[ She's actually probably doing better than she thinks she is. He hasn't left mod-conversation, hasn't blocked her out or dismissed her completely, and isn't entirely averse to looking at her, but is sort of avoiding it nonetheless. Honestly, considering it's the first real talk he's ever had about it in the last three or four years? It's going pretty well.
But, man, it's like all that eye-avoidance was building up to right now, because at that suggestion, he freezes, then looks over at her straight on for a few long seconds. It's pretty obvious that the suggestion frightens him, with the not blinking until he finally does break eye contact and looks more at the desk, the wider eyes, and basically everything anyone who knows anything about body language would pick up on. When he looks away - and it's not completely away this time, he's still mostly facing her - it's also obvious that he's vaguely considering it. Which was why it was so scary in the first place, and still is. Considering it means imagining it and running through the possibilities and gauging the outcomes, but he keeps getting stuck on the imagining; it bleeds into the remembering so much faster than it should, and then it's just hard to think entirely. ]
yay?
But, man, it's like all that eye-avoidance was building up to right now, because at that suggestion, he freezes, then looks over at her straight on for a few long seconds. It's pretty obvious that the suggestion frightens him, with the not blinking until he finally does break eye contact and looks more at the desk, the wider eyes, and basically everything anyone who knows anything about body language would pick up on. When he looks away - and it's not completely away this time, he's still mostly facing her - it's also obvious that he's vaguely considering it. Which was why it was so scary in the first place, and still is. Considering it means imagining it and running through the possibilities and gauging the outcomes, but he keeps getting stuck on the imagining; it bleeds into the remembering so much faster than it should, and then it's just hard to think entirely. ]
Did it help you?