[...okay, so. Not a friend, but a boyfriend. He has no idea who this guy is but he feels the need to be a bro and. Look, he's done his fair share of messing things up with girlfriends and it's a LOT of work to make sure that mess isn't so... messy. Is he wrong to read his own issues into this? Before, he was pretty okay with Barbara's 'not yet' approach, but now, after seeing Garth's face when Tula...]

I'm sure his feelings are just as intense. He might be... nervous, and trying not to let on to you.

[HE IS GUESSING. HE HAS NO IDEA. WHOEVER YOU ARE, BRO, HE HOPES IT'LL HELP.]

So, instead of admitting that he's nervous about something, he's just being indirect. Maybe.