Carter couldn’t listen to half of the stuff that Preston was saying anymore, because he knew it was all lies. He wasn’t fine at all. There was nothing fine about him. He was obviously in pain, a mental struggle that was just growing every time he looked at his phone. “It’s somebody, Preston.” He argued, remembering to keep at least the smallest bit sympathetic, because he wasn’t about to push Preston away. Carter was going to keep Preston as close as he could, because they had done so much work to keep them close. Now everything seemed to be falling apart at the seams. The phone started to buzz again, and Carter couldn’t help but want to just grab it from his clutch. He was being pushed away further and further, and from the body language, they couldn’t be further away right now. They were almost on either side of the couch, and that was just uncomfortable. “I don’t want to hurt you right now,” He leaned across the couch, grabbing the phone and locking it. The boy’s grip was on it as well, but he just wanted to take it and throw it and keep it away from him. “I’m not going to read them,” He told him confidently, looking into his eyes, wanting to know that they were trustworthy and he knew that this boy needed some sort of stability. Carter just wanted to know what was going on, but he wasn’t going to snoop. They needed to grow in their own relationship and to trust each other. He would wait for Preston to tell him what was going on, and that would just have to be the end of it. Carter set the phone on the coffee table, looking at his boyfriend with the most sympathetic look, wanting so much to kiss him and love on him and tell him he was safe. “Whatever is going on, doesn’t make you an awful person. You’re beautiful, and you’re amazing, and I couldn’t,” Carter caught himself from using the word he swore he wouldn’t use yet. The big one. “Look, I care about you so much, and I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m your boyfriend and I want to help you. Please let me help you.”