Her pupils dilated slightly as he spoke of something she was obviously hiding from him. She blinked long to regain control of her facial expression and her apparent surprise was gone. She was silent for a moment, slowly weighing her words or her options. Finally, a small, amused smirk appeared on her face.
"Do you really want to know what I am hiding from you, Mister Doe?"
Fiorella asked him a rhetorical question with her slightly amused expression, which she answered herself after several long seconds of silence.
"It is not so much of a secret as it is embarrassing to me - but whatever, it is possible that another day I will not be able to hide as artfully as I am now. I will fulfil your wish."
She strained his curiosity by her slow speech and even longer pauses. It was most evident that she enjoyed his attention. It looked like she was about to finally answer his question when she finished her glass of ice water before deciding to continue. She turned her face towards him just slightly - so that half of her face was hidden behind her black flowing hair.
"The truth is, Mister Doe, I am not very comfortable being on this world. Houston has a different rotation than my world and it confuses me, the air irritating my airways and lungs. My head hurts. I am not used to it."
She walked to the table and poured ice water from her pitcher into her glass. She continued her melodic, slow monologue while she wiggled her right index finger on the rim of the crystal glass.
"Now you can see why I am so embarrassed, can you not?"
She sipped lightly from her glass of water and fixed her grey-blue gaze on him again. Whatever she was experiencing right now, cool water was alleviating her difficulties to a certain degree.
