"Yeah," he agrees, face still serious, though his tone has brightened to something resembling irony. "But I did my time in the white room already, and they don't want me back either."

He leans forward again, nearly until their foreheads brush, and breathes her in. The street around them might s well not exist, and the few gawkers, they can go straight to hell.

It's a long moment before he finally gives her the answer she wants. He doesn't care whether or not it's satisfying. It's true. There's no reason to lie. "Because I've been here for months and the only people I ever talk to are contemptuous morons that I hate. Because I'm lonely. Because you were willing to give me the first one after what I did to you."