"You're still my little sister," he insisted, giving her a fond but stern look. "You could be ten years older than me and you'd still be my little sister to me."
He dug the heel of his shoe into the dirt. "I'll try harder," he muttered guiltily. "I'm just so tired of all this. People coming and going. You know, I... I've two sort-of girlfriends here, and they've both vanished on me?"