"...........also I think I'm getting a crush on you and I have no idea what to do with that at all."

"Neither do I," she says when it becomes clear that she's not going to think of a better response. 

"Because, um, I'm not supposed to get crushes on people? Because my entire heart is supposed to belong to my future wife?"

"...that sounds terrible. I'm so sorry." 

"Why is it terrible?"

"The — trying to hold yourself back from liking someone because if you like them too much it would be really bad? I've had to do that, it was terrible, I wouldn't wish it on anyone." 

"It seems weird that you'd have to, if you're an atheist. Atheists don't normally care about emotional purity."

"....it was not because of anything to do with emotional purity but I can't imagine it would have sucked any less if it had been." 

"What happened?" he asks with empathy.

(Bad! Bad idea! Emotional intimacy leads to affection and affection leads to crushes and then he'll have to tell his wife someday that he wasn't faithful to her always.)

She's not sure she wants to talk about the whole "I'm gay, and I'm trans, and I was at an ex gay camp" thing to the fundamentalist. 

"...long story," she says, in the tone of someone who doesn't want to talk about it rather than the tone of someone who's warning you of the ride you're in for. 

"I'm sorry," he says.

He wants to give her a hug but, all things considered, that is probably a bad idea. 

Instead he says, "so if this is a bar, can we order drinks?"

"I assume so? I haven't tried or anything, I don't really drink and I haven't seen anyone behind the counter." 

Lev goes up to the bar. "Hello? Is someone there?"

A napkin appears with writing on it.

Hello. Welcome to Milliway's. May I interest you in a drink? First one is free.

"...do you have ones that aren't alcoholic?" Lev says, for lack of anything better to say. 

Yes.

"...are all the worlds Earths or are there a bunch of weird alien worlds somewhere?"

Not all worlds are Earths, although Earths are very common in the multiverse.

"Uh, okay, cool, I want something alien and"-- he thinks about it-- "safe and not mind-altering in any way or something that in any way causes any unexpected effects on my physiology. Just an alien drink. One that tastes good."

Enjoy. 

A glass of something neon purple and slightly pulsating appears. 

"...what the fuck," is the most eloquent response Raine can produce to this. 

"...I'm not sure it's any weirder than the interdimensional bar to begin with?"

He takes a cautious sip of his drink. It tastes strongly of umami. 

"Seeing a drink appear from nowhere is more viscerally weird even if it's not actually weirder." 

"The first one's free," Lev says, still trying to figure out whether he likes his drink, "and if you want more than one-- or some food? it's a bar, I bet they have food-- I can cover it probably."

"I probably should eat something, yeah." Does this bar sell pizza and lemonade -- oh it super does that's nice. 

She sits back down and -- isn't really sure what to say to Lev, now.