"Mmm, thank god for that..." His brow did soften a little at her light, teasing tone. He was here again now, that was what mattered most. He couldn't undo the last eighteen months for her, all he could do was focus on their present. And their future, he hoped.
A genuine smile spread across his face in return. "Oh, the whole..." he trailed off, and tilted his head a little to help her hook it around his neck at this slightly awkward angle. "I..." he started, as if he had a joke lined up, but decided on something more sincere. "I love you, too," he told her, because he didn't have anything similar to offer her. And he knew exactly what she was trying to say.
"Are we staying in the corridor, or are you going to take me home?" he asked, with just the tiniest flicker of mischief on his last couple of words.