The Chicago Fire Season 13 premiere packed several surprises for viewers.

After it seemed like Carver(Jake Lockett) and Violet (Hanako Greensmith)

were finally jumping into the deep end of their attraction to each other in

Season 12, the new season found Carver dating someone else after returning from a six-week-long furlough. Lockett talked to Us Magazine about the Carver-Violet slow burn that seemed to be paying off but then regressed. He shared the thoughts running through his character’s mind and why Carver shut Violet down when she was finally ready to explore what they could be.

For six weeks, Lockett said Carver had been “trying to figure out how to move through this” after his feelings were not acknowledged and reciprocated when he admitted them to Violet. “You’re sitting here trying to do the same old thing where you’re just wading through it, not really being [committed], kind of, like, halfway talking about it,” Lockett said. Six weeks was enough for Carver to decide he didn’t want to “sit here and play in the lukewarmness of it anymore.” When Season 13 debuted, Carver had a new belle who picked him up, and they made a very public show of affection.