The question about your Thursday
He asks how Thursday went. Not the vague ‘how’s work’, the actual Thursday. The presentation you were dreading, the phone call with your mother. You mentioned both once, between the starter and the main.
Watch what he does with your answer. He does not fix it, and he does not top it with a story of his own. He nods, asks one follow-up and keeps the rest for later. Interest from a serious man is mostly listening that somebody bothered to hold on to.
His voice drops when other men join in
A friend of yours wanders over at the party and starts doing the bit. Big laugh, a hand on your arm. The serious man across the room does not move. He keeps talking to the host, jaw a little tighter, eyes following the glass in your hand.
Do not expect a scene. What you get is a quieter voice, a slower smile and a very polite ‘we should get going’ twenty minutes later. He checks that you are comfortable and leaves the choice to you. If he ever starts telling you who to talk to, that is a different article.
