I can help myself. I'm not a child. [ If he sounds irritated, it is at least aimed inward, and he brightens fairly quickly into his usual wearily gung-ho humor. ] I mean, it is eternally a struggle for me to not ruin everything. But I like you, so I can put in the extra effort. Just don't tell anyone else. They'll start expecting things out of me.
crystal, "tomorrow," as promised