( wanted a change after high school. that shouldn't hurt, but it does. he hides the wince, mostly, though his eyes squeeze close for an extended beat. would his Gwen have wanted a change, heading into Oxford? would she have surprised him with a short hair cut, a new look for a new school and a new country? he's never going to know. he swallows and forcibly ejects himself out of those thoughts. this is never going to get easier if he lets himself tailspin into old, destructive thoughts. this is a chance he'd never have gotten anywhere else, he needs to take advantage of it. instead of poisoning it with what could have beens. )

I bet it is. ( it's genuine, if a heartbeat late. he wants this to work and no matter how it stings, that might mean he needs to work for it. ) See, that's why mine's short. Fabio would look to me for style cues if it weren't for my measly shampoo budget. ( his hair is actually getting kind of long, for him. he would fix that, if he had any idea how to cut his own hair. that should be put on the agenda before he actually does turn into Fabio, though.

he lets his hand fall back to his side, and it's hard not to reach out again. he can't just physically hold onto her for the rest of time, as much as he'd like to. it wouldn't protect her any, even if it might make him feel better. ) I know we have... a lot to talk about. But maybe we can just figure out how to ... ( he wheels his spare hand around in the air aimlessly, as he realizes there is no good word for what he's trying to say. ) Do this. First.