Guts
He glances at her from the passenger seat of the fancy car. She seems at ease behind the wheel despite allowing the road only one third of her attention. He sighs and lays his head against the window. He doesn't mind that she's distracted. The knot in his gut he can't quite swallow has nothing to do with her driving skills.
He had not revealed how he was struggling. He had answered questions honestly. He had been essentially pleasant and well behaved. He had not uttered one word of complaint since she retrieved him from the hospital. He had been composed and polite.
One would be hard pressed to find a situation where he wasn't polite.
He appreciated her injecting her sense of humor into the situation. He had smiled genuinely when they played the game of role reversal while packing his things. When he looked at her affectionately, when he had kissed her, that was genuine too. He would never lie to her. He couldn't. If she was not yet aware what kind of line he was toeing, she'd find out soon enough. He suspected she knew more than she let on.
One would be hard pressed to find a situation where she didn't know more than she let on.
He had not revealed how he was struggling. He had answered questions honestly. He had been essentially pleasant and well behaved. He had not uttered one word of complaint since she retrieved him from the hospital. He had been composed and polite.
One would be hard pressed to find a situation where he wasn't polite.
He appreciated her injecting her sense of humor into the situation. He had smiled genuinely when they played the game of role reversal while packing his things. When he looked at her affectionately, when he had kissed her, that was genuine too. He would never lie to her. He couldn't. If she was not yet aware what kind of line he was toeing, she'd find out soon enough. He suspected she knew more than she let on.
One would be hard pressed to find a situation where she didn't know more than she let on.