Of course he shouldn't have expected her to just know, but he still found himself thrown off guard by the sudden questioning. His breath quickened and the panic was clear on his features if not by his voice. "I shouldn't have - I mean, I never - I..." He found it difficult to explain just what he was sorry for, how to phrase it without sounding careless or crass. Finally, he managed, "I never should have... said what I did that night."

That wasn't ideal either.

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