Henrik didn't know how long he had been crying, but he did know that Roxanna had never let go of him the entire time, even though she hadn't spoken more than the soft murmurings in his ear as she rocked them back and forth. Finally, though, he pulled away from her and swiped at his eyes, wishing that he had thought to bring a handkerchief so that he could clean up his face a little, knowing that he must look so ridiculous to Roxanna.

She must have read his emotions, since she finally let go of him to sit up a little, cupping his face with her hands as she ran her thumbs across his cheekbones, just staring into his eyes for a few long seconds. "How about we find somewhere that's open and have some breakfast?" He nodded. "Good, because I am starving." Roxanna gave him a small wink before reaching up for the blanket on the sofa and rubbing it across his face gently, removing the lingering traces of his tears. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"What makes you say that?" he asked as he clumsily got to his feet, holding his hand out to her and pulling her up beside him.

"Because you were able to keep going after everything that you went through. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, even though you might view yourself as weak right now." Roxanna hooked her arm around his waist as they made their way over to the door. Just as she went to open it, the doorknob rattled, and Henrik drew in a deep breath, knowing that John had finally made his way there, as well. Roxanna patted his back gently as they stepped back from the door, letting it swing open.

"Oh, there you two are. Is everything all right?"

The words sounded a little disingenuous to his ears, and Henrik nodded as he drifted closer to Roxanna. "I'm fine, just couldn't sleep any longer. I went to find Roxanna, and we've decided to head out for breakfast, just the two of us." He didn't know why he felt it important to add that little bit, but once the words were out there, he knew they were the right ones. Roxanna seemed to agree, since she nodded a little as she moved them closer to the door, brushing past him as they stepped out into the hall.

"We'll see you later today, John!" she said breezily as she took firm hold of Henrik's hand and led him down the hall towards the exit. Henrik glanced over his shoulder to see that John was staring after them, an inscrutable look on his face. Shaking his head a little, he took a deep breath and followed Roxanna outside. The sun was just starting to come up, and he took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs with a sense of hope. It was weirdly comforting to have Roxanna know his secret struggles, and he adjusted how they were holding hands, threading their fingers together as they walked along.

"So, do we really have a plan here?" he finally asked as they stopped outside her dorm room.

"Yes, I am going to drive us to a diner, and we are going to eat and talk and focus on the things that make us happy. And then, I'm going to drop you off so that you can get to your seminar, since I know how important this class is to you, and I am going to head back to the lab and continue my research until it's time for my seminar." Roxanna reached up and cupped his face with her hand, staring into his eyes. Henrik couldn't help but notice how blue her eyes were in that moment, and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he instinctively leaned down, wanting to kiss her. She didn't pull away from him, and so he closed the distance between them, kissing her softly as her arm closed around his neck, holding him in place as the buss lingered on.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so forward," he murmured as he lifted his head, seeing the joy dancing in her eyes that told him his kiss had not been unwanted.

"Perhaps I like it when some men are forward." She winked at him and then stole another quick kiss before letting him go and rummaging around in her pocket for her keys. "I will be right back."

Henrik nodded and watched her disappear inside. True to her word, it didn't take very long for Roxanna to return, and he saw that she had changed sweaters and applied a light coat of lipstick. He didn't quite know why, but the idea that she had dressed up a little for him filled his stomach with a fizziness that he hadn't experienced since being with Maja. "Ready?"

"I think so." Roxanna held out her hand expectantly, and Henrik tucked it into the crook of his elbow as they made their way back outside. It didn't take long to reach her car, and then he was getting inside, feeling decidedly out of place in the compact car. "You always look like you're not going to fit, Henrik," she said with a trill of laughter, starting the car and backing out of her space.

"I feel that way, yes. But I understand the need for an economical choice, since we're in a foreign land and all."

"To right. Plus, it's really cute!"

He couldn't help but laugh at that, and she reached across the car to pat his hand gently, never taking her eyes off the road. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you," he replied, an easy smile on his lips. She shook her head a little as she continued down the road, and he began to fiddle with the radio, trying to find something that sounded halfway decent.

"Oh! That's Fleetwood Mac! Leave it there, Henrik, please? It's the closest I can find to really good folk music like I listen to back home."

He nodded and turned the radio up a little, listening to her sing along with the lead singer. There was something so carefree about her in that moment that he found himself humming along as he dug a cigarette out of his pocket, setting it between his lips as he reached for his lighter. Before he could find it, though, Roxanna had snatched it from his lips, sticking it behind her left ear as she rolled the window down and then threw it out. "Hey!"

"If I'm going to keep kissing you, I'd like to taste you, and not an ashtray. All right?"

The expectation of a future with her took him aback, and he turned his head to study her features, trying to figure out if she was being serious or not. There were times when her teasing was hard to distinguish from her seriousness, and he wondered if this was just such a time. It wasn't until she had reached a stop sign that Roxanna turned to him and gave him a soft, almost scared, smile that he realized she had been serious about her declaration, and was worried about how he would respond. "All right, if you'll have me, knowing what you do. And…"

"And?"

"I'll tell you when we get to the diner. It's probably for the best that we weren't in the vehicle for this news." She nodded and patted his knee a little before turning right, heading towards the city in search of food.