ECCE! a woman with many declarations

‘I thought you were too busy looking at maps to notice.’
He gave me one of his exasperated looks. ‘No one’s ever too busy to know when their foot has gone to sleep or their throat is itching.’
‘Our friendship is an itchy throat?’ I didn’t know whether to be amused, annoyed or touched.
‘Don’t disappear on me,’ he said it more softly. ‘Please don’t.’