"Maybe later then," he said with a small smile at her attempt at one of her own.
Standing, he offered his hands for her to take and get to her feet. "Things will seem a whole lot better when all of this is over." He almost winced at the words once he'd said them. To her, they were probably as empty as they sounded to him. At the moment he knew there was little that would comfort her.
"I'll see you soon," he said once she was standing too. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before taking a step back, letting go of her hands as he turned and walked back along the dock.