tonight but I look forward to seeing Lane bright and early in the morning. Have a good evening and enjoy your supper".

"I'll walk you to the door". Lane stated, matter-of-factly.

Outside the door Lane reinforces what he said in his room, "I wanted that. I just hope you do too". He looked around quickly before standing tall and giving me a quick peck on the lips before I made my way through the garden and into my car.

What a day it has been. I started the morning lonely and going through the motions and finished it with my tongue down the throat of a beautiful boy, both inside and out. And worse yet is that I think I'm falling for him after barely 10 hours of meeting him. Not to mention that he's only fourteen.

What have I gotten myself into?

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