"Okay, good. I kind of like aimless wandering. You see interesting things. Interesting people. I've always liked to watch people. I don't mean that in a creepy way, it's just fascinating to see how different everyone is. You can make up whole stories for people. I used to do that when I was a kid, come up with all these elaborate stories about what people were doing. If I saw a guy looking kind of suspicious, I could spin it into a whole story about how he was probably a spy, or something. I guess I still do it, sometimes."

That he's comfortable enough with Ned to say things like that and not worry too much about what Ned will think is significant in it of itself. He's always been very honest, prone to over-sharing information, but in the past, the moment he's said something, he's always regretted it. In this case, when he says something a little silly or offbeat, he doesn't worry nearly so much about how Ned'll take it. It's reassuring. He thinks he could get used to it.

And he wishes, just as Ned is wishing, although of course he can't know what Ned's thinking, that he could hold Ned's hand, too. It seems so unfair to him, that were he walking with a girl on a date, he could hold her hand and nobody would think anything of it. Some people might even smile indulgently, or be charmed by the sight. He likes to think that someday, maybe, things will be different. It's hard to be that optimistic, though, so he keeps those thoughts to himself, and reassures himself with the fact that he can be as affectionate with Ned as he wants to when they're alone together.