He smiles back, glad that Ned hasn't taken offense somehow in knowing that his father knows about him. Some people might not like that, he realizes, might feel uncomfortable that they'd been talked about, but how could he avoid talking about Ned, when Ned had suddenly become so important to his life? All he can do is try not to gush unnecessarily about him, try not to arouse his father's suspicions any further than they already have been.

"Okay, there's a place right around here that I like, around the corner, I think. And I think I'd like to keep walking, if you don't mind. Sometimes I get too antsy when I sit around somewhere, and then I worry that I'm not being interesting enough, and if we're walking you have other things to look at, anyway, so you won't be as bored if I'm not entertaining you. Not that I think you need constant entertainment, but you know what I mean."

Will he ever be able to stem this tide of verbal anxiety? Probably not. He feels relatively comfortable around Ned, now, and yet, it all still comes out in a rush like that, whenever he's unsure of himself. They walk a little further, and come to the coffee shop he'd pointed out. Holding open the door for Ned, he ushers him inside, wishing, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, that he could put an arm around him, or something.