I felt so bad for him when he is talking so highly about love and she suddenly ask about his parents. I'm sure that made him feel bad. It wasn't needed.
I feel like this is exactly the kind of thing Ryan was talking about when he was annoyed by people thinking he couldn’t bring justice to Ken. Sensitive and thoughtful about how women are portrayed, and compassionate toward Michelle’s character in Blue Valentine, even though I was not on her side in the end.
I'm not sure I would have believed the story about the girl breaking up because he wouldn't build her a house. First, Noah had the house as his dream before he met Allie.