It's startling, even after all this time, how quickly a mood can shift with Mark. One second, the tension between them is palpable, Eduardo left practically holding his breath in preparation for Mark's response, and the next, Mark is walking away again, leaving Eduardo to stare, equally puzzled. None of it makes sense to him, either, but he's pretty sure that if he were to say so, he would be referring to something entirely different. Mark has always been like this, his train of thought several stops ahead of everyone else's, even Eduardo's, and often, it seems, he's remarking on other conversation points, or ones not even yet mentioned yet. Usually (and there's that word again, in reference to their friendship; he might as well say formerly instead, one which would probably be more accurate) Eduardo can piece things together and follow along alright, but now, months after coming to the realization that he doesn't know Mark Zuckerberg like he thought he did, he's at a loss, left grasping at metaphorical straws to try to figure out what he means. Eduardo doesn't think he'd been especially difficult to understand, laying everything out on the table like he did, but apparently, even that wasn't good enough.
Exhaling heavily, both a release of energy and out of frustration, Eduardo rubs furiously at his eyes with his free hand. Now that Mark can't see, he can take just a second to try to pull himself together a little, still determined, however uselessly, not to let himself get too emotional over this. Later, maybe, when he's alone, or even with Olive (and Jesus Christ, he has no idea how he'll tell any of this to her), but not here and now, in front of Mark. He won't give him the satisfaction of that. While he may have lost it after finding out about his diluted shares, that last thread of patience finally snapping and causing him to lash out, this isn't like that, is on a smaller scale, strictly personal. It doesn't need to be a spectacle; they've had enough of that, for one, and Eduardo has to hold on to whatever dignity he can salvage. He isn't going to cry, isn't going to beg for Mark to give their friendship another shot, because he isn't the one who should need to. Besides, contrary to what's been thought about him in the past, he isn't quite that fucking weak. Just enough to want Mark back at all. He can only imagine the things his father would have to say about that.
"You're not giving up," he echoes from several steps behind Mark, dimly registering the irony in having to catch up physically as well as mentally. (It wasn't always like this, he doesn't think. For a long time, they were on the same page. He just needs to remind himself of that, especially when Mark is suddenly saying that he doesn't understand it.) "Mark, you're not the one with a reason to give up." Despite the sentiment in the words, one which Eduardo doesn't think even Mark could miss, there's nothing mean about the tone in which they're spoken; it's flat, a statement of fact. That Eduardo isn't giving up either should be apparent enough, seeing as he has yet to walk away, despite how utterly frustrating Mark can be, despite their history, despite the number of things it puts on the line, not least of which is his pride. "I just — what part of that doesn't make sense to you? You say you don't get it, but I don't get how you don't get it. I thought that was very..."
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Exhaling heavily, both a release of energy and out of frustration, Eduardo rubs furiously at his eyes with his free hand. Now that Mark can't see, he can take just a second to try to pull himself together a little, still determined, however uselessly, not to let himself get too emotional over this. Later, maybe, when he's alone, or even with Olive (and Jesus Christ, he has no idea how he'll tell any of this to her), but not here and now, in front of Mark. He won't give him the satisfaction of that. While he may have lost it after finding out about his diluted shares, that last thread of patience finally snapping and causing him to lash out, this isn't like that, is on a smaller scale, strictly personal. It doesn't need to be a spectacle; they've had enough of that, for one, and Eduardo has to hold on to whatever dignity he can salvage. He isn't going to cry, isn't going to beg for Mark to give their friendship another shot, because he isn't the one who should need to. Besides, contrary to what's been thought about him in the past, he isn't quite that fucking weak. Just enough to want Mark back at all. He can only imagine the things his father would have to say about that.
"You're not giving up," he echoes from several steps behind Mark, dimly registering the irony in having to catch up physically as well as mentally. (It wasn't always like this, he doesn't think. For a long time, they were on the same page. He just needs to remind himself of that, especially when Mark is suddenly saying that he doesn't understand it.) "Mark, you're not the one with a reason to give up." Despite the sentiment in the words, one which Eduardo doesn't think even Mark could miss, there's nothing mean about the tone in which they're spoken; it's flat, a statement of fact. That Eduardo isn't giving up either should be apparent enough, seeing as he has yet to walk away, despite how utterly frustrating Mark can be, despite their history, despite the number of things it puts on the line, not least of which is his pride. "I just — what part of that doesn't make sense to you? You say you don't get it, but I don't get how you don't get it. I thought that was very..."