Still in control

Grim, seeing the familiar grin on Mariam's face, stood from his chair, a smile of his own spreading across his face. He walked over to her, his arms wide open, ready to return the friendly gesture. I wouldn't dream of making you wrestle for it, he replied, chuckling. Cheese looked up from his food when he heard Mariam’s voice, tail/butt wagging wildly and uncontrollably as he went over to stand at Mariam’s feet and wait as patiently as he was able for Mariam to turn her attention towards Cheese.

I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important, but I have news that I wanted to deliver in person. Good news! He quickly added, not wanting Mariam to worry about what sort of news it was, though based on how excited he was to meet up with her, it was probably pretty transparent as it was that the news was of the good variety.