[There was that damnable word again. It seemed like every time she said it, he interpreted it differently, and he was beginning to wonder if it was on purpose. It seemed everything she did had some motive - some point it was coming to, and he wasn't quite able to follow along. This bothered him a great deal. For perhaps the first time since she started using that phrase on him, he let it show in his eyes.]
You keep saying that. [There was a silent "but..." at the end, but apprehension prevented it from being vocalized. Then he recalled the last few times, and realized she had added something. "Quite fond"? If only he could read minds.]