"He does," Atlas said. "And I like it too." Her smile was welcomed, and he returned it. He'd missed that smile.
He shook his head when she talked about going to the other customers. "It's fine," he said, quickly finishing off his pint and fishing through his pockets for his coins. "I should get going. I can't go for a run with the dog, but I can take him for a walk."
Pulling out a hand, he counted out the coins and laid them on the counter, leaving her a generous tip. Maybe too generous, but he didn't care. "By the way," he said, pointing at her neck. "I like the scarf. It's very pretty."
He turned away then, and headed for the door, stopping right before he left to turn back and look at her for a minute. She looked different. A bit paler than normal, but it wasn't all bad. She was still beautiful. And he still missed her.