The German Shepherd that bounded in circles attempting to get Kaz's attention was a tad distracting, but not surprising. He vividly remembered her love of animals, forcing Kaz(as lovingly as she could, of course) to volunteer with her at animal shelters and help walk her dog(s) when he was in her part of the neighborhood. It was nice to see that part of her remained alive and well; in fact, the "well" was emphasized through her appearance. When he saw her last(he winced internally), her hair was a tad shorter, facial features more angular. Her face had smoothed out(if that could be a phrase) and almost softened, giving Ellie an almost angelic countenance. Or maybe that was a burst of old feeling that had suddenly emerged coloring the way he saw her. 
"I...I wasn't expecting to be here myself." He cleared his throat, loosening the black tie that hung neatly against his stark white dress shirt. Another few moments of silence wafted between them, only punctuated by the German Shepherd's sniffing of Kaz's once shined now dirt stained shoes. 
"You look like you've really taken care of yourself." He blurted out in an attempt to make small talk only to come off as obtuse. Attempting to fix the perceived social snafu, he added:
"What I meant to say was that..." He couldn't help but smile broadly.
"You look wonderful, Ellie. And I'm...I'm so happy to see you again." That was genuine. It really was. The feelings of apprehension, guilt, sorrow and other assorted, unnamed emotions still swirled around his mind threatening to burst out of his head in a torrent of pent up angst, but in spite of that, he still managed to be happy to see his friend again. 
"And your dog seems happy to see me as well...although we're not nearly as acquainted as I'd like us to be." Despite not enjoying the animal shelters when it came to dealing with all other animals, Kaz had a soft spot for dogs. He complied with Ellie's directive, scratching behind the canine's ear for a few seconds. This action seemed to satisfy the creature, who then began sniffing behind his owner for something unknown to the humans at hand. 
"I'd like to ask how you're doing, but I suppose that wouldn't be enough." A sad smile this time. 
"Probably one of the reasons why I wanted to come here. Prepare my thoughts at a place that holds such youthful optimism before I approached you." His fingers traced over the bar of the swing set as he continued: 
"I came...I came back to find you, Ellie. I wanted to talk. About a lot of things that have needed to be addressed for so long." His other hand briefly clenched into a fist before uncurling. 
"That is, of course, if you'd let me."