A lot of information can be conveyed with body language, context and emotion, to the point where it's difficult to distinguish from telepathy. Most especially with folks who've spent a great deal of time together.

I'm maybe not the only one who's experienced bits of 'beaming' with a long time friend or partner?

Perhaps "I have a pretty good idea of what X is thinking" is softer language than "I'm reading X's mind", but I can see how the experience of telepathy is not greatly distant from something that's normal for many people.