Harlan Coben

slam the door on sth

cut the topic

shrug

raise (one's shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference.

Shake sth off

If you shake off something that you do not want such as an illness or a bad habit, you manage to recover from it or get rid of it. If you shake off someone who is following you, you manage to get away from them, for example, by running faster than them.

look everywhere but sb

look at everything but not at the person

wringing hands

hold them together and twist and turn them, usually because they are very worried or upset about something.

gut punch

a hard hit to the stomach. something that shocks and upsets you very much. something that badly damages or harms something or someone

flinching

making a quick, nervous movement as an instinctive reaction to fear, pain, or surprise. wzdrygnac się

hold sb gaze

look at someone who is looking at you, without moving your eyes away... show interest