[The question would likely seem a natural one to just about anyone who didn't understand the relationship he and his partner shared intimately— which was just about anyone and everyone outside of the two of them. He laughs briefly, a soft and almost derisive sound that he murmurs against her temple, though his amusement is genuine.]

She has not, no, and I fear she already tires of being in such close quarters with me. Sharing a flat, it turns out, is quite different from sharing a ship and living out of inns. Even knowing one another as long as we have, I think a few new quirks have come to light. Fran likes the quiet— I believe she quite enjoys the nights she gets to herself.

[It's not as though he hasn't had a fair few overnight visits that have kept him out of her hair, after all.]

Besides, spending time with you hardly means abandoning my partner.