"Just because more than one person says it, that doesn't make it true." He runs a hand through his hair. "He didn't do me any favors, drawing attention to how I was feeling. You knew to leave it be. So you don't express yourself in a way most people find easy to deal with--that doesn't make you a robot or heartless."

He half-laughs, trying for a joke. "If he'd left well enough alone I might not have thrown up twice afterward."