[She's very methodical in answering his unspoken question. Perhaps it's because he makes it very easy. She doesn't have to verbalize anything, he will catch the slightest tell. She takes a deep breath, holding it a moment because letting down her guard in any way is difficult for her. It requires a level of trust that she doesn't have with anyone (with the exception of occasionally, Mal). It also requires that she let just enough down that she can still hold everything back, too much and she'll be a wreck. She presses her lips together and swallows hard the nods the slightest bit. No, she's not okay, but she will be. She smiles the slightest bit, one of gratitude more than anything else, an unspoken 'thank you']
Change is terrifying because there's an element of unknown and a loss of control. I understand why it creates such stress.
[And that's more than Inara has told anyone about herself.]