Audrey couldn't believe it. He's letting me stay. I've done absolutely nothing for him and he's letting me stay in his own room.

Given the situation, Audrey was utterly amazed he had agreed. She had acted on impulse, not knowing where else to go. But Seymour had accepted her insistently, even giving up his bed for her to sleep in. Audrey felt a little bit bad, since he had given it up after living there for so long. She felt the urge to refuse, but she felt that it wouldn't be of use. He would just urge her to stay again, and she didn't want to give him anymore trouble than she already was.

Seymour re-entered the room. Audrey noticed that he held only three towels, despite earlier saying Mr. Mushnik had plenty.

"Are-Are you sure-" Audrey cut herself off. "Neva' mind."

Seymour stopped what he was doing to look at her, concern in his eyes. "No, you can tell me. What's wrong?"

"Oh! I was just wonderin', won't you be uncomfortable on the floor there, with only three towels?"

Seymour shrugged. "I s'pose. It's better than nothin', though. Don't worry about me." He gave her a gentle smile. "It's more important that you feel at home here. Can I get ya anything? I don't have much, but I-I can do my best to help ya out, if ya need it."

Audrey felt heat rush to her cheeks. "No-No, thank you. That's very kind of you, though."

Seymour methodically piled two of the towels to create a makeshift mattress on the floor. "If you're sure. But-But if ya change your mind, I'll be right down here." He gestured to the newly constructed towel "bed" at his feet with a slight chuckle. He began to retreat toward the staircase. "I'm gonna go upstairs for a couple minutes, so you can get ready to go to sleep." Seymour picked up a small bundle in the corner, crossed the room, and advanced up the stairs, pausing for a moment to give Audrey a small smile, as if assuring her that he was on her side-that he was her friend.

Audrey opened her suitcase and almost immediately breathed a sigh of relief that Seymour had left the room; she would have been infinitely embarrassed if he had glimpsed what she had packed on top of her belongings. It was a plush cocker spaniel with black and white fur and chocolate brown eyes. It had been a gift left for her anonymously last Valentines' Day, although Audrey had her theories as to who had really given it to her. She hadn't been sure why Seymour would get her a gift at all, let alone a gift that he must have spent much of his savings on. I'm nobody special. And I'm nowhere near as kind or selfless as Seymour. Why is he so kind to me? A small spark of hope flickered in Audrey's conscience. Maybe he cares about me, even more than just a friend…

Audrey forced the thought away. I need to stop thinking like this. I don't deserve Seymour, not even in the smallest bit. Audrey shook her head to clear it. She took the dog out of her suitcase, then proceeded to hide it underneath the pillow. When it was safely out of sight, Audrey set aside her small collection of Better Homes and Gardens and dug around in her suitcase for a few seconds before finding her nightgown. She slipped out of her dress and quickly dressed herself in the light pink nightgown. She wanted to go upstairs to tell Seymour it was okay to come down, but something stopped her. Instead, she distracted herself by picking up the pile of magazines and placing them back into her suitcase.

Audrey relaxed when she heard a knock on the door at the top of the stairs, followed by Seymour's voice. "Audrey? Is it okay if I come in now?"

Audrey couldn't help but allow a smile at his polite sweetness. "You're okay," she replied, trying to hide the faint amusement in her voice. She heard the door creak open and the echo of footsteps travelling back down to the basement.

Seymour was now dressed in white pyjamas, striped with both light and dark blue. Audrey would never say it, but she thought he looked rather adorable. However, he seemed less pleased with his attire- in fact, he looked rather embarrassed. He looked over at Audrey.

"Do ya mind if I go to bed now?" he asked her. "I dunno if you wanna stay up, but I think it's time for me to turn in for the night."

"I was going to go to sleep, too."

Seymour gave a nervous sort of laugh. "Then it's okay if I shut off the lights?" Audrey nodded, which seemed to satisfy him. He shuffled over to the light switch and flicked it off. The room was almost completely dark, except for a bit of moonlight from the window by the stairs-just enough for Audrey to catch the kind glance Seymour gave her, making her heart flutter.

Audrey guessed that he had lay down, judging by his sleepy tone of voice as he murmured "G'night, Audrey."

Audrey settled down on the bed, quickly bringing the stuffed animal out from under her pillow and into her arms. "G'night, Seymour."