[ His gaze flits back to her face a moment before he offers a crooked smile and shakes his head. ]

If I had to guess? He didn't know what to make of you. But I sincerely doubt disappointment had anything to do with it. Longing, however? Considering how long he continued on alone... [ His voice trails off and for a moment those shadows thicken, darken, an almost palpable sense of grief. He swallows, clears his throat, continues. ]

Were I to try and predict his reaction, my guess would be he would have sought any excuse to linger as near as he could get away with. While you are undoubtedly, uniquely you... you still shine so brightly with her light. He would have been drawn as a moth to a flame.