He bides his time in answering, finishing off that last bit of biscuit before setting the plate aside. Surely he has hopes, though he hasn't let himself think about it too much. Susan has, and is still doing, quite a bit of damage to his confidence in this arena. Sure, he can be a gentleman, be charming... but a long-term relationship? The last one ended so well, didn't it?

So he falls back on his strengths - he has never been afraid to tell the truth as he sees it, no matter who he's telling it to.
"I like you, Olga. Quite a bit, actually, and I think it could be something more. Actually, I rather like the idea. If you didn't want that, well, that's how it would be but... I would regret it."