The Stone Knight (gay)✔️

2. 'Which woman could resist a crying man?'

At breakfast, Lucas said not a word about the discovery of his fraud to Lizzy.
"Did he give you a reward for finding his son?" she curiously inquired. 
"Would you please keep it down?" he scolded her looking around.
He froze in his chair when he saw Donald Green, the head of human resources, clearly searching through the staff dining room before resting his gaze on them.
"Can I talk to you both in my office?"
The tone was too neutral to detect any intentions.
Lucas walked half a step behind Lizzy so she couldn't see the worried expression on his face.
"Mr. Stone informed me of your performance yesterday. He was very pleased with the way Beth handled the situation and therefore had the request for her to take over the Nanny position."
He looked apologetic at Lizzy.
"I regrettably had to tell him that we can't miss you at the desk during the holiday period. I suggested that Lucas take over the position."
"What was his answer?" escaped him too eagerly and he cringed.
Mr. Green didn't seem to notice anything, but Lizzy took him in obliquely.
"He wanted a conversation before he made a decision. Here at 11:00."
It seemed to take forever for the time to come to report to Donald Green's office. However there hadn't been many opportunities to fret over the upcoming conversation. It had been all hands on deck to avoid Lizzy. Because he wanted to prevent her from speaking to him before he had more clarity.

Through the glass window, he saw that Dylan Stone had already arrived. Dressed in an impressive suit, he should have looked ridiculously overdressed  sitting on the simple wooden chair. However, the opposite was true. He looked glorious. Comfortable in any situation and confident that everything would go as he liked. Lucas blinked breathlessly at the sight of the total control that the man radiated. Pouting, he looked at his own pea green shirt with a shouty logo and khaki-colored shorts. The gap between them couldn't have been wider.
'What had inspired him to defy this man? Had he not insinuated that there might await fate worse than a mere dismissal?'

He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Donald Green came to meet him and opened the door.
"I'll get a drink. Sit down," said the man to his surprise.
Standing in the doorway, Lucas saw Dylan Stone get up and walk around the desk. "Sit down."
He placed his long body in the small manager's custom-made office chair. It looked comical. Lucas struggled to bite away with a smile. 
The wooden seat was still warm from its previous user. It felt strangely intimate. He glanced up. This man was the only one aware of his deepest secret, but had not yet responded to it. The tension in his abdomen increased.
'Was this his punishment? To get outed?'
Silently, they stared at each other. A deep feeling of tenacity filled him.
'He refused to back down. Of all the things he had no control over, this was an exception. He determined when, where and how his identity was revealed.'
As soon as the door opened and the manager appeared with a tray, he got up.
"I'm gay," Lucas proclaimed in a clear voice.
"There! Whatever happened, the man couldn't take this away from him.'

"Yes," Donald Green nodded. "I think your sister said something like that before we hired you. It really is something of no consequence."
Unaware of the bomb that had exploded, he placed the tray on his desk.
"What do you take in your coffee, Mr. Stone?"
"Nothing, thank you."
Dylan was glad the manager didn't look at him because he couldn't turn his gaze away from Lucas. He could see how much impact the manager's response had.
His eldest brother had struggled with this issue. Booze and pills had ruined his health. The depression that followed had cost him his life.
In his mind, Lucas's orientation had never been a stick to strike with. That the boy thought otherwise was worrying. Because the manager was already aware, the issue would not affect their discussion here, but he feared the mental punch that had just been handed out.

"Lucas?", asked the manager.
"No, thank you, I don't need anything," the boy answered hoarse.
There was a caught blush on his cheeks. Gray eyes had everything registered. He felt encumbered and had no choice but to accept that this was caused by his own rash actions.
"You won't find a better babysitter, Mr. Stone. Our kids team loves Lucas just like all children."
"Since Jacob is a satisfied visitor of the daycare, I can agree with to that, Mr. Green. Nevertheless, I prefer a female carer. I'm not just looking for someone who can engage Jacob. There are also nurturing tasks in the position that I do not find suitable for a boy."
Demonstratively, Lucas crossed his arms. The sneer to his age was not to be missed. It was also abundantly clear that the man had not read his résumé. It was above his pride to point it out. He didn't want him? Fine! As far as he was concerned, it would be preferable if they each went their own way from here.