[Did he mention that he was much, much younger than his classmates? That he hadn't really entered puberty in any major way? That they tricked him out there by saying the prettiest girl in school wanted to talk to him? That almost the entire school was waiting on the field, or that they just left him out there for hours once they got bored? No?
If he did, perhaps she'd understand even more about the way he's been reacting to her. And maybe he will, eventually, but right now that's definitely on his list of Things He Doesn't Want To Think About. No spontaniety gas in the world can change that conviction. ]
It got better.
[Because then there was college and Gideon and the FBI. And sure, that landed him in a different kind of bad, but at least now he was appreciated for his abilities. In that, they're really not that different.
He slips his arms around her shoulders, hugging her close. She can probably tell by the sharp way he swallows that even though this was a lifetime ago, it's not really over. It's never over.]