Beverly was so absorbed in last minute cramming for her biology final that she almost fell off her chair when Deb flung open the door and practically sprinted inside.

"Whoa, Deb!" she squeaked in shock, eyeing the other girl strangely.

Deb, as usual, ignored her, though it wasn't the typical 'I don't want to talk to you because I hate your face,' but more of an 'I'm freaking out and don't have time to talk.'

Scrambling around the small dorm, Deb began to sift through the various piles of clothing and papers on her side of the room, her actions laced with panic.

Beverly stood from her chair, her movements careful, as though she was approaching an unpredictable animal. "Deb," she tried again, "what's going on?"

Deb startled violently and spun around, like she hadn't even realized Beverly was there. "Beverly!" her tone was pleading. "Please tell me you've seen a blue duffel bag in here somewhere."

Nodding dumbly—since when had Deb ever used the word "please"?—Beverly pointed at a faded blue duffel peeking out of the closet, half-hidden by Deb's many expensive clothes. "Deb, what the hell is—"

But Deb was already gone, leaving Beverly alone in their now-ransacked dorm.

"What the hell was that?" she asked the empty room, receiving no response.

***

When Beverly came out of her programming abstractions class, the sight of Griffin leaning against the hallway wall with a large thermos in his hand had her spirits lifting significantly.

"Hi!" she greeted cheerfully, bouncing over to him and leaning in to accept his own greeting, a sound kiss on the lips.

He pulled back after a moment, stroking the outline of her cheek with the fingers of his free hand. "Hello, Beverly. How was class?"

She sighed dramatically, throwing a hand over her eyes for extra effect. "Awful!" she peeked around her fingers to find him grinning with amusement, and she let a smile break through. "In all seriousness, it wasn't too bad. What's in the thermos? If it is what I think it is, then you'll be my most favorite human ever."

Griffin's responding smile was adorably crooked. "Then I wear the title of 'Beverly's Most Favorite Human' proudly."

Practically squealing at the thought of his delicious and caffeinated creation, Beverly snatched the thermos from his hand, screwed off the top, and hummed with contentment when the smell of chocolate invaded her senses. "'Favorite Human' indeed. Thanks, Griffin, you're so sweet to me." She popped up on her tiptoes to kiss his nose, then linked her arm through his and started leading him out of the building.

Twenty minutes later found them exploring the city again, though this time they stuck to the shops near Cynthia's.

It was in their fifth store—a small antique shop—that something caught Griffin's eye. Following his stare, Beverly was surprised to find a model ship, complete with sails and extensive detailing.

"Do you sail?" she probed, eyeing him curiously as he reached up to trace the delicate wood.

He smiled bitterly. "My mom did. She and Cynthia had a boat just like this and went to competitions every year."

Sidling closer to him and grasping his hand in her own, Beverly leaned her head against his arm. "They stopped?"

His muscles tensed, and she would have thought he'd closed up, if not for his next words: "My dad made my mom stop doing it, and Cynthia said it wasn't the same without her. They were planning to do one final competition together, but my parents died before then."

She squeezed his bicep, looking up at his face with sadness in her gaze. "I'm sorry you went through that. I'm guessing Cynthia took you in after they passed away?"

He nodded stiffly. "Yeah. I wasn't the best kid, though. I was pissed with my dad for being such an asshole, and I was mad at both of them for dying. Cynthia yelled at me for the first couple of years, always saying things like, 'Your mother would skin me alive if she saw me letting you get away with all this dumb shit,' and, 'If you don't shape up, you're going to turn into something ugly, and neither one of us need that.'"

"'Something ugly'?"

Griffin sighed heavily, pulling her free hand up to his lips and holding it there, his breath brushing her knuckles as he spoke. "Like my dad, I suppose. He was overcontrolling, angry, verbally abusive, and an all-around bastard." His hazel eyes grew steely. "I didn't want to be like him, so I eventually listened to Cynthia and tried to shape up by working for her and going to school. There's still time for me to lose it, though."

She shifted a finger until it was stroking his bottom lip and was pleased when his gaze softened. "I don't think you'll ever 'lose it,' Griffin; you're a good person. Besides, the fact that you're trying so hard not to be like him means you're aware of it and would never let it happen. How . . ." she licked her lips nervously, "How long did he abuse you?"

Oh, how her heart ached to even think the word, much less speak it out loud. No one deserved to be abused, especially not someone like Griffin, whose heart was so good.

He chuckled bitterly. "From the moment I was born to the minute he died. His last words to me were, 'Get out of my sight, shit-face; we've got somewhere to be.' And then he and my mom left, and they never came home. The accident was his fault, too; he was drunk, ran a red light, and plowed into another car. I knew he was drunk before he got in the car, but I didn't stop him."

His expression twisted into that of a man haunted by his past, and he ran a hand through his hair roughly. "I didn't stop him, and he killed my mom and two other people."

Beverly had to work to hide the pity she knew would be obvious in her features. Moving her hand so it was splayed over the span of his cheek, she turned his face to hers. "I hope you know you didn't deserve any of that; it wasn't your fault, either. You know those things, don't you?"

The slightest hint of an actual smile tugged at his lips, though it still held an underlayer of resentment. "I know that now, I suppose. Still screwed me up, either way."

Beverly huffed. "You are not 'screwed up,' Griffin. You're adorable." When his expression remained relatively blank at her teasing, she blew out a worried breath and added, "I don't like seeing you so sad, though. What can I do?"

He tilted his head and planted a kiss on her palm. "Just be here, like you always are. You mean so much to me, Beverly. I . . ." he licked his lips nervously, "I want you to always remember that, if nothing else. That's why I worry so much—I couldn't protect Mom or those innocent people from Dad, but I can protect you. Or I can try, anyway."

The words were so quiet she had to strain to hear them, but—once she did—she finally began to understand Griffin and the tattoos that marked his skin.

His dad was an asshole, that much was clear, and Griffin had felt guilty after his mom had died—no doubt he'd blamed himself for letting his dad drive, even though she doubted there was anything he could've done. These thoughts had been the driving force behind the flowers on his arm: a poppy, to remember what had happened; a hyacinth, to ask forgiveness for something he felt was his fault; a daffodil, to try his best and have a new beginning, which no doubt marked the point at which he started working at Cynthia's and left his life of being "something ugly" behind. As a result of these feelings, Griffin watched over those he cared about closely, no doubt worried they would suffer the same fate as his mother if he didn't ensure their protection.

Beverly couldn't help but feel lucky, really, that she was one of the few people who fit into that category. At the thought, her lips ticked into a gentle grin. "Would I mean even more to you if I bought you Chapstick? I think I can hear your lips screaming, and I know you don't want my lip balm." She ran a finger over the chapped skin playfully, hoping to pull him from his misery.

Her words provoked a hearty chuckle from him, and her grin widened with her success. "Would you kiss me more?" he asked as he led her out of the shop, giving the model ship one last longing look before the door closed behind them.

"Maybe, but only if it's peppermint flavored."