"Oh no, nonsense." Steven squeezed her hand tighter. Normally this was when he would've moved to attempt a pat on the shoulder or even a hug but he wasn't sure if she'd feel comfortable with that, given the exact topic she was talking about. "It's fine. We're all fine. I told you, only thing that would've hurt is losing my friend. And here you are, so we're fine."

Not that Steven had been thrilled that he and Liz could be no more than friends. But the pain when she left was more due to having to accept that rather than keep alive the thought of "what if?"