Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 23:21:40 -0500
From: jaden.scott@adelphia.net
Subject: Lover's Lane Chapter 22

This story is a work of fiction.  It depicts a romance between two
consenting adult males and may contain some descriptions of sexual acts,
again between two consenting adult males.  If you are not of legal age to
read this kind of story, please leave now.  If you reside in an area where
reading stories that include sexual situations between two consenting adult
males is illegal, please leave now.  This story is for entertainment
purposes only.  Any similarity to any person(s) living or dead is simply a
coincidence.  The author retains all rights to this story.  It cannot be
reproduced in any form without expressed written permission from the author
(me).  Please contact the author for any requests. Copyright 2006.

Feedback (and criticism) is ALWAYS appreciated and welcome.  Please respond
to this story at: jaden.scott@adelphia.net

I look forward to hearing from all of you and I will respond if you write
to me.  Thanks to all of you who have written so far with your encouraging
words.  I have appreciated every one of them.  Jaden


**Please watch for changes in POINT-OF-VIEW**

Hi everyone!!  OK, here's the lowdown.  I'm going out of town to Michigan
this weekend.  My friend's brother owns a cabin up there, and we are going
up to hang out and have a good time.  We might do a little partying...at
least I hope we do!! :) I wanted to get something posted before I went
away, so I decided to take the remaining material I had concerning the
Christmas Eve party and break it in half.  I was originally planning that
this chapter would finish off the Christmas Eve party, but now that will
happen in Chapter 23.  The good news is I have all of Chapter 23 written on
paper, and about 40% of it typed in the computer.  So, when I get back from
my trip, all I have to do is finish typing and editing!!  Hopefully it
won't be that long before I can finish that chapter and have it posted.
Take care!!  Have a great weekend!!



LOVER'S LANE

by Jaden

>From the end of Chapter Twenty-One:

**JADEN'S POINT OF VIEW**We were alone, and I began to get butterflies in
my stomach.  Connor stood next to Sarah.  They both folded their arms and
stared at me for a few seconds.  Finally, Connor spoke.

"We need to have a talk, Jaden." he said roughly.  This wasn't a request.
This was a demand!!

GULP!!


CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE CHRISTMAS EVE PARTY, PART THREE

**LANE'S POINT OF VIEW**

I finished washing my hands and I picked up the red and green towel that
was lying on the sink.  As I began to dry my hands, I looked into the
mirror and stared at my reflection.  This night was turning out so much
better than I could have possibly hoped for.  I wasn't ashamed to admit
that, before the party began, I hoped Jaden would give me some kind of
indication that a relationship between the two of us was a possibility.  I
thought if I was lucky, I would come away from the party having a better
understanding of how he felt about me.  Never in my wildest dreams and
fantasies did I expect the quantum leap forward that Jaden and I had taken
tonight.  There were a few times I actually pinched myself because I was
convinced that everything happening was just a dream.

When Jaden arrived tonight, he was extremely nervous.  As soon as I
realized how he was feeling, I began to lose hope that we would move our
relationship forward tonight.  My confidence returned, however, when Jaden
began to get over his nervousness and started acting playful with me.
Before I even realized it was happening, we were standing in the
hallway...kissing.  The kiss was...unbelievable.  It was the best kiss I
ever had, and I wanted more of them as soon as possible.  I think what
excited me the most wasn't that we actually kissed.  Rather, I was floored
by HOW Jaden responded to our kiss.  He wanted it every bit as much as I
did, and that made me so happy.  It's definitely an exciting moment when
you realize the person that you like actually likes you back.  My
confidence regarding the possibility of having a relationship with Jaden
soared to new heights after the kiss.  Even the fact that Connor caught us
kissing couldn't lessen the high I was on.

I had been very worried that Jaden wouldn't be able to handle the type of
teasing that Connor and Sarah normally dished out.  But, when Connor
started ragging on us, Jaden stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the
park.  He SLAMMED Connor!!  I was pleasantly surprised by, and extremely
proud of, my guy.  'My guy'...am I allowed to refer to him like that yet??
My gut instinct told me we were nothing more than a simple conversation
away from taking the next step.  I was confident that, if I asked him to be
my boyfriend, he wouldn't hesitate to say yes.  I decided to stop beating
around the bush.  I needed to ask him straight out, no pun intended.

When I was in high school, all you had to do was kiss a girl and go out on
one date with her and suddenly...you were a couple.  I never had to ask a
girl if we were boyfriend and girlfriend.  It was the girl who always made
the decision that we were 'soul mates'.  I think my experience with the
girls I dated made me assume that Zach and I were a couple.  It never even
occurred to me to verify the status of our relationship, ESPECIALLY after
we had sex together.  Once that happened, I was convinced we were
boyfriends.  When Zach informed me that we weren't dating, but only 'having
fun', I learned a very simple, yet very valuable, lesson...NEVER ASSUME
ANYTHING.  There's a saying that goes 'if you assume something, you make an
ass out of you and me'.  I couldn't assume anything regarding the status of
my relationship with Jaden.  I needed to confirm what we meant to each
other.  All I needed to do now was figure out HOW I was going to ask him.
But, first things first.  Before I could ask that question, we needed to go
on a date, or at least do something together as 'more than friends'.

All night long, I had been coming onto him rather strongly.  I was starting
to worry that it might be too much for him to handle, given his past.  But,
after that amazing kiss, I lost all self control and I couldn't keep my
hands off of him.  In a way, I think my feelings were understandable.  For
one thing, it had been close to a year since the first time I'd seen him in
the student gym at school.  I had fantasized about just TALKING to him for
seven months before I finally worked up my courage and approached him.  My
desire for him only increased once I realized he was just as great in
reality as he had been in my fantasy.

Once Jaden revealed his past to me, I was forced to slam on the brakes.
For three agonizing months, I was allowed to look but not touch.  I backed
off when Jaden made it clear he needed time, and I was willing to make that
sacrifice because I believed he was worth it.  Based on the kiss we shared
tonight, I concluded that when I was right, I was REALLY right!!  Zach was
the only guy that I had kissed before, so I only had those memories to use
as comparison.  After analyzing my feelings, there was simply no comparison
in the way I was feeling about Jaden versus the way I had felt about Zach.
Until tonight, I thought my feelings for Zach had been very powerful.  I
realized now, however, that my feelings for him amounted to nothing more
than a very intense crush.  When I thought about Jaden, I didn't know it
was possible to feel this way about another human being.  I couldn't
imagine having stronger feelings for anyone.  This HAD to be love.

I re-focused on my reflection in the bathroom mirror.  I decided that when
I got back to Jaden, I was going to try and cool my actions towards him.
All of this was completely new to Jaden, and I didn't need to overload him
tonight.  Besides, I was sure that I had made it clear just how much I
liked him.  I felt that he was returning that same vibe to me, albeit in a
much more subtle way.  I realized I might have pushed him too far by making
him think I was going to kiss him like that when we were in the kitchen.
Still, I was thrilled that he responded to my (fake) advance and that
action, more than any other, proved that he was into me as much as I was
into him.

I needed to get back to the party before anyone cornered Jaden.  I had done
my best to keep Jaden away from Connor and Sarah tonight.  I was worried
because I wasn't sure how I was going to handle the two of them when it
came to Jaden.  To be honest, I wasn't sure if there was anything I could
do.  My main concern was that I didn't want either of them teasing Jaden to
the point that he would begin to feel uncomfortable about our burgeoning
relationship.  It had taken so long to get to where we were and I didn't
want anything to mess that up.  I had to keep in mind that Jaden was
stronger than I was giving him credit for.  He had proven that to me when
he made that blistering comment to Connor earlier this evening.  I decided
that even though he could handle some of their teasing, I did not want to
leave him alone with those two.  If it had to happen, I wanted us to be
together.

I fussed with my clothes for a second and glanced in the mirror to verify
that I looked presentable.  Once I was satisfied, I exited the bathroom.
As I was walking down the hallway toward the kitchen, I passed by my dad's
study.  I noticed that the door was closed.  That's strange, I thought.  I
could've sworn the door was open when I went to the bathroom.  Who
knows...maybe my dad and my uncles went in there to smoke a cigar, or
something like that.  I turned the corner from the hallway into the kitchen
and immediately looked at the spot where I had left Jaden and...he wasn't
there!!  Where did he go??  I looked around the entire kitchen, but there
was no sign of him.  Where could he be??  Wait a minute...George!!  I bet
he went to let George out so he could do his business.  I rushed into the
family room and...George was there, still playing with my nephews.  Jaden,
on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.  Think Lane...THINK!!  Where
could he have gotten too??  I know!!  Maybe he had to use the bathroom too.
Since I was using the one on the first floor, maybe he went to use one of
the other bathrooms.  I decided to go check the bathroom in the main
hallway on the second floor.  I raced upstairs and...I didn't find him.
Something started to nag at me.  I felt like something wasn't right.  I ran
back downstairs and scanned the family room again, not really sure what I
was looking for.  Everything seemed to be in place and...OH MY GOD!!  OH
NO!!  FUCK!!  Fuck, fuck, fuck!!  Where were Connor and Sarah??  A feeling
of dread hit me like a tidal wave and spread throughout my entire body.
They had him.  FUCK!!!  THEY HAD HIM!!  I didn't suspect it...I KNEW it,
down to the very core of my being.  What are they up to??  Why are they
doing this to me??  I swear to god, if either of them says or does anything
that messes up my relationship with Jaden, I'll kill them.  I won't yell at
them, or disown them, or any of that other useless shit.  I'll take a
baseball bat and bash both of their skulls in.

I might not like all of their teasing, but I could handle them.  I wasn't
as convinced that Jaden would do as well.  Why did Connor and Sarah need to
talk alone with Jaden??  What are they saying to him??  And, the most
important question...WHERE ARE THEY??  Suddenly, it hit me like a bolt of
lightning.  The study.  THE STUDY!!  The doors were closed on the study!!
If I wanted to have a private conversation with someone, that's exactly
where I'd go.  I hightailed it out of the family room and sprinted down the
hallway to the study.  When I reached the door, I stopped for a second and
listened.  I heard Jaden's muffled voice coming through the door.  SHIT!!
Any miniscule hope I was holding onto that I was wrong about this situation
vanished when I heard his voice.  I grabbed onto the doorknob and threw
open the door.  Sure enough, Jaden, Sarah, and Connor were in there
and...WAIT A MINUTE!!  Jaden is standing right in front of Connor and...and
he has his hand on Connor's chest!!  What in the HELL is going on in here??
Somebody better start doing some explaining...and fast!!


**JADEN'S POINT OF VIEW**

Remember when I said that when I first saw Connor, I could tell he
outweighed Lane by about twenty pounds, and I thought those twenty pounds
were muscle??  I can now confirm that it's true.  I felt like my hand was
touching a brick wall.  His chest was solid, rock hard muscle.  I barely
had time to finish processing that thought because the door to the study
burst open.  I looked over and saw Lane standing there.  He had a weird
expression on his face.  His cheeks were flushed and his mouth was
literally hanging open.  At first he looked surprised, but very quickly his
face turned into an angry expression.  Why was Lane getting angry??
Suddenly, I realized what I was doing and how that must of looked to him.
I removed my hand from Connor's chest and turned so I was facing Lane.  I
wasn't sure what to say or do.

"What??...Who??...What??" Lane sputtered.  I knew that Lane was angry, but
the way he said that was so funny that I burst out laughing.  I couldn't
help myself.  A few seconds later, Connor and Sarah joined in with me.
Lane looked confused for a second, then angry again.  I realized that I
needed to calm him down.  I walked up to him and put my hand on his
shoulder, laughing the entire time.  Lane continued to look at all of us.
His mouth was opening and closing, but no words were coming out.  Finally,
he was able to speak a coherent sentence.

"What...what is going on??" Lane asked, looking at me first, then over to
his brother and sister, and then back to me.  Clearly, he was expecting
some answers.

"Jaden??  Can you help me out??" His sentence was phrased as a question,
but he wasn't asking me.  He was demanding that I explain the situation.

Poor guy, I thought.  I tried to put myself in his shoes.  If I had walked
into a similar situation, I would have been just as perplexed.  I would be
upset too, especially if I saw the guy I liked standing with his hand on
another guy's chest.

"Umm...we were just talking, Lane." I said in a soothing tone.  My words
didn't have any affect on Lane's mood.

"That's not what it looked like when I walked in here!!" Lane exclaimed
roughly.

"Actually, I'd say that you BARGED in here." Connor said, teasing him.
'Ouch', I thought.  I didn't think this was the best time for cracking a
joke at Lane's expense.  All that could possibly do is add fuel to his
fire.

"I'll deal with you later, Connor." Lane spit out.  He's not calming
down...he's getting angrier.  In fact, he was practically seething.  He
turned back to address me.  He tried his best to calm down and he lowered
his voice.  "Jaden, seriously, what were you doing??"

I knew that he was upset, but I thought he was overreacting JUST a little
bit.  Okay, okay, I thought he was completely overreacting.  But, I tried
to give Lane the benefit of the doubt because this night had been so
charged with emotion.

"Lane," I said very quietly, so only he and I could hear, "please don't get
upset.  I can explain."

Now I had to figure out exactly WHAT to tell Lane.  I figured it probably
wouldn't be a good idea to let him know how this whole situation got
started.  I knew that he would get even angrier if he found out how Connor
and Sarah made me sweat when we first came into the study.

I thought back on everything that had happened in the study before Lane
arrived.  To be honest, I wasn't just nervous when Sarah and Connor first
confronted me.  I was scared shitless.  They made me feel like we were
going to have a major confrontation.  After Connor informed me that he and
Sarah wanted to have a 'discussion', I didn't know what to say or do.  I
stood there, completely frozen.  Then, I saw the look on Connor's face
change from the mean look he started out with to a wide grin.  Two seconds
after that, he was laughing his head off.

"Jaden!!  Dude!!  You should see the expression on your face right now!!"

Sarah began to chuckle too, but she wasn't laughing as hard as Connor was.
I think she began to feel bad because I had gotten so nervous.  She tried
to put me at ease.

"Jaden, everything's cool.  Connor and I were just messing with you.  You
don't have to be worried about anything."  She sounded very sincere and
that, combined with Connor's continued laughter, made me realize she was
speaking the truth.  Once I accepted that fact, I realized something.  They
got me!!  DAMN!!  They got me really good!!  I let out a huge sigh of
relief and then, realizing how scared I got during their initial
confrontation, I couldn't help but join in and laugh with them too.

"You guys really had me." I said to them.  "I thought you were going to
tear my head off!!"

"Sorry about that." Sarah apologized.  "Seriously, we just wanted to talk
with you for a few minutes."

"Yeah," Connor added, "our brother hasn't said very much about you.  We
wanted to try and get to know you a little better."

I was really happy to hear them say that.

"Jaden...can we tell you something that has to remain between just the
three of us??" Sarah asked.

"Sure.  I replied.

"Believe it or not, we care about our little brother.  I know we give him a
hard time..." Sarah began.

"That's because he's SO easy!!" Connor interjected and started laughing
again.

"That's true." Sarah said with a smile.  "But, we want to see him happy.
And you my fine, sexy friend make Lane the happiest that I've ever seen
him.  He wouldn't get so upset when we tease him if he didn't have strong
feelings for you."

Wow.  It was interesting to hear Connor and Sarah talk so warmly about
Lane.  I knew that he loved them and now they confirmed just how much they
loved him in return.  Since I didn't have any experience with having
siblings, I didn't quite understand why they couldn't just tell each other
how they felt.  Why did they have to resort to torturing each other??  I
think the only way Lane would know there was a problem between him and his
siblings would be if the STOPPED harassing him.  Gosh...what a strange
dynamic!!

"Ummmm...thanks.  I'm...I'm not sure how to respond to that."  I was
extremely embarrassed by what Sarah had just said.  However, at the same
time, it made me feel good to hear their perspective on how Lane felt about
me.  I needed that kind of confirmation.

"I know we just met you, and I hate to put you on the spot like this, but
I...we would feel a lot more comfortable if we knew that you were serious
about Lane.  Being gay has been tough on him, just as I'm sure it has been
for you.  He hasn't had many chances to find someone to be with.  In fact,
the only guy we've even heard about before you was that asshole, Zach!!"

"I can assure you that I'm nothing like Zach!!  I replied defensively.

"We weren't trying to imply that you were, Jaden."  Sarah said calmly.  "We
want to see Lane happy and settled.  We're hoping you're the guy to do that
for him."

I wasn't sure how to respond to everything that Sarah and Connor said to
me, mostly because Lane and I weren't officially a couple...yet.  Tonight
was the first time our pent up feelings for each other had started to be
expressed.  I didn't want to get ahead of myself and assume too much, but I
knew that what was happening between Lane and me was the beginning of
something long lasting, not a one-time deal.  I took a deep breath.  I
wasn't used to talking about my feelings for Lane.  I was embarrassed, but
based on what Sarah and Connor said to me, I felt that I needed to explain
to them where I was coming from.

"You're right.  You don't know a lot about me, so some of what I'm going to
tell you won't make a whole lot of sense.  Lane and I only met at the
beginning of this school year.  For a number reasons, some very personal,
we've taken our relationship very, very slowly.  The timing of this
conversation is very interesting, because tonight was really the first time
we started taking a few steps forward in our relationship.  I can tell you,
very sincerely, that I'm hopeful things will work out between the two of
us.  Whatever happens, I don't have a single cell in my body that wants to
hurt Lane in any way."

I had my head down why I was talking.  For whatever reason, I had a hard
time looking at Sarah and Connor as I expressed myself.  When I finished
speaking, I was able to look up at the two of them.  I noticed a look of
relief pass over both of their faces, even though it was extremely subtle.
Soon enough, Sarah was smiling again, and the mischievous grin was back on
Connor's face.

"It certainly appeared that things were working out between you two earlier
this evening!!" Connor exclaimed.

I blushed for probably the hundredth time tonight.  I was right...Connor
wasn't going to let me or Lane forget about the kiss he witnessed between
the two of us.  Of course, I didn't want to forget about the kiss itself,
but I really wished I could forget the fact that Connor saw us doing it!!

"What??  What happened??  What did I miss??"  Sarah anxiously asked her
brother.

"Oh boy, sis!!  You should have seen those two earlier.  The were making
out in the hallway...right around the corner from the family room!!" Connor
replied.

"REALLY??  They were making out....IN THE HALLWAY??  Jaden, Jaden, Jaden.
You're lucky that only Connor caught you guys!!" Sarah turned and looked at
Connor.  "Can you imagine if dad...or MOM...saw that??" She started
laughing again.

I figured that I had two choices.  I could be embarrassed, but I didn't
want to feel that way.  I remembered my tactic of fighting back from
earlier in the evening.  While it didn't make Connor completely stop...I
mean, he's teasing me right now...my comment had stalled him for a quite
awhile.  Very quickly, I made my choice.

"You know what, Sarah??  You're right.  Connor did catch us.  But,
something far more interesting happened after that." I said to her while
willing my voice to be confident.

"What happened??" Sarah was very curious.

"Connor stared at me and got this look of...of DESIRE on his face.  I...I
thought he was going to come over and start kissing me too!!"  I exclaimed.
Sarah got a shocked looked on her face.  I glanced over at Connor.  Forget
his face...his whole BODY was turning red.

"I WAS NOT!!" Connor roared.  "I did NOT want to kiss you!!"  Sarah burst
out laughing, and I was having trouble keeping myself from doing the same
thing.  But, I needed to fight back, so I persevered.

"Come on, Connor, don't be shy.  You can admit it how much you like me!!"
I walked up to him and placed my hand on his chest.  Connor was mortified.
I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head.  "You want to kiss me
right now, don't you??"  I said very sweetly, then I closed my eyes and
puckered up my lips.  But, before Connor had a chance to respond to my
question, Lane came crashing into the study.

I finished reviewing the events of my time in the study with Connor and
Sarah before Lane arrived.  I looked over at Lane and saw how upset he
still was.  I realized that part of the reason he wasn't calming down was
because Connor and Sarah were still in the room.  I turned and looked at
them.

"Hey guys, would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes??" I asked
calmly.

Thankfully, they both left without saying another word.  The tension in the
room reduced by about ninety percent after they were gone.  I motioned Lane
over to the leather couch and he followed me.  He sat down against the back
of the couch, and I sat on the edge of the seat, turned sideways so I could
look directly at him as I spoke.  I proceeded to tell him the whole story
of what happened in the study.  Well...fine, not the WHOLE story.  In fact,
I basically gave him the Reader's Digest version of the Reader's Digest
version.  In other words, I didn't give him many details, especially about
the things that Sarah asked me to keep between me, her, and Connor.  I
wondered what Lane's reaction would be if he heard how Sarah and Connor
spoke about him.  Would he be really happy??  Would he go into shock or,
worse, have a heart attack??  I would never find out, at least not on this
night.  I had made a promise to Sarah and Connor and I was going to keep
it, so I chose my words very carefully.  As I got closer to the end of the
story, I gave Lane more details, mostly so he could understand exactly why
he had seen me with my hand on Connor's chest.  When I finished the story,
I sat back on the couch.  Lane and I were sitting next to each other, with
the whole right side of my side of my body in direct contact with the left
side of his body.  I gave him a few seconds to digest all of the info I had
just related to him, then I nudged him with my shoulder.

"So...are you okay now, or are you still upset??" I asked him.

He remained silent for another few seconds, just long enough that I started
to think he was still angry.  Suddenly, he sat upright and moved forward.
He turned to look at me and he had a huge smile on his face.

"You...you asked Connor if he wanted to kiss you??" He asked excitedly.  I
nodded in reply.  Lane jumped off of the couch.

"Jaden...that was BRILLIANT!!" He shouted as he pumped his fist in the air,
similar to the move that Tiger Woods makes when he sinks a difficult putt.
I stood up too.  He looked at me and that wide grin remained on his face.
I was so glad that he was happy.  It looks like the crises had been
averted.

Lane's smiled diminished and he took a few steps forward until he was
directly in front of me.  He put his left hand on my right shoulder.

"I'm sorry I got so upset." He whispered.  "I wasn't mad at you.  I was
just afraid of what those two douche bags were saying to you."

"It's okay, Lane." I responded, also whispering.  "It wasn't bad.  In fact,
I'm glad I had a chance to talk to them."

Lane's eyes were drilling right into my own.  Ever so slowly his right hand
crept up until he had it gripped on the side of my head, his fingers in my
hair, the palm of his hand covering my ear, and his thumb gently making
circles on my cheek.

"I don't want you kissing anybody else but me." He said.  "Not even as a
joke."

I forgot to breathe for a few seconds because the moment was so intense.  I
regained my wits and a little smile broke out on my face.

"Well, that's a good thing, because you're the only one I want to kiss."  I
was getting aroused again.  Despite the intensity of the moment, I was
coherent enough to wonder how it was possible that one person could affect
me so much.  Maybe it was pheromones...Lane did smell really good, even
when he wasn't wearing cologne.  What was it about him that turned me on so
much??  As I looked at him, I realized it wasn't one specific thing.
EVERYTHING about him turned me on, although what I found most attractive
was his internal make-up.  Sure, physically he was hot, but it was the
person that Lane was...his soul...that turned me on the most.

I thought for sure that Lane was going to kiss me, but he hesitated.  He
broke eye contact with me and looked down towards the ground.  I took one
of my hands, which, at some point had moved to grasp him around the sides
right above his hips, and used it to push up on his chin, forcing him to
look at me again.

"What is it??  What's wrong??"  I asked him.  He studied me for a second,
and I could tell he was debating what to say.

"I...I told myself just ten minutes ago to slow down.  I'm afraid that I'm
pushing you too much.  It's just...I can't help myself when I'm around you,
Jaden."

Oh my god!!  He wasn't doing anything wrong!!  In fact, he was doing
EVERYTHING right!!

"Lane, please don't get upset.  I...I feel exactly the same way you do.
Listen to me...if I didn't like what you were doing, or are doing right
now, I would say something to you.  OK??"

He nodded his head and I put my hand back on his hip.

"What's...what's happening between us, Jaden??  Do you...I mean, you do
think all of this is a GOOD thing, right??

He sounded so insecure and, at first, I wasn't sure why.  I mean, I didn't
think I had done anything tonight to make him think I didn't like what was
happening between us.  Suddenly, it dawned on me.  The thing that clued me
in to understanding his thoughts was the way he asked me that question.  I
thought back on everything I knew about Lane...and Zach's name came rushing
to my mind.  I remembered everything he told me about that situation and
how wrong he'd been when he thought that Zach was his boyfriend.  Now, with
me, he wants to make sure I'm feeling exactly the same way he does.  He's
concerned that we aren't on the same page.  He's afraid of getting hurt
again.

My heart went out to him.  I didn't like knowing that Lane was feeling this
way.  I needed to reassure him of my feelings.  Very gently, I removed his
hand from my face and the one on my shoulder.  Then, I took my two hands
and gripped his head exactly the same way he'd just been touching me.  I
slowly pulled him closer to me.  I never broke eye contact with him.

"It's a GREAT thing.  I think it surprised me a little bit at first, but I
have no intention of stopping or going backwards now."  I paused for a
second and let him absorb my words.  "Listen, I have an idea.  My parents
get back from their trip on Monday night and I have to pick them up at the
airport.  I'll probably spend a lot of time with them on Tuesday while we
celebrate Christmas.  So, how about we go out on Wednesday night, just the
two of us??"

Lane's eyes widened.

"Do you mean like a...like a...??"

"Like a date??" I said, completing his question.  He nodded his head.
"Absolutely.  On Wednesday night, I want us to go out on a real date.  How
do you feel about that??"

"I would really, really like that, Jaden."  Gosh, every time he said my
name, I melted inside.  If all he said to me for the rest of my life was my
name, I think I could be perfectly happy.

"Good.  Leave all of the arrangements to me.  Have yourself dressed and
ready to go at 7PM sharp.  I'll come over and pick you up."

"Sounds goods, but....do I have to be dressed??" he said, pretending to
pout.

"Well, if you're a good boy, maybe only for the early part of the evening."
OK...WHERE DID THAT COME FROM??  I cringed slightly inside.  I hoped that
Lane took that comment as a joke because I didn't want to lead him on.  I
didn't want to make him think that something sexual was going to happen
between us on our date.  I didn't know for sure when I would be ready to
take that step.  I was thrilled that we were moving forward, but I wasn't
ready to start sprinting.  I still needed us to develop our relationship
slowly.

He smiled, but didn't add any additional sexual innuendo to my comment.  I
think he knew I was just trying to make him smile.  I quickly recovered
from my reaction to my comment and I refocused on Lane.  I pulled his face
forward, until our heads were only a few millimeters apart.  I watched as
he closed his eyes, anticipating what was going to happen.

I began to kiss him very gently at first, then with more force.  I felt his
hands move from my hips onto my back.  This kiss wasn't as passionate as
the one we shared in the hallway earlier this evening, but that didn't
lessen my enjoyment.  I could get used to this kissing thing!!  I felt like
this kiss was sealing some type of pact that we had made, not only to go
out on a date, but also to each other.  This kiss said that we would only
be kissing each other.  It was the closest I'd felt yet that we were a
couple.  The words hadn't been spoken yet, but that was just a formality.
As far as I was concerned, Lane McNeil was my boyfriend.  HOORAY!!

I think I could have continued kissing him for the rest of the night, but
we needed to get back to the party.  I exerted all of my self-control and
pulled my lips away from him.  He opened his eyes lazily, a dreamy look on
his face.

"Until Wednesday." I said.  I gave him a quick peck on the lips and briefly
rubbed my nose with his.  I let go of his head, and then I leaned forward
until our two foreheads were touching.  I rocked my forehead over his for a
few seconds.  "Let's get back to the party."  I said finally.

I stepped away from him.  I saw a quick flash of disappointment come over
his face, but it was gone almost instantly.  I grabbed his hand and started
walking out of the study, pulling him along with me.  When we reached the
kitchen, I let go of his hand.  I noticed Connor and Sarah standing over by
the dessert table.  They both looked at me, and each of them had an
inquisitive expression on their face.  I realized they wanted to know if
everything was cool between me and Lane, so I gave them a quick 'thumps-up'
signal.  Sarah looked relieved and Connor flashed me a smile.  It felt so
good to know I had those two in my corner.

TO BE CONTINUED

Be on the lookout for Chapter 23, 'The Christmas Eve Party, Part Four',
coming soon!!

Here's a sneak peak at what's coming up....Lover's Lane Chapter 24,
entitled "The First Date".  Doesn't that sound good??

FEEDBACK, FEEDBACK, FEEDBACK---This is lifeblood for us writers, so please
drop me a quick line.

My e-mail address is: jaden.scott@adelphia.net