Chapter 289: I don’t want to change you
The drive back was quiet. Thankfully, most people were gone like Lieutenant Fisher had said. Esper Blake came out with them, but she didn’t have to do much. One glare from Rhys, holding onto Kellen carefully as well as his cane, really put everyone in their place. Especially because his eyes were so bright he was projecting light.
Kellen was awkward. He didn’t know what to say. Sorry? He wasn’t really sorry for what he’d done though. He had made the right call. If Rhys had been there, there was a high chance that they wouldn’t have caught if not the only D.E.C. traitor, but one of them. He never minded putting himself in danger to get a better result.
Rhys had agreed to it. So had everyone else. Even if Kellen understood that Rhys was upset and for a good reason, it didn’t take away that he had agreed to it. Did it tear him up inside that Rhys was so upset that he almost cried in front of everyone? Yes, it did, but it didn’t change the fact that Rhys had agreed to it.
Kellen knew it was slightly unfair. He felt like he was forcing Rhys to change his opinions just so Kellen could keep his own. He just wasn’t...the sit back and wait type. He’d never been that. There was no way he was going to let others deal with this mess without him involved.
The longer Rhys remained quiet, the more Kellen felt like he was spiraling in his own thoughts. It wasn’t a long drive from the D.E.C. to the Guild tower, but it felt like it with the tense silence that filled the car.
When Rhys pulled into the garage under the Guild and parked the car in its designated spot, he didn’t move to get out of the car after he’d turned it off. Kellen wasn’t sure what to do. He had a feeling that if he attempted to get out of the car right now, it wouldn’t be good.
"I realise that this might feel a little strange to you." Rhys started and Kellen flinched. "You’ve never been in a romantic relationship before, and I doubt your friendships held the same weight, not even the one you have with Brent. Yes, you two would go into gates together, but you weren’t beholden to each other. This, Kellen, is different." Rhys leaned against the steering wheel of the car, sighing heavily.
"I...what do you mean?" Kellen asked, worry filling him. What was he trying to get at?
"I know you haven’t been in a romantic relationship before. In some ways, I’m very excited about it. It means I get to be all of your firsts. Your first date, your first lover, your first time holding hands, but it also gives me the other firsts too. Your first argument, your first lack of consideration, your first time realising that we are a team, not just lovers." Kellen swallowed thickly.