Leif was absolutely terrified. It felt like an eternity that she was there in front of him just completely shocked. His eyes searched her face in those brief moments. He was positive his heart had never pounded so hard in his life. Wouldn't have been surprised if even she had heard it.
His brain was going a mile a minute while time seemed to come to a complete stop. He was actually just a second away from telling her she didn't have to say it back when the words came out of her mouth. Those three little words, or in her case four, had never sounded sweeter. He visibly relaxed, not realizing he'd been so tense during the short pause. He smiled brightly and leaned in to give her a tender, meaningful kiss. Everything now suddenly made sense and seemed right with the universe.