It's not the sort of closeness he seeks often, that he risks asking out loud. It would have been different back home, with a brother or a sister, but that's not what they are to each other. They understand each other, Carver thinks, but they aren't the same. It's more than not wanting to be alone: he wants to be around Rosita right now, and she agrees quietly, squeezes his fingers just once.

"Okay," he echoes, watching her. After a moment, he kneels down and wiggles his fingers so Dulcinea will come running. "Wherever you want."