Lily's brother, Henry, arrived a week before Aunt Kate and Uncle Lee and was staying with her. It was evident to Lily that he was going through a hard time transitioning at college because his behavior was very erratic and not at all like the Henry she knew.

He had never been very trusting of other people, but he had picked up some 'new friends' of the flight to Savannah and had been spending every day with them while she was at work. Lily had only met them briefly one day when she had met Henry after work. She hadn't liked them, so she had made an excuse and taken Henry out to dinner, but now Henry was insistent that they join them for drinks and Lily couldn't think of a reason to get out of it. Sure, she could simply say she didn't want to, but she had a feeling that Henry would see it an insult directed at his new friends.

So now she sat in a bar, that wasn't her scene at all, nursing a ginger ale while Henry and his friends talked smack about the people around them. One of the guys with Henry kept looking at Lily and grinning while nudging Henry, and Henry kept shaking his head, refusing to look at Lily. Eventually, they all decide to go and get some pizza at a local semi-famous pizza joint, and Lily was relieved as she stepped into the fresh air.

It was a short walk, and all of Henry's friends kept taking turns throwing their arms around Lily's neck and pulling her this way and that. She attempted to define their actions as those of trying to make her feel wanted, but she had the feeling that they were making fun of her, expecting her to be unaware of what was going on around her.

They were given a table inside the restaurant right next to the pizza ovens, and it was sweltering. They hadn't been seated long when Lily noticed a familiar form outside the window across the small space of the restaurant. The majority of seating for diners was outside, and it appeared as if Finn and his guest had gotten a premium table for two.

Finn hadn't noticed her, so she took her time studying first him and then the woman across from him. Finn was wearing a tight t-shirt, and he had a day's worth of beard. He was leaning back in his chair relaxed, smiling at something the woman was saying, even laughing, and it struck Lily that she had never heard him laugh. Chuckle, sure, but not a true laugh. All she could think about was how he had held her in his arms, protecting her from the fight scene for the show. She had never felt so safe in her life. He was quickly becoming all that she could think about, and she was starting to realize that it was not healthy for her peace of mind. Now, as she watched him laugh with the beautiful woman across from him, she knew she was in serious trouble because she had never hated anyone on sight before, but she hated the woman who was winning Finn's smiles.

The woman was leaning forward, her face animated as she stroked Finn's hand, which rested on the table between them. Finn wasn't pulling away like he normally did and that hurt Lily. Lily watched as he turned his hand up and grasped the woman's hand in his own, leaning forward to say something, and this time she laughed.

Who was this charming Finn? It wasn't a person she recognized.

"Earth to Lily!" Henry said as he waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you going to order?"

"Umm, sure." She ripped her eyes away from Finn and looked at the waitress. "I'll have a slice of pepperoni, please."

The waitress went around the table, taking everyone's order, and the same guy who had been hounding her at the bar threw his arms across her shoulder's once more. Lily couldn't take much more, so she excused herself to go to the restroom, and as she turned to stand, her eyes collided with Finn's through the window. She gave him a half-hearted smile and then made her way to the restroom at the top of the stairs next to them.

She took her time, washing her hands, and attempting to tame her hair as best she could. The humidity and heat from the ovens had made the curls tighten even more. Giving up with a sigh, because there really was no point, she exited the bathroom to return to the table. Henry's friends didn't like her, and Finn obviously had a girlfriend that she didn't know about, and it all made her feel very sorry for herself.

When she took her seat, she noted the sudden silence at the table and looked around, but no one would meet her eyes, not even Henry, and if that wasn't a sure sign that they were all talking bad about her, she didn't know what would be.

"Don't worry," she said to the table at large. "I'll finish dinner then go home and stop cramping your style," she said with a self-effacing smile, and she noted Henry's face turn red, proving that they had been talking about her.

They were all served their food, and it appeared to lighten the mood as the ate and drank, but she wasn't aware of any of it because she kept sneaking glances at Finn, whose smile had faded.

About halfway through her slice, Lily started to feel a little funny, and she thought it was sad that Finn's smile had faded so she jumped up, about to tell him what she thought, but then she got dizzy, and she fell back into her seat. She looked around at the table and noted that everyone's face was swimming and floating around her.

"Henry," she leaned towards him, "I don't feel right," she licked her lips and noted that they felt numb.

"It's alright Lily, maybe it's just the heat," Henry said, but she noticed that he wouldn't meet her eyes.

She tried to stand once more. "I need to go home." But once again she fell back into her chair, her legs felt weak, and now the entire room was spinning.

"Henry?" she asked, looking at him to tell her what was going on, but he only shook his head.

"You're fine Lily," he assured her.

"No, I'm not," she shook her head and started to wobble before she became transfixed by the way her hair curled where it had fallen in front of her face. A sudden moment of clarity fought through her drug-induced stupor and realized that she was really frightened.

"Henry?" she said, her voice breaking with the fear she felt, but once again he didn't respond, he only looked at his feet as his new friends around him started to chuckle.

Unsure what to do because Henry wasn't going to help her and she couldn't walk, she turned to look for Finn. He was watching her through the window, and when her scared eyes met his, he said something to the woman across from him, threw some money on the table, and disappeared. Lily felt her heart drop, and she closed her eyes. He was leaving, she started to slide out of her seat, but she felt a hand on her arm catching her.

She immediately knew that it was Finn.

"Finn?' she asked, her voice small.

"Hey, you're that guy on that television show!" one of the girls who was in their group said.

Finn ignored her as he attempted to help Lily up from her seat. "Can you walk?" he asked.

"Maybe," she whispered. Her legs wobbled, and she felt Finn's arms tighten around her waist.

"This is a fine bunch of friends you have here Lily," Finn said as he looked around at the amused group. One of them had pulled out a camera and started to film them as soon as they had seen Finn. Lily knew she had to do her best to get out of the situation as calmly as possible.

"Finn, this is my brother, Henry, and these are his friends." Lily introduced softly, feeling Finn take all of her weight.

Finn looked at Henry. "You're Lee's son?" he asked, his voice and eyes hard enough to chip ice.

"Yes," Henry choked.

Finn looked at him for a moment before reaching down and grabbing Lily's purse. "Come on, I'll take you home," whispered in her ear.

Lily was too drugged to do more than focus on putting one foot in front of the other until they had reached Finn's truck, which was on the other side of the square outside the restaurant.

As soon as he had her strapped into her seat, she started to laugh uncontrollably, and she laughed all the way to her apartment.

Finn helped her back out of the truck and up the stairs to her apartment, and she waggled her fingers at Ms. Epstein as they passed.

"Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn," she said over and over again because she liked the way his name sounded. He was digging through her purse, looking for her door key as she leaned against the wall. Every once and a while, she would slide forward, and he would automatically reach out a hand and push her back.

"Your girlfriend was pretty!" she shouted.

"I'm right her Lily; I can hear you fine." He found her key and opened the door.

"I bet you kiss her!" she muttered as she pushed past him and then tripped on the rug in front of her. "You looked like you kiss her a lot!"

Finn turned on her lights and set her purse and key on the kitchen counter.

Lily kicked off her shoes and threw herself down on her couch, moaning as the world spun around her. "What's wrong with me!"

"My guess is you're drunk," Finn closed the door behind him.

"I didn't drink," she shook her head, her curls catching her attention again. "I had ginger ale."

Finn cocked his head, trying to figure it out. He walked towards her and grabbed her face between his hands. This was it! He was going to kiss her!" Lily closed her eyes and pursed her lips and waited, and waited.

Eventually, after nothing happened, Lily opened her eyes to find Finn staring at her. "You don't smell like alcohol," he said. She swatted his hands away from her face and fell backward.

"I told you I wasn't drinking; I don't drink."

He crossed his arms and looked down at her. "Then you were probably drugged, did you leave your drink?" he asked.

"I went to the bathroom, but Henry was there," she insisted.

"Then I would talk to Henry if I were you. When you sober up that is," he turned to leave, headed towards the door.

"Are you going back to your girlfriend?" she asked in a nasty voice.

"Yes, I am, I told her I would meet her at the hotel," he confirmed as he kept walking towards the door.

"I knew it! You're in love with her. You're going to kiss her!" Lily wailed, then as quickly as she started, she stopped. "I want to make you laugh like she makes you laugh!"

"Good night, Lily," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Lily buried her face in the pillow, alternating between laughing and crying. Why wouldn't he just kiss her already? Why did she care so much? Why had Henry not saved her? These and a million other questions rattled around in her head. At one point, she even tried to solve the problem of world peace before she fell into a fitful sleep and dreamed of Finn.