"I can't do both?" He smiles a little as he says it with the faint lift of a joke, but her words leave a chill. There's an explanation there somewhere and he's not sure he's going to like it.

"Look, Melanie, I know it might not seem like it, but I actually have...no idea where I am right now." He might as well admit it up front. She's being plenty honest with him, or as far as he can tell. He continues, gentle, "I'm more than a little confused about, uh, everything? Why don't you explain it to me?"