“No, I’m just super uncomfortable here,” I said, launching into that thing where you make an honest joke about an awkwardness but then, because of that real awkwardness, everyone desperately wants to relieve the tension, so they overcompensate by doubling down on the laughter, like you’ve just said the funniest thing in the world, and meanwhile the point you were hoping would be made ends up completely ignored. You never know, sometimes people catch on, it’s a way to get out of a situation. But not in this case.
