[Why was he upset? It was a fair to ask. He nodded once to acknowledge that he'd heard her and took a page from her playbook, taking a bite of his naan, chewing, swallowing, and taking a sip of water before answering.]

Did you know that there's peace in not having hope? [He laughs self-deprecatingly and shakes his head.] Okay, that's a lie, it's not peace, but it's close enough for someone like me, and now even my close enough is shaken up.

So maybe that's it, and maybe it's just that I've been planning to show you what I'm like when I let the anger loose, and then you'll either want to use me or leave.

[How's that for honesty?]