"If I had told you from the start, you would have never believed me," he pointed out with a loud sigh. Cole knew Chris was upset now, but he had been even more so when he had first found out. Anything he could have said previously would have not gotten through to him and that they needed some time before they could really talk, which is why it took so long for Cole to even think of deciding to tell him.

"When I was put on this mission, all I thought about you was that you were just a jumping point to my real goal, but early on I realized that our friendship had become real and not just some means to an end." He never looked up while he was speaking, instead just focusing strongly on his hands so he didn't lose the nerve to say what he wanted to. "I--I cared about you, Chris, and I still do. You think I was manipulating you, but I wasn't. You're my friend and the reason why I went to your family for help. I didn't want to lose you."