Henry’s rebuttal to Clare’s complaint about always having to wait for him is somewhat flimsy—can his younger self really feel the pain of longing for Clare if he doesn’t yet know she exists? This logic also contradicts his actions in the future: recall that Henry chooses not to tell Clare about his impending death, perhaps reasoning that doing so will spare her years of mourning, as she can’t grieve a death she doesn’t yet know will happen. Henry seems to recognize the unfairness of this asymmetry, though, and so he offers Clare happy details of their future together to make her feel better in the meantime.