"Really, it's not that exciting," he told her, returning the smile with an affectionate one of his own, turning his face to try and kiss her fingertip. His smile grew at her re-assurances of his character, enjoying the closeness of their faces.
But then she moved back, and he almost immediately sensed the change in body language. And his smile slowly disappeared at her words, fading away into an almost unsure expression. When she'd finished, his face tilted downwards.
And the smile came back, somewhat sad. "I can't say I'm surprised," he said, his voice a bit hoarser than before. "I've admired your patience with me and hoped that ... things would go a bit smoother than they have. I knew that there would be times that I'd be away, and they might be long. Perhaps I was fooling myself to think that it wouldn't be hard for you."
"But one of the things I admire about you, Virginia, is how much you care for your friends." He gently wiped back a tear that slipped down her cheek. "And it's not fair to have you care so much when I'd constantly be a source of worry. And that's the very last thing I'd want to make you feel. Especially after you've been through so much."
He swallowed slowly, his eyes drifting slowly over her face, fingers almost clumsily brushing back a bit of her hair. "You're a good woman, Virginia Potts," Phil said, fighting back the urge to kiss her. "And whoever you share yourself with next will feel what I've felt: incredibly lucky."