She nodded at his assertion. "I love you, too, Eric. I am..." It was more than gladness. "I'm relieved that we can still be friends here. I worried."
But she wasn't worried anymore. Not now, with the way he kept her hand and let her lean on his shoulder. He looked different. He seemed different. He was different. But he was also the same. In a way, it was as if she needed to learn all about him again. But in others, it wasn't necessary at all.
"Where are you living?" she asked, having never known.