Friend is better than sister

"Are you a man before?" Mr. Mask paused and stared at her, "let's see...your face is feminine, you have the body characteristics of a woman and I certainly do not have any eye defects, so yeah, I see you as a woman."

Dionne gaped at him in bewilderment. He certainly did understand the context in which she asked her question, but he chose to avoid it and rather answer in a more literal way. Was she experiencing unrequited love?

"This is not the end of it!" Dionne scoffed and walked out of the kitchen.

Mr. Mask looked at her disappearing figure and a solemn look claimed his features. He knew Dionne had a lot of pride, and it must have taken so much for her to ask such a straightforward question. If he had given her the answer he wanted, he would have encouraged her to continue harboring the little attraction she felt towards him.