"Hi," I said to Lisbeth, although my greeting was cut short when Eddie burst out of the Home and I twisted a little to look at him, grinning at the story about the gum in the drain. Sometimes it still shocked me a little, how much I loved him, the way my chest lurched excitedly at the sight of him, how even just the weight of his hand on my shoulder made me feel tingling and lighter, as if I might float again.

"Hi," I said again, this time to Eddie, then I took his hand off my shoulder and held it between mine. "Lisbeth, this is Eddie. Eddie, this is Lisbeth. Um... I guess you probably won't want to visit the bathroom if it's all full of gum."