Ok so the direct approach perhaps hadn't been the best one, but he wanted this over with, fast, and get back to normal. The way things had been. Right now he more than anything wish he'd never mentioned knowing what Higgs did for a living.
'Tell me that me knowing about your line of work doesn't make a difference,' he said, stubbornly bluntly. 'More importantly, mean it,' he added, sighing as he ran his hand through his hair.
'I-' he hesitated. 'You're my friend Higgs, I don't want things to be awkward between us, for whatever reason. If I had thought they would be I'd never would have brought it up in the first place. I just thought-' he frowned. 'I thought we were closer friends than that.'