Autor listens, absorbing her words like a sponge. He turns her definition over and over in his head, picking apart each word.

And then he gets to the last bit, and he smiles, bright and boyish. 'Take it slow' makes more sense to him than Teja's urgency, simply because of who Miss Kuriyama is.

"So, accepting who a person is, warts and all, and wanting to be around that person," Autor says shyly. He clasps her hand, squeezing her fingers. "And not rushing. I like that. Comfortable sounds really nice. And hopefully you can make the other person more comfortable, too?"