[Her cheeks color at once. She can't help it. As much as she's come to terms with this drawback to the experiments and gaining her powers, it's much different now that there's another person involved. Steve is involved.]

It was my thought that it would be more between us...unless you were referring to our friendship only when you said I meant something to you? [It takes effort to resist biting her lower lip, to remain relaxed.] I'm fine if friendship is all you want, I just want to make sure that things are very clear between us. Neither of us want misunderstandings, I think.

[And it's his answer that will determine whether or not she wants him to join her for her next heat. Oh, yes, she wants him, but having been with him already and sitting there now across the table from him, she's not certain that she could share only her heats with him and not feel so much more for him each passing day.]