Seymour found it rather hard to sleep that night. The issue wasn't with his sleeping setup; as a child, he had been able to endure much worse conditions. The reason he had so much trouble sleeping was the presence of Audrey.
She could have gone anywhere, he thought. She has to have so many friends, since she's so sweet. But she came here. She came over to the shop and asked me if she could stay.
He knew better than to keep his hopes up. She lived nearby, he told himself. It didn't have anything to do with me. Seymour often had to remind himself these kinds of things. It's not like she'd like me, anyway. Even without her boyfriend, I'm not good enough for her. Seymour's thoughts went on like this until he drifted off to sleep.
"KRELBORN!"
Seymour's eyes shot open as he sat up. Mr. Mushnik's here. He sounded very upset. Seymour glanced at the bed. Audrey wasn't there, so he figured she was already awake. Or maybe it was all a dream, and he's mad about something else.
"I'll be right up, sir!" He stood himself up, threw on a white collared shirt and a pair of khakis, slid into his shoes, and scrambled up the stairs. He yanked the door open, and, sure enough, there his boss stood, looking quite cross.
"'Bout time you got up. We need to talk." Mr. Mushnik grabbe Seymour's arm and marched him into the back room.
Mr. Mushnik glared at the younger man. "What the hell happened last night? Why was Audrey downstairs?"
Seymour tensed. Is he really thinking…? "Oh, no, sir, it was nothin' like that! She came over last night b'cause she couldn't afford t' pay rent anymore. I told 'er she could stay. We didn't even sleep in the same bed. Mista' Mushnik, we hafta help her. Afta' everything she's been through, it's the least we can do to let her stay downstairs."
Mr. Mushnik rolled his eyes. "Good God. Fine, she can stay."
Seymour couldn't help but feel grateful. "Thank you, Mista' Mushnik."
Mr. Mushnik made a grumbling noise. "Take it down a notch, Lover Boy. She ain't gonna like you like that, and you know it."
Seymour ducked his head. "I know, Mista' Mushnik."
"Good. Now get outta my sight." Mr. Mushnik gestured his thumb toward the door. Seymour shuffled out of the room and into the shop, where Audrey was waiting.
"What'd he say?" Audrey asked him, rather anxiously.
"He said you could stay. I had to do a little talkin' though," Seymour replied, trying to hide his relief that he had convinced his boss to allow Audrey to live downstairs.
Audrey gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Seymour. You really didn't need to do this."
Seymour felt his cheeks grow warm, and he fixed his eyes on his shoes. "You're welcome."
The next few weeks came and gone. Despite his insecurities, Seymour started getting used to Audrey sharing his room. Every morning, she waited for him to wake up, and murmured a sweet "Good morning, Seymour," when he did. He let her get dressed in the basement, while he went upstairs into the back room to change. Soon enough, she would emerge. Seymour noticed the first day that she didn't wear much makeup anymore. He hoped this was because she felt like she didn't have to hide from him under her usual mask of product, but it was more likely that she simply wasn't able to bring all the makeup that she owned when she'd packed her bag.
At night, Audrey helped Seymour with his closing duties, even though he never asked her to. When everything was finished, Seymour would hurry downstairs to retrieve his pyjamas, then headed back upstairs to put them on. Even though he was sure Audrey would have enough time to change into her nightgown, Seymour made it a habit to ask her if it was okay for him to come in. After shutting off the lights and wishing one another goodnight, Seymour would drift off to sleep.
Once, Seymour stayed awake later than usual, lost in thought. Is Audrey really happy here? Can I do more for her? Does she wish she could have gone somewhere else? Am I doing enough? What about the baby? Am I ready to be a dad? We're not even together. Can I be a dad without being in a relationship with her? Do I mean anything to her? Or am I just her friend?
All of a sudden, Seymour heard a sweet, soft sound that pierced the silence of the evening. At first he thought it was the radio, but he distinctly remembered having turned it off earlier. It was a beautiful, simple melody, something like humming. Seymour had never heard it before, but it entranced him. Could it be Audrey? he wondered. What song is that? Whatever it was, it was enough to lull him to sleep.