[ and that gets the first genuine smile out of him in a long time. not the teasing grin he shows her every so often — no, this one comes "from the heart", for want of a better description. ]

Thank you.

[ but he's not done ruining the moment. ]

Honestly, I don't know how I feel when it comes to... liking someone as «more than a friend». You were already more than a friend to me a long time ago, but... at the moment, I'm not sure if what you mean and if what I mean are the same.

Though I am sure that... I really do love you. People tell me I shouldn't say that so easily, and they're probably right in a lot of respects — but to me, loving someone doesn't mean you have to marry them... and I still can't imagine marrying anyone anytime soon, if at all —

[ contrary to her phone call, he's been speeding up since he started talking — but he slows back down now. ]

That said... for as long as you want to stay with me, I'll stay with you, too. Because I want to.

... Is that okay with you?