"Well, good. It's decided then," he smiled back at her, feeling temporarily thrilled by the idea. But he knew he was hiding something from her, so when he saw that smile waver for a moment, like there was a reluctance in her, he almost wanted to just let her hand go and set the poor girl free before anyone got attached.
He looked at her in silence for what felt like a very long time, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to let go of her little hand again. Eventually, he gave her a nod, trying his best to just nod and smile and be carefree and happy, like so many others. "Yes, the flamingoes. Is that what you call them? Flamingoes. It's a nice word. Come on, then," he said it all quite rapidly, as if not giving himself a chance to talk himself out of anything.