Forward, while possibly accurate too, is not precisely the word Trowa would choose. (Let's stick with distracting.)
He heads back to the couch. He doesn't let himself pause -- Trowa is deliberate about his movements, now as ever -- but all the same there's a moment's renewed uncertainty. Nothing about this is unwelcome in the least, but it's a reshuffling of habits; should he sit where he was, or closer? Is this reading just as they were earlier, or some middle ground? Reading short stories about ecosystems is not the top track in his brain right now.
(He would know perfectly well what signals to give if he were playing a role, and manipulating someone else's interest. Being yourself is much more complicated.)
But he doesn't let himself pause, or dither. He settles comfortably down, not quite in the corner where he was, and opens his book.
no subject
He heads back to the couch. He doesn't let himself pause -- Trowa is deliberate about his movements, now as ever -- but all the same there's a moment's renewed uncertainty. Nothing about this is unwelcome in the least, but it's a reshuffling of habits; should he sit where he was, or closer? Is this reading just as they were earlier, or some middle ground? Reading short stories about ecosystems is not the top track in his brain right now.
(He would know perfectly well what signals to give if he were playing a role, and manipulating someone else's interest. Being yourself is much more complicated.)
But he doesn't let himself pause, or dither. He settles comfortably down, not quite in the corner where he was, and opens his book.
Page 103. Right.