"It - it was partly the biting, yes. But I...."

Alfred pauses a moment, realizing they haven't truly discussed this for what it really was. "...Herbert, I wasn't scared off by you. I was scared of...of what I felt. At the time, I...I still didn't realize that it was all right, being attracted to another man. I still thought there was something wrong with me."

Gently, he fingercombs Herbert's hair as he speaks.

"I don't want you to hold back. I never did. I - was afraid, but not...not for the reasons I think you thought I was."