Chapter 242 - 235. Veteran Lessons
"Really?!"
Abel almost stood up from his seat, eyes widened in surprise. He blinked repeatedly before leaning back in his seat. Of all the things they talked about that day, this was actually the most surprising thing for him.
"Knowing him, I thought he would already beg you to," the shorter guide muttered.
Honestly, Zein thought so too. They rarely spent their night apart nowadays--either Bassena would stay over in the dorm, or Zein would sleep in the esper’s apartment. Bassena was walking on a tightrope between maintaining professionalism and clinging to his lover.
Abel narrowed his eyes and frowned a little bit, stroking his chin and making a serious face--even more serious than the time he perused the application forms. "Is he being considerate? He knew how much you value your privacy," he tilted his head, even speaking in a low and serious tone like an investigator.
"Maybe," Zein nodded in agreement. That was what he thought too. Bassena was truly being careful around him, trying his best to avoid making Zein feel uncomfortable. Perhaps, the man thought he would make Zein feel trapped if he was to ask him first, despite looking so excited at the prospect of building a house together in the future.
And Zein...wondered what his reaction would be if Bassena did ask him.
"I don’t actually know if I would agree, to be honest," he voiced his conclusion in the end, staring at the dark, gloomy winter sky outside the window of their small meeting room. He sighed and glanced at the pile of applicant forms they still need to look at. "There are too many things to think about right now."
The entirety of the reclamation project itself, the unknown sponsor behind Golden Viper, the ’cult’ working together with the force of Deathzone...they just had too much on their mind, too many things to do. Zein had no idea if he could afford to spend time mulling over whether or not he was emotionally ready to live together with his lover.
"Well, we have different concerns, certainly," Abel smiled at the other guide’s conflicting expression. "But I understand the sentiment."
He couldn’t say he understood or knew everything that Zein had to face right now, but if it was about pending things because there was too much crammed in his head, he knew enough of it.