Dan looks crestfallen as he sees how Aster interprets it, and he realizes he may have been considering Aster’s actions to be helping him get on his feet and not intended to be a permanent situation. Was this supposed to be permanent? Dan hasn’t countenanced that possibility because it would disappoint him if it weren’t, so he may as well not tease himself. Now he considers that he misjudged.

“What? No, weren’t nothing you did, I just…” He takes a bite of his sandwich, trying to use chewing to buy himself time, but his cheeks are already getting flushed. “I didn’t want to make it awkward for you when I said I like you. I didn’t want to keep blurring the lines of you being professional just because I want more than that.”

He bites his lip, waiting for Aster’s response.