Rumpelstiltskin had indeed been spinning for several hours, had barely stopped since his son had arrived in Lawrence. It was a nervous habit he had, whenever his mind was working too much, thinking and brooding, he would start to spin, let the golden thread form and run between his fingers, glinting in the light. It was a small amount of magic but it felt good to do.
And it stopped him thinking too much about what it meant that Baelfire was around. He had never stopped loving his son, not for a moment. The Dark Curse had been created to try to get back what he had lost so foolishly, due to his own cowardice and selfishness. And then, even when he had been finally reunited with his son, he kept on making mistakes, ruining Bae's trust in him.
But if he had any intention of hiding from the issue forever, it seemed as though Belle had other plans. She truly did know him better than anyone else did, and so when she came in, he stopped spinning, pausing for a moment before he turned to face her, accepting the tea.
"Still making the perfect tea," he offered her a small smile, sipping the drink carefully. She always did know how to make it just the way he liked it. "Perhaps I simply wish to avoid overwhelming him right now. He has just arrived, after all, and must still be learning about this new place." It was an excuse and he knew it, but that didn't stop him from attempting it.