[Evan's grin wrinkles his nose, and he scoffs at the praise. For all that a kind of giddy relief is at the fore, there's the complexity of a lifetime of low-level insecurity within his reaction.]

'Cute'. You don't need to whip out the flattery, I'm just glad you didn't turn around and tell me I smell like ass or something. Honestly, no hard feelings. It's kind of nice to hear about some actual romance in this place.

[In that he never considered himself an actual contender. But his pleasure for her is sincere enough.]

So how long? I mean, you two?