She wanted desperately to tell him that, yes, she did expect him to be okay with that, but even to herself that sounded hollow. Nina did want him to care. She wanted him to keep caring, even when it was weird and inconvenient for her.

Nina took a deep breath.

“What if, like, when I’m off I contact you every three days?????????????????” she offered. “And, if, I know ahead of time if I can’t make contact on time, I’ll let you know???????????????? In return, though, if I don’t make a contact don’t freak out right away———-wait a day, sometimes things come up………………………”

She hesitated. “Would...... would that be better?????????????”