"We can figure that out after lunch," he says, his hand now hanging useless at his side. Fuck, he feels really, really bad, like this is his fault, when it's so not. Book of his life. Story, you mean. "There's two apartment buildings on either side of the park that are for rifites. That's us. Uh. There should be plenty of space in those. There's people who can set you up with food and stuff. You aren't alone."

None of them are. All of them are.

It's so fucking great.

"I'm staying in a little building further down," he says, trying clumsily to fall into small talk. "That was sort of a special offer. There might be a spare apartment in there still, if you... wanted somewhere smaller. I dunno."

Is that a good idea? He shouldn't make those offers without asking Gabe. Fuck. Hopefully she'll think it's creepy and decline.

"What're you in the mood for," he says as lightly as he can, leading her out of the park and across a busy intersection. "Chinese? Japanese? Lots of decent stuff around here."