Gina is, of course, right. Using words like grown-ups is very difficult indeed. Saying things like "I would like to be your significant other, with the romantic and sexual exclusivity that typically implies" or "raising two to four of my own biological children with a committed partner is an important long term goal for me" or "I would prefer it if you refrained from making jokes about that particular subject in my presence, it makes me feel uncomfortable" is very psychologically taxing.

And Max is also quite right. There's a reason that neither romantic comedies nor porn feature dialogue like that. Audiences like uncertainty and misunderstandings and will-they-won't-they. Talking about feelings in precise, unambiguous ways is unnatural and disconcerting and boner-killing.

And, y'know, there is a bit of hypocrisy there, given what we know about the origin of Nicole and John's relationship.

Still, though, she's quite right. Gina would benefit greatly from putting on her big girl pants, proactively calling Jamie, and giving him the spiel from panel 3.