He wasn't sure what to say when she asked after Penny, but decided if he'd said this much, he might as well fill her in on the rest.
"She's fine, for now," he said. "That is, as fine as you can be, stuck in a tiny flat." He cleared his throat. "My flat. She won't tell her parents what's happening, doesn't want to worry them. But she has nowhere else to go."
He reached up and combed his hair back, a nervous movement.