My Mistakes: A BxB Story

Dane Loves Routine

Chapter Two: Dane Loves Routine

Dane woke up promptly at 6:30 am. Jeff was already gone, which was zero surprise. He never stayed the night. Generally crashed right after they fucked but some internal alarm woke him up long before he gave the impression of actually sleeping together with Dane. If you looked up fuck buddies in the dictionary, you'd see a picture of the two of them. Or actually, Dane sighed angrily grabbing his jogging shorts and shirt, they were far from buddies. Was there such as thing as fuck enemies?

It felt amazing to stretch in the relatively cool Autumn morning. Dane's house bordered some trails, and he tried to run a little every day before school. It kept him healthy but was almost a mediation. He loved the feeling of movement, the air across his face. The feeling of his heart thumping. A little sweat. The push of his feet against the ground, the way his leg muscles contracted. And this time of the year he loved the way the woods smelled, resiny and musty, liked the gold of the leaves, the amazing clarity of the blue sky above.

After a good thirty minutes of exercise, a warm, relaxing shower with tons of orange and bergamot body cleanser was his reward. Listening to music while he washed.  Not Jude's NCT but maybe sometimes another Korean group, The Rose, or just instrumental music sometimes if he was learning a piece. Even though he was a classically trained pianist, he wasn't a music snob. He listened to just about anything, finding value in the most trendiest pop, to folk music, even some metal. He remembered the time Harrison got a ride with him, only to find Marilyn Manson on Dane's playlist. The loud boy told Dane he never in a million years would believe it.

Dane knew his friends, probably everyone at school, saw him a certain way. Calm, mellow, safe. Boring. Someone who organized all of their files on their laptop meticulously. Someone who never came to school without everything about his appearance just so. His hair perfectly combed. His clothes clean, ironed and never offensive. Walked with perfect posture. Followed the school rules to the letter. Did all his homework and turned it in exactly on time. Reliable. Responsible. Dedicated Dane.

And he was. He loved aspiring to be that person. It wasn't fake. He liked order. Liked routine. Take for instance, his breakfast. Lane was in college, his parents left the house for work during his run, so he had the kitchen to himself. Just the way he liked it. He made toast with a little jam, some green tea and a boiled egg with a dusting of salt. It was warm enough, he sat on their front porch while he ate, refusing to check his phone during a meal. Listened to the birds at his bird feeder.

He might finish a project he'd started yesterday, a dough that needed to proof over night in the fridge. Baking in the morning, with just the glow of sunshine through the kitchen window, was again a morning ritual that helped him feel centered and calm. Sometimes bringing the warm bread to Alyisha's family or for his friends at school or even for his own parents to eat throughout the week, made him feel good, to know he'd helped nourish someone.

His last routine was to practice the piano. Usually playing a few older pieces that he'd already mastered, just keeping himself limber and then spending maybe a scant fifteen minutes practicing a few new things. He took once a week lessons at the junior college in the evening.  An advanced piano class. His instructor always let Dane choose what interested him to work on, then in class there was more theory, ear training, history of music. Generally a recital at the end of the quarter. It was really, truly just a repeat of the information he'd learned as a younger piano student, but he didn't mind. It was comfortable. Kept him motivated. He loved it. Loved the atmosphere of college. Loved being with older students who cared about being in school.

When Dane's parents realized how seriously their son was interested in music, around seventh grade, after he'd played for three years, they finally bought a piano for their home. It wasn't fancy. Just a basic upright piano. But they kept it tuned and Dane appreciated it, knowing that his parents were not music people and not overly fond of his playing in the house all the time. He mostly practiced if they weren't home, or at school.