Eddie doesn't take the silence for rejection, because Eddie saw that fear -- recognizes that fear. It's the same kind of fear that his mother put in him with all her talk that queers (an insult in her mouth) were sick and disgusting. He's quiet until John speaks, and then he nods.

"It is nice. Not having to be afraid here." Eddie says quietly, "I was very afraid, back home. It's something I never could have talked about, and I sure wasn't going to be brave enough to actually... act on what I felt."

There's a long pause, before Eddie admits, "Had myself a panic attack the first time Angel and I talked about... if we were friends or more than that."