Oscar's reaction is much more than Paul expected, and lasting longer. It's foolish of him to be caught off-guard by the impact of the game he set up and the teasing he'd engaged in, but for all of Paul's learned sophistication, he's still a teenager wielding tools he has yet to fully master. Uncertainty strikes him, and a lacing of guilt whose providence he can't quite articulate.

He retreats with a look of faint apology, composing himself to a more proper upright configuration. There's an interesting knot on the wooden floor he examines, finishing his glass of wine in an impulsive swallow before he sets it aside.

"It's not something you solve all at once," he says, with unusual awkwardness, "You're still young," like Paul isn't, "You have time."