"That's a good question. I mean, from a completely shallow perspective, he was really good-looking. But that's not all it was, because there were a lot of good-looking guys, I guess, and I didn't really notice any of the rest of them. I guess I liked him because he genuinely tried to be nice. He was kind of a loner, just like me, but he wasn't cynical like I am. He just liked to do his own thing, but he got along with most people. He just kind of made you think that he actually gave a shit about the stuff you were saying."

He's well aware that his description of this guy sounds a fair bit like Ned, but maybe Ned won't notice. It's not completely obvious, anyway, and just because he sees Ned that way doesn't mean Ned sees himself that way. "And I guess I liked that he was kind of mysterious. You know, he was that kid that you could never quite fit comfortably into a group. He wasn't a jock, he wasn't incredibly rebellious, he wasn't really anything. I wanted to get to know him better."

He feels that way about Ned, too, like he wants to get to know him better, like he really wants to get inside his head -- not in an uncomfortable, prying way, just in a way that'll tell him more about Ned. He cares what Ned has to say, and doesn't mind offering information in return. To be fair, he's never been particularly hesitant about sharing information about himself.

"Needless to say, he and I didn't work out."