Katherine let out an awkward laugh as she looked at him. "Ha, ha, very funny," she said, but deep down she could tell that he was being serious. She felt her heart drop in her chest.
She had spent nearly every second of every day with him lately, and the thought of not having his comforting presence with her when she and her mom went back to Helios made her nervous. She couldn't believe that just a short while ago, the thought of him being around annoyed her, and now she couldn't imagine not having him by her side.
Charles slumped his shoulders and reached for Katherine's hands to hold in his. "I have some things I need to take care of here in Eos before I can go back with you. I've ignored my responsibilities for far too long," he explained in a sympathetic voice. He rubbed his thumbs over the back of Katherine's hands to help soothe her while he spoke.
