The sudden switch from light hearted teasing to a more serious tone from Robin surprised him. They so rarely talked seriously about things these days. Robin didn't really share any more, and Much had learned to live with that, even if he didn't particularly like it. From his friends tone he could guess that Robin understood, even though he had not really said anything. His friend had always seemed to be able to gauge his moods, not to mention his thoughts and opinions about things.
It was silly, he told himself that, but he so often found himself comparing other girls to Eve. He had known her for so short a time and yet she had had a bigger impact on him than any girl he had met prior, or since then. That one kiss before she had walked out of his life was burned in to his memory. He still secretly, foolishly perhaps, hoped that they would meet again. Kate had caught his eye in the same way that other girls did. She had been kind, with a smile to match. How she had handled the whole situation he hadn't really liked. Robin had not done much better, but of course he had forgiven his friend for that. He would always forgive Robin, in the end. Kate, without meaning to, had hurt him. And once she had, all the reasons why he had initially found himself attracted to her seemed far less appealing.
He acknowledged Robin's look with a little smile of his own, because he didn't want his friend to feel as though his switch to a more serious topic was unappreciated or not well timed. This is what he had wanted for a long time now. Though the subject of his love life, or the lack of it, wasn't what he had expected.
"Well. Yes. Maybe one day. For now, I have you and Marian back. I consider myself lucky to have that much, really."