Once Akeem dropped Saffron and Jack off, the two trudged back up the five flights of stairs to Jack's apartment. When Jack opened the door, Saff, who'd been toting the two Chinese lanterns, hurled them one at a time into the living room.

"Hey! HEY!" Jack yelled. "Easy with those! That's twenty bucks plus tax you're throwing around like fastballs at a Yankees game right there!"

Saffron squinted at him, confused.

"What? I don't understand a word you're saying! What are you going on about?"

Jack found the lanterns and picked them up gingerly.

"Obviously, you have no decorating taste," he muttered, carefully looking over the goods to make sure they weren't ruined. "We're in luck, Gorgeous. You didn't destroy them during your most recent tantrum."

Saff was about fed up with Jack, Chinese lanterns, her school and living situation, New York City and life itself at that moment. She started to make a smart comment but instead she only had the energy to slump down onto the sofa. Then she suddenly burst into tears.

"Saff? Hey, c'mon…" Jack sat down beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders as she sobbed. "It's not that bad, okay? Tonight, we'll get some rest and tomorrow, we'll go back to Columbia and work everything out. I'm sure they can find a way to…"

"STOP IT!" Saffron snapped, her voice breaking as she pushed Jack away. "STOP TREATING ME LIKE YOU KNOW ME! YOU DON'T! WE'RE STRANGERS!" Cutting her eyes harshly towards Jack, she told him "For God's sake, don't you understand? We're not friends! We're not anything to each other!"

Jack dropped his eyes, staring dumbly at the floor.

"We had a stupid, drunken romp, made fools of ourselves and now you're acting as if we've got something on! I don't know you!" Saff knew she should stop her tirade, but heard herself continue raging. "Why would I even think of spending another night in an apartment with a man I've only met two days ago?"

Now Jack looked back up at her, clearly hurt by her words.

"Because you have nowhere else to go," he said quietly.

Saffron put her head in her hands, desperate not to start crying again. She failed.

"You can take my bed," Jack said softly, picking up Saffron's bags. "I'll sleep out here. You don't need to worry." With that, he carried the suitcases back down the short hallway to his bedroom.

Sniffling as she tried collecting herself, Saff forced air into her lungs. She had to calm down. But the facts were fairly clear: She was stuck in a strange city, far from home, with no place to go and literally only one friend. And now she'd likely wrecked that part of things.

She felt awful, physically and emotionally, and she knew she owed Jack not just one, but several apologies for the things she'd said. But she wasn't wrong about them being strangers. Or about them having made themselves look ridiculous. The subjects could have been broached in a much less hysterical manner, though, she told herself.

When Jack came back into the living room, Saffron had stopped crying.

"You feel better now?" Jack asked, doing his best to avoid looking at her. He fumbled around in his tiny kitchen, pretending to look for… something.

Saff slowly moved to where he stood. With a deep breath, she started to speak.

"Jack, I'm sorry. For what I just said to you." He kept his back to her, but she sighed and went on. "You've been kind to me and I've repaid you by being horrible. It's not your fault everything is all screwed up. I've made a terrible mess of things and I've taken it out on you. I know it's not right and it's absolutely not fair. It's not how someone treats a friend."

"You said we aren't friends," Jack reminded her. Saff could hear the pain in his voice.

"I did," she admitted, "but I'm wrong about that. Or I hope I am. You're the only friend I've got here."

Jack slowly turned to face her. Saffron looked sad and, he was somewhat alarmed to note, rather defeated.

"I'm damn sure the only one who'll buy you Chinese lanterns at an insanely high markup," he said with a slight smile. Saff offered him a small grin in return.

"I am sorry," she said, her voice so soft Jack could barely hear her.

"I forgive you," he replied, sticking out his hand towards her. "Friends again?"

Saff shook Jack's hand, nodding.

"Friends again. Again."