[The question leaves her dumbfounded for a moment. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, meaning to speak but never finding the words. When she finally finds them it’s been a few seconds.]

I want to be important to you, because you’re important to me, but I need to know if that’s possible.

[She sighs, her breathing shaky. Maybe it’s nerves, maybe it’s something else.]

I don’t want to open myself up just to be shut down. You understand that, don’t you?

[Her eyes search his face. Karen doesn’t quite say it, her words are just slightly different, but she doesn’t want to get her heart broken.]