"I can't say that it bothers me," he said with a small shrug of his shoulders. He was far more pleased that she had been given the opportunity that she deserved after so long being teased and beaten down based on her size and refusal to back down from challenging against wrong. "I think I like the surprise better," he remarked before flashing another smile at her. "Besides, I wouldn't have believed I would be looking you in the eye even if you'd hinted at it. That sort of thing requires seeing for believing."

He supposed that he should have found this sort of situation awkward spilling his guts in a letter like that, but he knew better by now. He'd turned down a few girls himself and out here where life was not a guarantee, it seemed fitting that he declared his feelings. "It really doesn't matter what they thought about us because we had each other and our opinions of each other were all that mattered," he said as he rested his chin on his knees. "Do you think you could love me in return someday? Maybe after you wrap up this whole war thing?"