Emberwood Light it up

At first, Jackie II thought the man was purposefully moving closer so that he could use his presence to ward him off, and he muttered under his breath, words that would be too faint for him to hear, barely moving his lips. When he glanced again, the man was closing in on him, which prompted him to hasten his step, but he'd misjudged just how quickly the man's rangy gait gained the ground between them. 

He made an ugly, confused face and shrugged. He'd assumed he'd been dismissed. Such was his interpretation of what 'keep lying to yourself' meant. Instead, he was beckoned, and then told what to do. He wouldn't move an inch closer to the man, as it was clear they already had problems with their communication. And now that a direct order was given, and an invitation extended, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He wanted to defy the man. He certainly didn't want to get any closer in case he screwed up again, and the man saw fit to beat him for it. He locked in on his dysfunction, and looked away pointedly, incapable of sorting out whether he should finally do what he was being told to do, and risk getting beat for making a mistake, or just dodge completely.