A simple greeting, and not the warm ones he was used to. It was accompanied with a smile, which was nice, but it still wasn't the 'walk across the room and hug him before even speaking' that he'd grown accustomed to over time. And that worried him.
"Busy today?" he asked her. Not what he'd wanted to say. But starting right in with a conversation like that was difficult.
He chewed on his lip and looked from Eloise to the phone, then back to Eloise. "I, um..." No. No, he didn't want to start the conversation by telling her that he loved her too, because what if she didn't remember the text? Then she'd think he was crazy. Or something.
Patting the bed next to him, he looked at her. "I think we should..." Of course his stutter was back. Only happened when he was nervous.
"We should talk about something I've been avoiding for awhile." Still not the best word-choice, but it was something.