But the fact that you can’t is due to something outside your control, Ivy. [ Accepting that he would continue circling on the subject if she kept disagreeing was probably the easiest way to move forward. Llewellyn didn’t think she should carry all the responsibility for something that was caused by someone else… Which was more than a little hypocritical of him, really. ]

Oh… [ He murmured awkwardly, knowing by now that the term ‘like’ often meant something more than just a friendly liking someone. ] So because of the effects of your uh- bite, and her personality, she doesn’t believe she has feelings that run deeper than that. [ Llewellyn still was of the mind that Harry was at least somewhat different. At least based on the varied interactions she’d spoken of, this new awkward one aside.

He offered a clumsy smile at her question, though. ] Probably, yes. Perhaps, uh- with slightly more words than that if I was nervous… Which I would caution against, making an already awkward conversation more confusing tends to be a hinderance.

[ So, you know. Don’t do that. Benefit from his prior awkwardness. ]