"No," says Susan. "But I expect it needn't be. I just--" She gazes up at him, and a thoughtful quiet descends as she takes in his expression and considers her own phrasing. "When we started out, I must admit that I wasn't certain how I might fare in a relationship. I'd never sought one before. You'll recall it took several months for me to even name it as such. I knew I shouldn't want to hurt you at all, but I also wasn't certain how long I might want to pursue things. But now..."

She catches his hand in her own and gives it a squeeze. "I haven't got those concerns any more. This place is ever so unpredictable, don't you think? It's hard to imagine what the future might hold. My sense of how I might like my life to unfold is so much less clear than it was in London. But I do know one thing: Whenever I envision what I should like my life to be like, a year from now, or five, or ten, I know that I want you to be part of it."