To say that Rhone wasn’t offended would be a lie. He did not expect her to react with exaggeration at his reveal. He had shared a part of himself that he hadn’t really shared with anyone. Perhaps what bothered him the most was that while he shared with her an intimate part of himself, she seemed to write it off as if it were nothing. Those words were hard to say and she acted as though they meant nothing. He tried not to look offended, but he couldn’t help the way his face betrayed his intentions.
In all honesty, he was trying to be kind to her, to not hurt her feelings. Instead of thanking him for his thoughtfulness, she brushed it off as if it was nothing. It felt like a dagger through the heart. "I did not want to hurt you, Luvena…" He cared for her deeply and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her in his choice. Instead of acknowledging that he was trying to protect her heart (even if it was not his job to do so), she damn near laughed in his face, brushing off his own feelings while trying to justify her own.
In this moment, Rhone felt himself grow smaller. He felt insulted. He expected to feel pain, but he was unprepared for the lashings she gave him, even if she tried to hide them behind kindness and smiles. "I wanted this…us to work. I promised you I would try and I was…" But he paused. She was putting words into his mouth that were not there and while he should just smile and nod and move on, he could not. "It is not my past that is holding me back, please do not say it is. I want you to have the best. You deserved all of me and I can’t give you that while trying to guide a court. It might have been different if you were still in Dusk…" Would it have made a difference? Perhaps…but perhaps not. If she had been close, he might could have continued to try, to overcome his barriers. But the long-distance thing was doomed. They were separated by a damn ocean.
But when she nudged his shoulder, telling him that they would remain friends regardless, Rhone was confused. Everything about this meeting had gone so very different than he had imagined. He had hoped they could go back to how they had once been, but now he wasn’t so sure. Now he had doubts about himself and about their friendship. How poorly did she think of him? He tried to smile, but it came across as forced and unsure.
@Luvena
