[ There are a lot of things Ellie could say to him that he'd make roll off his back. Sure, he'd get moody about it, maybe brood for a bit, but he'd then pretend it had never happened and gruffly keep going. But there are some things Ellie could say to him that would cut deeper than a knife, and her thinking he'd ever hit her is one of them.
Despite how furious he'd been a moment ago with all this talk of Tess, he's honestly speechless. A long, sharp silence lingers in the air between Ellie and himself.
What if, a voice dares to speak up in the back of his mind, she's telling the truth about Tess? Oh, but Jesus, he can't handle that. He cannot handle that. He starts turning away from Ellie like he's about to walk off, but then lingers listlessly on the spot, a hand coming up to run anxiously over his beard. Like he's honestly possibly starting to consider that she's telling the truth. Joel has always been a man who says a lot more in the things he doesn't say. ]
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Despite how furious he'd been a moment ago with all this talk of Tess, he's honestly speechless. A long, sharp silence lingers in the air between Ellie and himself.
What if, a voice dares to speak up in the back of his mind, she's telling the truth about Tess? Oh, but Jesus, he can't handle that. He cannot handle that. He starts turning away from Ellie like he's about to walk off, but then lingers listlessly on the spot, a hand coming up to run anxiously over his beard. Like he's honestly possibly starting to consider that she's telling the truth. Joel has always been a man who says a lot more in the things he doesn't say. ]