“I don’t care who you are or what your sex life is like. At some point, you will get bored. It happens,” he said.

“What’s your point?” she said.

“Evolution,” he said.

“What?” she said.

“Adapt or die,” he said. “You get bored. You have two choices.”

“Adapt or die.” Her tone was flat.

“Right,” he said. “Your sexual tastes evolve.”

“Perhaps,” she allowed.

“Is that all?”

“Just… perhaps,” she said.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” he asked.

“Are you?” she countered.

The eyes met and narrowed in unison. Guesses and assumptions were made.

“I’m not saying that I’ve decided that the only thing that will get me off anymore is masturbating to the smell of car exhaust, if that’s what you mean,” he said.

“Where did that come from?” she asked.

“Something I read.” He shrugged.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “What were you reading?”

“I was reading some strange news article or something. There was a guy who was incapable of getting an erection unless he was exposed to the smell of car exhaust. He would go into his garage, turn on the car, sit in front of the exhaust pipe and masturbate. It was an extreme fetish.”

“Obviously,” she said.

“The point I was making, though, was that I have not progressed to that extreme. I still like the feel of human skin on mine, for example.”

“Well, I didn’t think you had,” she said. “I thought you were trying to sidetrack the conversation.”

“Why would I want to do that?” he asked. “I started the conversation.”

She thought for a moment. “That you did.” She thought for a moment. “But what are you saying? That you’re getting bored? That your tastes are evolving? Is this a warning?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It was… an observation? Something I’ve noticed before in previous relationships. It happens, y’know?”

“So what’s the solution?” she said.

“I don’t know that there is a solution,” he said. “Aside from evolutionary modification. We are the way we are. That’s all there is to it. Beyond taking the opportunity to adapt as circumstances dictate, I don’t think there’s much that can be done.”

“Just to be clear,” she said. “We’re talking theoretical here, right? This doesn’t apply to specific circumstances?”

“Not yet,” he said.