He's reserved, awkward in social situations, and would rather spend ten hours analyzing data than a five-minute conversation where he has to find the right tone.

And that's precisely why your insistence throws him off-kilter.

He notices you far better than he lets on. He just doesn't know what to do with that knowledge. When you raise your hand in class, he sees how nervous you are. When you leave your papers outside his office, he actually reads them—slowly, carefully.