"Oh!" Merri exclaimed, embarrassed by his wrong assumption. "But... that's still exciting, too! I mean, I do see the other performances if I can, but there's so much to do around the festival -- not that I don't want to see the performances and I try but it's not as much as I want to and..." He cleared his throat. "I'll be sure to see yours though! Which day is it, and what time?"
It amazed Merri how... easy she was making this date seem. Here he was, tripping all over himself, and she seemed almost nonchalant about the whole thing. Comfortable. A good sign, he hoped, especially if she was still like this with all his fumbling!
"That's... good!" he said. He started to feel like a broken record, and he gulped. "I hope this is relaxing for you! I mean, if you're busy and all, but I hope this is... I mean, thanks for coming out with me, again! I... I still think about... well..." He cleared his throat, not sure how to say it, then deciding it was best not to say it. "So I'm really glad you are here, now!"