His reaction is another one of those moments where who he was and who he's becoming meet in the middle; he's professional and polished enough to say, "Thank you," to drop his gaze modestly and accept her compliment with grace. But the color rises a few degrees in his cheeks, and his smile is a hint too bright, a hint too pleased--he's still a young man, still tickled by praise from an attractive woman.

He looks up again at her declaration, meeting her gaze. He reads her certainty that she won't be contradicted as deep insight, as understanding, and it makes his professional self slip just a little in favor of his youth, his heart.

"I do miss it," he confesses. "I'd finally found my place. Where I was meant to be, where I belonged. I thought I'd get more time than I did."