He was hilarious? ...Why?! What was funny?!

Benji smiled weakly, wondering what he had said that was making Penny laugh like that. OH NO what if she thought he was just kidding and didn't actually like her? But equally OH NO if she thought he did like her! Why was every possible outcome embarrassing for him?! FEELINGS!!!!

(But on the bright side, Penny was still holding his hand and did not in fact appear to be having the medical emergency he'd feared. Maybe that meant... She actually wanted to be holding it?)

"Silver lining..." he repeated, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his lips. The sentiment cheered him up considerably from the awkwardness he'd been feeling just a moment ago. "Right. Your mum sounds like a smart woman. Definitely a silver lining here."

In an unexpected fit of boldness, Benji gently pulled Penny's hand closer to his side, meaning they were now walking with their shoulders almost touching. Wow. Where had THAT move come from? Usually he was pretty good at filtering out the impulses his brain shoved at him, but not so much with that one. The silver lining comment had given him confidence that maybe, JUST MAYBE, she actually did... Like him? Or at least like holding his hand...

........................Wait, she WAS talking about him, right? Like he was the silver lining? It would be really awkward if she meant something else... Was he just having, like, an ego trip or something? She probably meant the fresh air or the beauty of the grounds or ANYTHING besides HIM, what was he THINKING?!?! OH, MERLIN. He glanced over at her, mustering all his acting skills to present a neutral face, but he couldn't help the slight furrow of worry in his brow. NOW was probably the moment where she told him to buzz off. He knew it had to be coming eventually. This was too good to be true, and it could only go downhill from here.