It felt so strange to be touched, as if it had been years since Sam had felt her holding him, and yet no time at all. But the longer it lasted, the more familiar and comforting it felt. He wrapped his arms around her in return and buried his face for a moment in her hair, breathing in her scent. As the moments passed, some of the weight started to lift inside him, although it was accompanied by the sinking feeling that it was being transferred to her, instead.
"You're never useless," he corrected her, closing his eyes as he leaned his forehead against hers. He didn't know how to explain to her that she didn't need to do anything, not really, except for what she was already doing. Being here. Caring about him. Staying close to him, to counteract the way the new memories and ages were trying to push him farther away. "You're already making it easier to remember the way I'm supposed to be."
Mara had been right about that part. Remind yourself that you're here, and that you've got a woman you want to marry and that you have been given the opportunity to do that.
He managed a small smile for her, and tried to inject a little bit of levity into the moment. "And you get to see what you might be getting yourself into, if you're planning on sticking around for a while. What do you think?" A hint of wryness appeared in his smile. "Hopefully I'll age a little better here, but you never know. The rate this place is going, I might have grey hairs by the time the year is out."