Curtis' stomach sinks. The old thought races back -- I can't give you what you want -- edged with a new, almost panicky fear. How the fuck can this possibly work? What can he do if --

He swallows again, harder, and tries to ignore the spreading cold.

"We have time here. Time stops. And -- " He wrenches himself back around to the point he'd been aiming for when he started. "Look, leaving out the one night stands, sex is just part of getting to know someone. Back home. Like we've been getting to know each other, and it means this is more serious and might be going somewhere bigger -- "