Confusion wasn't exactly what he was expecting, really. He didn't know how it was supposed to have gone but him being confused wasn't it. Why did he feel a spark of agitation? It wasn't directed at Joseph, of course it wasn't, but at everything in general. It couldn't have just been simple, could it? Nothing ever was, at least, it didn't end up being as much. Once again he wasn't able to look at him and looked down, to his arms in their rolled up sleeves, to his chest with the unbuttoned vest.
"About your title. And your reputation..." How was he supposed to say it all out loud? Just letting these thoughts have space in his head made him feel ugly. All Joseph did was be everything that Rhys could have asked for whenever they interacted. It was less than a week, five nights at this point, but that didn't help anything.
His fingers twisted behind his back, holding the back of his shirt in their grasp. Finally, finally, he looked up to catch those blue eyes once again. "I think I..." He needed to stop stuttering and holding back. "I mean, I... I don't want to be.." His fingers stopped their twisting and he took an actual deep breath through his nose. "Tossed aside. Not by you."
Suddenly, he wished he could take the words back. There were a million ways he could have done all of this. He could have started with the other stuff first. He was embarrassed with himself.