Lily sighed, glancing at the empty glass in her hand. I need a drink, she thought as she politely grinned at the man speaking to her. She had spent the last 20 minutes listening to Dr. Neufeld, a podiatrist who took Lily's solitude as the chance to explain the latest advancements in the treatment of feet.

She was about to go comatose when a warm and familiar hand caressed her back. She turned to see Bug at her side, grinning at her torture.

"Ah… Dr. Vija – Vijaya…" Dr. Neufeld struggled.

"Please, call me Mahesh."

"Ah yes… great speech… very interesting," he commended. "Well, I was just telling Lily here that a person in her line of work should be taking good care of their feet. There are all sorts of troubling problems…"

"Like bunions," Lily interrupted with disgust. She grabbed the drink from Bug's hand and quickly emptied it.

"Sounds fascinating," Bug commented, taunting Lily's dilemma. However, not wanting to prolong it, he added, "But I'm afraid someone promised me a dance."

"Oh, of course," Dr. Neufeld exclaimed. "We can talk more about this later. Here is my card." He reached into his pocket, handing one to Lily.

"That's great," Lily said with some sarcasm. "Nice meeting you." She was immediately led away by Bug who took the card from her hand and stuck it in his pocket.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" she gushed, setting Bug's glass on a table and following him to the dance floor.

"It didn't look like you were having much fun," Bug said, wrapping his arm tightly around her and sweeping her into a slow song. With hands intertwined between them, he looked at her with guilt. "First my mother and then Dr. Neufeld…"

Lily smirked. "Well, if you want to know anything about corns, I'm your man."

Bug shook his head. "The conversation with my mother looked intense."

Lily's features softened, knowing that Bug was hunting for information. "We had a really good talk," she reassured.

"Oh?"

Lily nodded. "She apologized… and gave me something to think about."

Bug's eyebrows were raised in question. "Something I should know?"

Lily sighed, gazing at him. "Maybe," she said. Bug simply nodded and Lily felt his arm tighten around her waist, pulling her closer. Silence fell between them as Lily rested her head on his shoulder. She savoured the contact as the first song drifted into the next.

"Lily?"

"Hmmm?" she mumbled, not quite hearing him.

"Do you realize how beautiful you are?" Bug whispered into her ear.

Lily lifted her head, looking at him incredulously. She then began to chuckle. "You're drunk."

"No, I'm…" Bug defended and then laughed. "Yeah, okay… maybe just a little." His smile faded and was replaced with a look of affection. "But in all seriousness, I mean it."

Lily stared at him, considering his words. "I don't hear that very often," she said quietly, her eyes transfixed with Bug's.

"That's a shame," he replied, watching her bite her lip. "You should be told that all the time."

"Thank you," Lily blushed. She glanced at him carefully and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "Thank you."

She then wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging Bug to her. His arms encircled her back and the couple danced close together for several more songs. When the band finally took a break, Lily slowly lifted her head and smiled sweetly. "That was nice," she said, playing with Bug's tie.

"Yeah, it was," he replied simply, suddenly lost in her eyes.

For several moments they were the only two on the dance floor, merely looking at one another with fondness and not too sure what to do.

Finally Bug sighed, looking at his feet. "You about ready to leave?" he asked, trying to end the awkwardness.

"Yeah," she whispered, shivering as Bug let her go.

"I'll go and get our coats," he offered. She nodded and watched as he left the room, hoping that she had done the right thing.

XXXXX

Bug handed two tickets to the coat check attendant and sighed as he waited. The night had taken an interesting turn. Bug was slightly taken aback by Lily's kiss and he was still confused about her intentions. He knew they were friends – great friends – but he already had one failed attempt with her. What else could he do?

"Mahesh?"

Bug turned to see his parents standing behind him. "Mom… Dad. I thought you had left."

His mother smiled. "You were a little busy." She stepped forward. "We are so proud of you."

"Thank you, Mom." Bug grinned. It was a compound statement, coming from his mother.

"And I was wrong about Lily," she spoke hopefully. "She is a very nice girl."

"She's my friend, Mom," Bug warned.

"Mahesh…" Kanchana started, not quite believing his statement.

"She means a lot to me," he admitted. "I just don't know how she feels…"

His mother's smile widened. "She is here, Heshy. Doesn't that mean something?"

Bug considered her words, nodding. He let out a large sigh and hugged his mother. "When does your flight leave?"

"Tomorrow at 6am," his father piped in. "We'll take a cab."

"Dad…" Bug pleaded.

"It's too early. We will be fine," his father said with force, ending the conversation.

Bug nodded, hugging his father. "I'll see you when I get home."

His mother hung onto his arm. "Good night, Mahesh."

Bug kissed her cheek. "Night, Mom."

He watched his parents leave and turned back to the attendant who had been waiting out the family gathering. Bug thanked him for the coats and started back towards the ballroom only to find Lily standing at the end of hall.

"I saw your parents before they left," she said as he reached her. "They told me that I should take care of you."

"Oh really?" Bug chuckled, helping Lily on with her coat. "They're quite concerned with my well-being."

"And they have every right to be," she said. "They're your parents. And they know what they're talking about."

Bug took her arm. "So, how do you plan to take care of me?" he asked as they made their way out front to an awaiting taxi.

Lily winked at him, as he helped her inside. "Oh, I have my ways."

Bug followed in after her and leaned towards the driver. "The East Side, please," he said before sitting back and wrapping his arm around a shivering Lily. She snuggled into him, her head resting on his chest.

"Lily?" he whispered after some hesitation.

"Yeah?"

Bug sighed, trying to muster up some courage. "Do you think this could ever work?" He paused briefly. "I mean, you and me?"

Lily lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. A sweet smile appeared on her face and removing the distance between them, she kissed him. Her determination and passion took Bug by surprise but he quickly responded in kind. Lily slowly broke away, looking slightly bashful.

"Yeah, I do," she said quietly, before kissing him again.

Bug was the one to break away this time, a huge grin on his face. He searched her face, making sure that he had heard her right. When her eyes confirmed his thoughts, he hugged her to him and kissed the top of her head.

"On second thought," he spoke to the driver, "Better make it the south side."

XXXXX

Bug strolled into the break room, lightly humming to himself. "Morning," he said brightly to Jordan and Nigel who were impatiently waiting for the coffee to perk.

"Sorry Bug," Jordan said. "We get dibs on the coffee. First come, first serve."

"Not a problem," Bug replied happily, sitting down at a table. "I'm in no hurry."

Jordan looked suspiciously at Nigel. "Ok," she said with defeat. "What's going on here? What happened to the surly Bug we know and love?"

Bug simply shrugged, a slight grin on his face. Nigel's eyes suddenly brightened with realization. "Oh my gawd," he exclaimed. "Buggles, you dog!"

Jordan looked between them with confusion as Nigel patted Bug on the back. "Ok," she said. "What did I miss?"

With a smile, Nigel announced, "Someone got lucky this weekend!" As Bug turned eight shades of red, affirming the statement, Jordan nodded with no surprise.

"And I bet it was that gorgeous little vixen your parents brought in the other day," Nigel concluded with a suggestive eyebrow.

Bug scrunched up his face. "No," he laughed awkwardly. "We didn't hit it off."

Jordan remained silent while Nigel continued the inquisition. "Well, then… who?" He stepped behind Bug, shaking his shoulders. "Come on. At least tell me if she's hot…"

At that moment, Bug looked up and into the hall where Lily walked by. She noticed him with a quick wave and hurried along. Nigel followed his friend's line of sight as another revelation hit him. "Lily!" Nigel slammed his hand on a nearby table, breaking Bug's reverie. "Buggles, Buggles… sometimes you amaze me!"

Bug's shocked and shameful face told the truth. He stood, trying to find a way to flee. "I gotta go," he said anxiously, making his way to the door.

Nigel looked over at Jordan, shaking his head. He looked at her questioningly. "You don't look surprised."

Jordan shrugged. "Maybe I'm not."

"You knew about this interoffice hanky panky and didn't bother to tell me?" Nigel teased. "I thought we were friends." He sighed, grabbing two cups from the cupboard. "Well, I must say, it's about time."

Jordan grinned, turning back towards the coffee pot. "Yeah," she said, pouring them each a cup. "Yeah, it is."

XXXXX

"Hey."

Lily lifted her head to see Bug standing in the doorway of her office. She stood quickly, uneasily wringing her hands. "Hi," she smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he replied, slowly stepping into the room. "You?"

"I'm good too."

They eyed each other in silence before both speaking at once.

"We need to talk."

Bug chuckled uncomfortably. "You first."

Lily nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay… uh… Bug, about Friday night?"

"Yeah?" Bug stared at the floor, looking worried.

"Listen…" Lily removed the distance between them. "I, um… I had a great time on Friday. It was a lot of fun," Lily stumbled over her words. "Look… I've never been good with relationships." She smiled weakly at him. "I mean… you've seen some of the guys I've dated."

"Yeah," Bug answered, claiming defeat.

"But…" Lily glanced down at her fingers. "But I meant what I said." She grabbed his hands and looked him in the eye. "You mean a lot to me, Bug. Both as a friend… and maybe something more? I would like to give this… us… a try." She smiled hopefully. "If that's what you want…"

A look of relief swept over Bug's face and he gently squeezed their intertwined hands. "Yeah," he replied calmly. "I do." He tentatively took her face in his hands and tenderly kissed her lips. Her arms slowly wrapped around his shoulders, melting into his embrace.

After several moments, Lily gently pushed away. "Someone might see," she said, nodding towards the windows.

Bug simply shrugged, a silly grin on his face. "They probably all know by now anyways."

"What?" Lily exclaimed, slightly startled. "How?"

"You know how news travels in this place," he said before warmly kissing her again. "Besides, it's Monday."