[He rubs his back so much more gently and supportively than the way she was going at it just yesterday, or twenty years ago depending on how you want to look at it.]
Why hopeless? [Her impulse is to say that means they're still together. There's still time and hope and they can work it out. But she holds back to listen more than talk or push. She doesn't really know what's right for them as much as she wants them to be happy.]