[His own heart thuds in response, a kind of painful sympathy. He really isn't stupid, he knows how she feels about him. She'd all but admitted it before, a reason why he'd been so nervous of seeing her again.

But he just shakes his head, finally glancing away.]

We need to find a way to go back, Roxy. You're right, it may take years to find out how to do it. But that doesn't mean I can relax and hope someone else will solve the mystery of this planet.

[I don't want both. This isn't my future.]