[ He wants to tell her something impressive, or something that'll make her feel better or whatever. He wants to tell her that he's great, that he's never been better.

It's a lie, of course; he's slightly worse than average, and they probably both know it. But it's a pleasantry anyway, and he's not sure why he's reading so much into it, aside from the fact that he's not sure how much is sincere from her anymore.

But if she wants to keep a casual air, he should at least try to make an effort to please her. Even if he feels anything but casual, standing so close to the girl he's so crazy for. ]

Me? Oh, uh, I've been fine. Training the team, working a bit, you know.....

[ Okay, so that was a horrible attempt at not being awkward. But he tried, and that had to mean something, right?

....A large part of him just wants her to say what she has to say—if she's going to crush his heart and soul, wasn't it better for her to just say it, rather than drag it out like this? His heart is bouncing back and forth like it's playing Pong, but at the same time.....if he wants to know what she has to say, he has to do it at her pace.

So. Putting a little more effort into carrying himself properly, like nothing's wrong. ]

Have you been well? We haven't talked for a little while.....