Chapter 469: We believe in you
Kellen and Rhys didn’t go to sleep after the bath. They laid in bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms for as long as they could before Kellen had to get up.
He headed for the closet, pulling out his gun cases, his actual uniform with all of the bells and whistles, and began to pull it on. Rhys watched him, silent, but Kellen could feel his gaze on his skin.
Kellen was just missing his boots at this point, opting for the shorter coat since he didn’t know what he’d be walking into when he went into the gate. When Kellen finished tucking his gun into his waistband, he turned, facing Rhys.
The man looked sad. Terribly, irreparably sad. Kellen’s heart squeezed and he moved towards the other man, his footsteps firm. He reached out, grabbing the other man’s head and pressing it against his chest while Rhys wrapped his arms around Kellen.
"This isn’t goodbye." Kellen said softly. "We don’t say goodbye on the front lines. It’s a curse. I will be back. Believe in me." Kellen told him and Rhys just squeezed him more.
"This isn’t goodbye. I...I’ll probably head downstairs and go to sleep. I can’t see you enter the gate. If...When they get notice that you’ve touched the core, I’ll wake up then and wait for you. So you better make it all the way out, Kellen. Or so help me, I’ll go in and find you, and then at least we’ll be together." Rhys told him, the anger in his tone, the desperation in his voice washing over Kellen. Kellen swallowed.
He couldn’t be mad if that happened, but he would do everything within his power to fight against it.
"Okay." Kellen agreed. "You have every right to that, but I won’t let it come to that." Kellen told him. Now that he had his arms around him, he didn’t want to let him go. His heart begged him not to, but he knew he had to.
That didn’t mean he didn’t hesitate.
"Are you going to eat before you leave?" Rhys asked and Kellen nodded.
"I was planning to come back after speaking to Carlos and Sakura, and then leave from the tower." Kellen told him and Rhys exhaled.