[ he lets her have more contact with him than almost anybody else, and the brief touch makes him relax rather than tense. trailing after her into the apartment, he only turns around to shut the door behind them. ]

I didn't know it was you. [ the first thing he says isn't meant to be an excuse, but it comes out sounding a little like that, anyway. ] I would have come back sooner, but...

[ but he's kind of been working his way into the world of organized crime. oops. ]

How's college? Your classes? [ ... ] Do you have a roommate?

[ he isn't mentioning the string just yet — he can't quite bring himself to talk about it. ]