Mary Ann was thankful when dinner was over. Ginger saw to it the Professor sat next to Mary Ann, much too obvious, she thought. Her plan was to talk to him that evening. What difference did it make where he sat? Then, of course, she had to deal with Ginger's winks from across the table. Given how tense the Professor was by the end of the meal, Mary Ann knew he was suspicious.

Ginger freed her from her chores, something Mary Ann should have anticipated but didn't. She'd been counting on that time to figure out what to say to the Professor. Saying something in a natural moment seemed to be the best option. However, with Ginger's excitement, she worried everyone would find out before the opportunity arose. Once Gilligan caught wind, time would wait for nothing.

She went to the hut to change into the outfit chosen earlier. Nothing special given the air turned chilly. She'd thought about her long-sleeved dress but thought it too unusual without a pre-arranged occasion. She settled on pants, a crop-top, and a sweater (much to Ginger's chagrin). Anything was better than the dress she wore preparing dinner. Mary Ann kept having to remind her friend she was merely going to talk to him – attempt to get things out in the open. Away from civilization or not, she still believed the man should be the one to make the first move. She really didn't have any expectations for the outcome.

She found the Professor in his hut reading. Glad she wasn't disturbing an experiment, she walked over to his table when he invited her in.

"Lovely night," she said after hello. Her voice shook the slightest bit. "I came by to see if you'd like to take a walk around the lagoon."

Closing his book, the Professor looked up. "I, uh..."

Shoulders dropping, she said, "It's all right. I know you're probably busy. I was... walking by and figured I'd ask."

She turned to go, but the Professor stopped her.

"Wait a minute," he said. Mary Ann turned as he stood and continued.

"I would love to."

Refusing to start off with pity, she said, "Really, Professor. You don't have to drop what you're doing. Some other time, maybe."

"Really, I want to. I'm sorry, I was just surprised to see you here."

"How come?"

"What was going on at dinner?" he asked outright. "You couldn't say two words to me and Ginger was acting peculiar."

"Well," Mary Ann said meekly, "that's the real reason I came by."

"Oh?"

"Do you mind if we walk and talk?"

Though his hesitance was still present, the Professor agreed, placing a light hand on her back as he escorted her out of the hut.

. . .

Despite it being the purpose of their walk, the Professor and Mary Ann did little talking. Not until they were halfway to the lagoon. That was when the Professor couldn't bear the silence any longer.

"Mary Ann, is what you wanted to talk to me about of a serious nature? If so, I don't think I can stand the wait."

"No," she said, keeping her eyes forward. "No, it's nothing serious. Not in the way you appear to be thinking."

"What is it then?"

Mary Ann sighed. "I've spent the last few minutes trying to figure out what to say."

After a pause, the Professor said, "Does it have to do with what's been going on between us?"

She turned her head toward him, surprised by how easily his words flowed. "Actually, yes."

While the words had come smoothly, the Professor's shoulders now stiffened. "Ginger knows?"

"Yes," Mary Ann admitted. "I'm sorry. I've been thinking about you a lot lately and-"

He cut her off. "You don't need to explain."

"I feel I must."

"Go on," he said, though not without irritation.

"I can't make heads or tails of what's going on anymore. I thought Ginger might be able to help... a little too much help it seems."

She continued. "A lot of things go unsaid between us. For all we know we aren't talking about the same thing right now. Everything's based on assumptions."

The reached the lagoon. Having no further to go, Mary Ann stepped in front of the Professor, hoping he'd meet her eye.

"I think we are," he said eventually. "Talking about the same thing, I mean."

"Then why can't we say it?"

After clearing his throat a couple of times, the Professor started, "I believe it's a common trend among people in platonic relationships. When one or both of the parties involved feel a shift in their emotional connection, one or both find difficulty, as well as fear, in-"

"Professor," she cut off, no longer able to keep up with the speed of his babbling. "I'm not asking for scientific reasoning. I want to know why you and I can't find the words to say what we want to say. We've been through a lot together. A whole lot. After headhunters, apes, dictators, and kidnappers, why is this so difficult?"

The Professor looked at her with sullen eyes, wishing he had the perfect answer to sum everything up. His gaze was mixed with ever-increasing worry.

Mary Ann answered for him. "I know there are a lot of risks involved. Believe me, I've thought of all the bad things that could come of you and me together. But then I think of the good things... and I think of all that we might be missing by avoiding all that could go wrong."

A small smile appeared. That smile grew when he took her hands. "You have to be the most wonderful woman I've ever met."

"Well," she began. "I can't take all the credit. Ginger helped find my nerve."

With a chuckle, he said, "I don't say it solely in response to what you said. You are a remarkable person. You were when we met you and even more so the longer I've known you. There was a time when I could focus on my work and nothing else. Now I'm lucky if I can get through an experiment without thoughts of you filling my head."

Unsure how to respond to the compliment, Mary Ann threw her arms around him, tears of joy threatening to fall. The Professor hugged back with equal force. Though their conversation was far from over, the ambiguity of the future no longer mattered for a moment.