Jayvaughn stared at Lucian, the weight of his guilt pressing down as if a hand were squeezing his chest. He finally spoke, breaking the tense quiet between them. "Do you think I'm not feeling ashamed and disappointed in myself already? I regret the fact that I had that kind of thought in the first place."
Lucian nodded slowly, meeting Jayvaughn's gaze with a careful honesty. "Even I, your friend, am disappointed in you, Jay. I know you. You don't back down. You don't let anything knock you down. You stand back up again. Well, aside from the time you suddenly left the army because of your guilty conscience."
A gasp escaped Lucian as the words slipped out, and he continued, softening his tone. "Oh my goodness, you're trying to break up with your boyfriend who you love so much because you're feeling guilty. Oh my goodness, dude, you really need to stop this habit of leaving what you love just because you're feeling guilty."
