We should move in together.

Should we? Really?

Wow, all right, maybe we shouldn’t?

I didn’t mean it like that!

no? Then how did you mean it?

I don’t know, just not like that.

That doesn’t help.

Don’t get mad.

I’m not, just confused.

I’ve tried living with someone I was seeing before. It hasn’t ended well.

What happened?

Oh, Sven, dearling, no. I don’t want to rehash relationships gone wrong.

No, you’re right that’s probably a bad idea.

It really is.

Anyway, so that’s a no?

I don’t know. I want to say yes but the idea makes me nervous. Not because of you, just because of the past.

Hmmm.

Oh, don’t be upset.

I’m not upset. Disappointed maybe. Not in you. Just in general.

Oh, dearling. You put yourself out there and feel burned, don’t you?

A little. But you didn’t mean it that way. I know that.

Still. I didn’t mean to hurt you.

Oh you didn’t.

Cookies?

What?

I could bake cookies!

Seriously? That’s your reflex? You think I’m upset so you want to bake?

Ingrained behaviors. Kind of ridiculous, huh?

I mean, I won’t say no to cookies, but I don’t want guilt cookies.

That’s fair. Except now I kind of want to bake some cookies. Peanut butter, maybe.

Well can we bake cookies and still discuss this?

I Suppose so.

All right, I think we should add chips to the peanut butter.

Chocolate chips?

Yes, as opposed to what? Potato chips?

As opposed to peanut butter chips, to make them even more peanut butter-y.

Ohhhh.

Not so wiseass about the chips now, are you?

Nope. I have been chip schooled.

You have. Now, let’s make cookies.

Because math is hard?

Because math is easy and so we shall use fractions to bake the cookies.

You’re so hot when you do math to cookies.

I know.