The Stone Knight (gay)✔️

13. Twelve years later.

"Where is he?!" spat Dylan angrily in the phone that almost succumbed to his grip.
He had just returned from a business trip and had found the house empty.
There were three notes on his desk. Jake spent the weekend with friends and Noah was with his mother. The third note was crushed in his left hand.
Madeleine cleared her throat. "Lucas' notice period expired yesterday. He move out."
"I can read that, Mother," he snapped angrily. "I asked you where he is!"
He heard a little sigh.
"And please don't hang up a story about how you don't know where he is, because you're like two peas in a pod."
"I'm sure Lucas is currently enjoying a well-deserved vacation, Dylan, and I don't want you to bother him." He snorted at her stern tone. "Change your clothes and come here for dinner."

Internally fuming, he drove to his mother's house. Lucas had shared his plans with everyone but him. First, the gradual withdrawal had eluded him until an attentive customer had alerted him to this. "Where's that nice assistant of yours?" the man asked. Dylan had left him guilty of the answer.
Lucas had not fulfilled his obligations with increasing regularity. With each tirade, he had carelessly shrugged his shoulders. And now he was completely gone.
Dylan didn't like change. He liked the routine he had built up in the last twelve years. Everyone had a place and a function, so that he could do his job optimally. Lucas' departure left him with a big hole.

Unscrupulously, he vented his dissatisfaction with the situation. "You could have at least hired a new housekeeper before you agreed to terminate his contract." His tone was now somewhat tempered because Noah was within earshot.
Madeleine took her irritated son in a thoughtful way. "There is already enough staff present, Dylan. I see no reason to create an new position just because Lucas has spoiled you during all these years." Satisfied, she saw his tanned face running red.
He struggled to swallow some inappropriate words.
"When do you expect him back?"
"I'm don't know yet," she lied smoothly. The look in her eyes assured him that further questioning was pointless. Internally swearing, he took a few deep breaths and changed the subject. After another hour talking about the details of his business trip, he ended the visit.
"Come Noah, time to say goodbye."
Given the late time, he sent the boy straight to bed.
He had some paperwork to do himself. After half an hour, his hand reached to the right in an automatic gesture. For twelve years, his fingers had closed around a ready standing cup of coffee. Now he was grabbing air. His hand clenched into a fist. He would have to exchange a few well-chosen words with Lucas Mahoney next time he saw him.

Lucas took a deep breath. Thanks to Madeleine's support, he found an interesting job. As a personal assistant to a children's book publisher, he was able to showcase all his knowledge and skills. His boss, Ben Hughes, was a close friend of Madeleine's. She had hinted that the genial man of sixty-three could use his help very well. Lucas felt privileged. Ben listened to his ideas to revive the poorly-run publishing house.
On a personal level, too, all the hard work of the past year paid off. He had involved Jake and Noah in every step of the way. The boys were so important to him. He didn't want them to feel left out or abandoned as he went his own way. Fortunately, they had immediately understood his intentions and supported him unconditionally. The only one in the household who had remained silent on all fronts was Dylan. Several times he had tried to talk to him about it, but each time he got the lid on the nose. "You have a contract," was invariably the answer. After several attempts he had given up on courage and served out his time.

With foresight, he had planned his notice period in such a way that it ended on the weekend that Dylan was on an important business trip. He couldn't keep his eyes dry when the entire staff, including the gardeners, had come out of the huge house to wave him off. Dylan's absence spared him the humiliation of ridicule over his intense emotions and he let them go without restriction.
Madeleine had called him yesterday to say that Dylan had emphatically informed after him. He was glad she had kept up the façade of his holiday.
Lucas didn't know what Dylan had to discuss with him so suddenly. He wasn't the one who slammed the door. That's why he didn't see why he was the one who opened it. After twelve years, he had finally closed the Dylan Stone-Knight chapter.