If Cohen had been party to the young woman’s thoughts, he definitely would have sympathized with her dilemma when it came to knowing things she shouldn’t. While he never got specific facts or anything of the sort, being able to pick up on the emotions of others without actively trying was a constant source of discomfort for him. He could barely identify and address his own emotions. He hated being party to the feelings that others might have otherwise wanted to keep secret. Cohen was half convinced it was a big reason he was as bad as emotions as he was.
At Parthenope’s giggle/snort, he couldn’t help the way he just watched at first. Wide eyes not sure whether he was truly in the clear or if he was about to get reamed. Or worse, if she was about to tell Peisinoe what a terrible person he was. Her words sent a wave of relief through him, though Cohen was definitely still red with embarrassment. “Not that you aren’t pretty,” he assured her, though it occurred to him that he might have already said that. Had he? He was so panicked at saying what he’d told Peisinoe out loud that he couldn’t remember. Oh well. The important thing here was that now he knew the woman’s name from the party, and he had a very good lead in the saga that was Finding the Mystery Mermaid.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been trying to figure out who she was,” he confessed, which definitely wasn’t a smooth or cool thing to say but he didn’t care. Although he didn’t seem to consider that Parthenope might ask why he’d been looking, which would open a conversation that would embarrass him even further.