(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 337

Chapter 337: The cost of a love lost

Trigger warning

Not explicitly mentioned, but there is discussion of suicide and will be for probably a few Chapters. If that isn’t something you want to read, please keep yourself safe.

As the hours ticked on, Kellen grew more nervous. He hadn’t heard from Rhys, or Hill, even as the stars began to appear in the sky. The day had ended, Kellen and everyone else had gone home.

Pamela had taken Casper home with her, deciding that she would help him get on his feet. Casper, who was normally opinionated, and voiced his concerns for himself, had nothing to say. It was sad to see, but at the same time...Kellen knew that the man couldn’t be alone right now. He’d nearly lost his mind when he’d been sent to stay in his own apartment on his own, being with Pamela was for the best.

Rene, who was an outsider, pulled Kellen to the side and asked for a more detailed explanation for what happened. Kellen did his best, without hurting either Casper or Gunther’s reputation, but Rene’s face had only gotten more severe as he continued to speak.

Rene decided that she wasn’t going to go with Pamela back to her place, but she was going to send a few things along with them. Kellen felt that maybe he should be worried about what she would send, but she told him he should trust her. Rene also wasn’t going to go to his parents, knowing better.

She did suggest that he tell his Father what was going on, just so that if the Guides needed to go to someone, they had three Guides to go to still. Kellen hated that she made a good suggestion, not because he didn’t like Rene, but because she got a smug look on her face after suggesting it.

Kellen wanted to tell the woman who had decided not to join their Guild, and instead join the Nemesis Guild that she shouldn’t tell them how to run their Guild, but held his tongue.

He was worked up because Rhys was out there with Hill, doing only god knows what to try and speak to Gunther after what happened in the coffee shop. Kellen had wanted to be there too when they had their talk, but obviously he couldn’t be. He was worried about everyone, and so as the time ticked on, and Rhys still wasn’t home, Kellen grew more and more anxious.

He had free time, so he’d been baking at first. He’d made the cookies he had promised what felt like forever ago because he wasn’t using the time that he normally fooled around with Rhys, so he had to do something to keep his mind off of it.

After he’d finished baking, and Rhys still wasn’t back, Kellen wasn’t sure what he should do.

He’d paced the floor, then tried to get some work done. He didn’t want to go upstairs in case he missed when Rhys arrived, but that didn’t mean he knew what to do. Unlike when he’d been in the conference room, he wasn’t able to focus on what he was doing. He was just staring at the pages before him, rereading the same sentence over and over as he tried to get a grip on what he was feeling.

He wasn’t getting anywhere, his head muddled.

He then tried to read for fun, but had the same response as when he’d been trying to read for work purposes. He tried to turn on the t.v. to see if anything interesting was on, and realised that nothing interested him.

He just wanted Rhys home, and to know if everyone was okay.

He was worried for everyone. Kellen couldn’t really get answers from Casper in the state he was in, and he hadn’t asked at all given that Casper just...he wasn’t ready to talk about it. Fuck.

This was supposed to happen next week. Rhys had started therapy, he was just getting into the groove of things, Kellen’s own therapy lessons were progressing well, at least he thought so. Everything was almost perfect.

If Gunther hadn’t been such an Esper about-no. He couldn’t blame him. Gunther had sensed that something was up, he thought that he was dating Casper, and no one had changed or challenged his thoughts on that. Anyone who hadn’t seen their partner, who they worked with, for as long as he had would have responded in a similar way.

Maybe not in the exact same way, but if Rhys and Kellen had started dating, and then he hadn’t seen Rhys for two weeks...

Huh.

Guess they weren’t too far away from how Casper and Gunther had behaved. They had kind of made it everyone else’s problem too.

The story didn’t completely align, but it made Kellen feel even more sympathy for the non couple. Kellen and Rhys hadn’t been...dating, but they had been separated for a while. Kellen had hated it, and had basically crumbled from the lack of contact.

Damn it, he understood Gunther’s actions even more now.

The lock to the door turned, and Kellen sat up from where he had been slumped on the couch. He perked up, waiting to see if it was Rhys who entered, and if he was alone.