Atwater May Finally Come Clean to Celeste on 'Chicago P.D.'

When it comes to love, Chicago P.D.'s Kevin Atwater (played by LaRoyce Hawkins) hasn't been very lucky. His first love interest on the show landed herself in jail, and since then, he hasn't really gotten an opportunity to further explore his dating life.

That is, until Season 9, when he met teacher Celeste (played by Amanda Payton). Celeste spends her spare time painting, making political and activist pieces. Atwater continued to see her to get details on a case, but are they still together now?

Earlier in the season, viewers saw Atwater begin to develop a relationship with Celeste. Unlike many of the other relationships on the show, Celeste isn't a police officer — meaning her bond with Atwater is a bit different than other onscreen couplings.

"Most of the love that we see is blue, between partners. It feels something like a crisis bond naturally between one cop to another" LaRoyce Hawkins told TV Insider. "But this [relationship with Celeste] is something different. This love isn’t blue at all. It’s very Black and it’s layered."

While this may seem like a good thing for Atwater, he also hasn't been entirely honest with his new partner. Throughout their budding relationship, he's continuously omitted that he's a cop, knowing that she has a negative opinion of them. Celeste blames the police officers who were present at the time of one of her students' deaths, not knowing that Atwater is an officer himself. While he seems to withhold this information out of admiration for Celeste, keeping up the lie for so long can't bode well for the future of their relationship.

While we haven't seen Celeste back on screen for a minute, we can confirm that the duo is still together... for now, that is.

Showrunner Gwen Sigan told TVLine that more of this season will explore Atwater “falling for this girl, yet she doesn’t know the real him. It’s an interesting look at Atwater’s identity and how he defines himself."

But again, since he has yet to confess that he's a cop, there's still a clear point of conflict for the couple — and the longer he waits, the worse telling her will be.

That being said, it doesn't mean that the confession will end their relationship. It seems that Atwater's relationship with Celeste will continue to be a plot point explored this season as the show delves further into what this connection really signifies for him.

"I think by Season 9, Atwater will find a way to find some balance. Because I do think it’s necessary," LaRoyce told CinemaBlend. “Black love is something that we haven’t unpacked that much on this show."

Watch the situation unfold on Chicago P.D. when it airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on NBC.