HIS  JAWS  CLENCH .  HIS  GAZE  ,   _{however ,  stays glued to her .  Unyielding but  soft .  He toys with the rings on his fingers as a way to keep himself occupied as he ponders and chooses his words  meticulously  .   Dropping his  devil-may-care  facade ,  he says softly   ––   barely above a whisper ,     “    If I do believe you , will you trust me enough to tell me what’s going on ?   ”}

_{continued from here.}