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Robert thought about it for a second. Would he just end up hopscotching through women, eventually? He considered the idea of trying to tell Mimsy that he had feelings for someone else. A shudder went through him.

"Don't know, Jerry. I can't tell you how my heart works, 'cause I didn't make it." He pushed himself up off the couch, and started to move towards the door. But he stopped, before he made it very far. His back turned to Jerry, he finally answered those final questions.

"But yeah. I knew. And yeah. I did. Because it don't matter how I felt. I did what I felt was best for Petra." He refused to turn around. "And there ain't no turning back."

Right on the tip of his tongue, he knew he wanted to say it. No, you don't. Robert wished the agony of his heart being torn in two, to no one. But he knew better. He knew that if someone asked him to trade places with Jerry, his answer would never be no.

So he turned his head, just enough to whisper over his shoulder. "I know. I wish you had half my luck too." Because half would be exactly enough, for a normal man, with a normal heart.

He turned back to the door, and headed for it more confidently this time. "I ain't gonna try to contact you for a while. 'Cause truth be told, I know you probably hate me right now. But if you ever wanna talk to me again," His hand reached for the knob, and pulled the door open until he was standing in the doorway.

"I'll be around."

Jerry was now not alone in his shock.

Robert couldn't bear the truth in his words. He knew, so painfully obviously knew, that Petra still loved him. But he'd expected Jerry's hate, and instead, the man reached out an offer Robert was too weak to refuse.

He turned around, and broke his promise to himself. He was crying, openly, his face an absolute wreck of emotion. Jerry was the target of a very large, very sudden, very forceful bear hug.

Up and down, up and down he bounced the poor man, until he'd gotten his fill of affection, and finally put him down. He wiped his face noisily with his sleeve, and laughed, though his laughter was a sad mockery of his normal mirth.

"Okay. Sorry. I. Sorry." He went pink with embarrassment at his burst of emotion, and walked backwards towards the door. "I'll keep the offer in mind. Thanks, Jerry."

It was a motto Robert knew he'd lived by since the day he'd joined Deus, and it stopped him in his tracks. He nodded, in solemn agreement, and gave Jerry a respectful nod.

"Gotta make every moment count."

He waved sharply, and left, closing the door behind him.