Rory saying his name and coming closer alerted Gio that he was doing a bad job of hiding his feelings, which he knew already, but it made him even more determined to close off everything and start joking around. It wasn't that he didn't want Rory to know; it was that he didn't want to own up to anything himself. Purposefully establishing himself as a friend to Glory was part of his own special denial process. Not exactly denial in the mental sense, but more of a physical denial that had worked with every other girl he'd ever crushed on.
Then Rory asked if he loved Glory, and sure enough color raced into his face at an alarming rate. He opened his mouth to protest the question, only to stumble over his words long enough for Rory to continue on to the next topic.
Powers, right.
Gio felt as though he might pass out from the burning in his head, which was only exacerbated by the hat he wore snug against his skull, keeping all the heat inside. Somehow, he was able to think.
"If talking to fish is one, why wouldn't that be?" Gio asked, unhappy to hear how tight his voice sounded. "You're always right about this stuff, and maybe these little gifts we have … aren't so little after all. But I don't know how you'd test out your power if it's only sensing chemistry between two people." He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips.