Laughter is... not the response he expected. He looks at Ned evenly, rather confused. "Yes, I was. I wish for you to be happy, and I don't have the experience to ensure I am behaving appropriately for a romantic relationship."

It's simple in his mind, logical. Apparently he's wrong, too, so he's going to have to work out what he actually needs to do to accomplish what he means.

"If they are not meant to be taken as an example, then what is the purpose of them?" This is a valid question to him. Mere entertainment isn't a strange concept to him, but why should something be entertaining if it's so completely false?

Whatever his mistake is, though, at least it's somehow "sweet."