"I know," Joel says, because although he hadn't seen her through the last thing she'd had to get over, he knows her enough now to know she's strong. And she will get better. Time passes and wounds might not heal entirely, but they hurt less. He knows that applies to the physical as well as the emotional, that everything will fade and she'll recover, but it might never go away entirely and he doesn't think there's anything entirely wrong with that. It's just how people deal.

He doesn't expect her question and he pauses, thinking about it. "Yes," he answers finally. "To some extent. Someone... found out recently, someone I hadn't intended on telling. I didn't tell her and she reacted... she thought I was dangerous. That's the very thing I'm trying to avoid, so yes, it makes me a little nervous."