"When he looks at you," Hild said, repeating his words, following the lesson. The technical terms were much more than she had ever had to know. She mimicked others, let the words wash over her, but knowing the timing of English was difficult. Just when she thought she understood how to speak of the past well enough to try, someone said something that upended her understanding. It was a confusing mess of a language, more so than any she had learned before. But moments like this reassured her that she would learn it, eventually.

This moment, however, also made her question Spencer's intellect. She had heard in no time at all the affection that Luke held for him. Was Spencer playing dumb or had he truly not noticed? Did he not want the attention or was he scared of it? In this place and time, people needed parades to reassert that loving one another was acceptable. Though Hild was unfamiliar with any reasoning that would prevent Luke and Spencer from coupling, surely some had to exist, or else why would the parade exist?

"When he looks at you," Hild continued, "it is different from when he looks at me."

Pausing, she brought the coffee up to her mouth, but let the plastic lid sit there against her lips.

"Spencer... forgive me if this is not something that we should speak about... what is.. love like for you? In my home, there is marriage. This is not always love. There is - what do they call it? - fucking. But this also is not always love. In this place, what do you do?"