отдаляться

Он заметил, что каждый раз, как он к ней приближался, она как бы отдалялась, натянуто улыбаясь, словно ничего не случилось.

He met his ex-girlfriend during her lunch break and they took a walk to the park. He noticed that every time he was near her, she sort of moved away with a tight-lipped smile on her face as though everything were okay.