I make the joke to set him at ease, but he doesn’t look any less concerned. “Seriously, it doesn’t hurt that bad. All good,” I say. He studies me, and I swallow without meaning to. “When did you start making your feelings smaller for other people’s benefit?” he asks, his narrowed eyes focused intently on me. My head involuntarily retracts, jarring my nose. Ow. “I—I wasn’t.” Shit, I might have been…but how does he know that?
