While Theodore might not be the physical comfort type, Hugh certainly was and the touch, brief as it was, did as much to reduce any lingering anxiety as did the words that Theodore followed with. He nodded, took a sip of the bourbon and put it down, gaze steady on Theodore. "If it hadn't come up, I probably wouldn't have brought it up yet, but it's not a long trip from my IMDB page, you know?" He dropped his gaze, the regret there. "And it's a short page," he added, with a self-depreciating smile. "But there's time to work on that yet."
He pulled his gaze back up, and offered a small smile in return. "I genuinely hoped as much," he offered. "But you have a daughter, and I can't say that I would have been anything other than understanding had you pulled back. And I figured it was only fair to give you that choice, without finding out from the Internet later. Or Elaine finding out." It seemed as if it had been right to say here, and it had turned out alright, which meant he could breathe a little easier.
"It feels like enough in some days, and then I think some days, you know, I got off easy. I can be incredibly hard on myself, which isn't always healthy, like you said, penance. I'm trying to live my life again though, do good things in the world maybe. Like art."