[ If he had thought she has weaseled it away out of disinterest, now it takes him by surprise. He laughs, stilted and contrived, swatting the topic away like a fly. ]

There's nothing about me worth being scared of. [ Don't worry, don't worry. He bows his head and folds his arms in front of him, making himself small. ] But— "the second time around" —that it gets easier. That's the scary part, isn't it?

[ Speaking of second times, he grabs the thermos again and pours out another round for himself, this time forcing himself to savor it. Maybe it isn't all bitter. ]