Sue bounced on her feet and rang the Donahue's doorbell.

"Suzy Q what are you doing here?" Sean grinned at her from the doorway.

"Hey Sean!" Sue greeted him cheerfully. "I brought back your mom's dish from the lasagna she made for us."

"Sean who is at the door?" Nancy called out from the kitchen.

"It's Sue," Sean called. He turned to Sue and used a softer voice. "Come in."

"Hi Mrs. Donahue!" Sue said loudly, walking into the Donahue home. "I brought back your casserole dish."

"I'm so glad you came by Sue!" Nancy grinned at Sue, taking the dish from her. "I was going to come by your house later to talk to you!"

"You were?" Sue asked slowly, her face contorting in confusion.

"Well you remember a few months ago when you and your boyfriend broke up and you drove all the way back here to see if Sean was still home to take you to that ball?" Nancy ran all of her words together, Sean turning to his mother in interest.

"Yes," Sue replied in the same slow tone, her cheeks burning as Sean looked at her curiously. She could tell by the look on his face that this was the first he was hearing about it.

"I just couldn't stop thinking about it; you are such a sweet girl and you should have a boyfriend who treats you well," Nancy started, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Oh Mrs. Donahue that's so nice of you to say, thank you," Sue gave her a small smile. Nancy smiled back, gaining back her confidence.

"It took a little bit but I found a guy that I think would be perfect for you!"

"You got Sue a boyfriend?" Dotty asked incredulously, both her and Shelley turning from the couch. "What about getting me a boyfriend I'm your daughter!"

"You're too young to date," Nancy said sternly. "And I didn't get Sue a boyfriend, just a cute guy's phone number to call and set up a date."

"Is the guy's number really Sean's number?" Shelley joked making Dotty laugh loudly. Sean narrowed his eyes at his sisters. Sue's eyes widened as she worked hard to keep her face neutral, hope simmering in her chest.

"It's not Sean," Nancy gave her daughters dirty looks. Sue exhaled the breath she didn't know she had been holding. "It's Paula Norwood's nephew Henry."

"So you're pimping Sue out then?" Sean scoffed, clearly annoyed. "That's a terrible idea, have you even met this guy?"

"No but Paula said he's really sweet and she showed me a photo-"

"Can I see?" Dotty cut in eagerly. Nancy gave her a look.

"I want to see too!" Shelley cried out.

"Let me show Sue first," Nancy rolled her eyes at Sue and Sue laughed softly.

"Thanks for thinking of me Mrs. Donahue but I don't think that's a good idea," Sue shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Not when I like your son, Sue thought to herself.

"I know blind dates are awkward but once it gets going you'll have a great time," Nancy placed a hand on Sue's arm comfortingly.

"She doesn't think it's a good idea because she has a boyfriend," Sean deadpanned. Sue looked at him and did a double take; she had never seen Sean look so annoyed.

"Oh honey why didn't you tell me?" Nancy exclaimed. "What's his name? Where did you meet him?"

"Is he cute?" Shelley grinned, her head in her hand.

"Do you have any photos?" Dotty asked curiously.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Sue looked at Sean confused. "Your mom was right, my last boyfriend broke up with me the same day as the Chancellor's Ball."

"Axl told me you were seeing someone," Sean said as equally confused as Sue.

"Oh that's weird," Sue shrugged. She had never understood Axl and she wasn't about to start now.

"It's actually not," Sean gave a humorless chuckle. "Axl is so- I don't know why I'm so surprised."

"Sean!" Nancy yelled, giving him a look. Sue worked hard again to keep herself neutral, telling herself she could cry on her walk home.

"What? Oh, I meant about Axl saying that to me, not about you being single Suzy," Sean clarified quickly.

"Okay," Sue answered quietly, her spirits lifting back up.

"Well if you don't have a boyfriend you should go!" Nancy gave her an encouraging smile. Sean rolled his eyes and Dotty and Shelley exchanged amused glances.

"You should! If Mom is telling you to go out with him then she definitely made sure he wasn't a secret jerk," Shelley pointed out. "She would never do that to you."

"I guess you're right," Sue bit her lip and Sean took a deep breath, rolling his neck. Sue had never seen Sean so annoyed about something that had to do with her and she like it so much she was wishing more and more the number Mrs. Donahue had for her was Sean's.

"It's not like anyone else is asking you out," Dotty smirked, giving Sean a fake smile. He gave her a dirty look.

"Okay," Sue agreed with a reluctant smile. Dotty wasn't wrong, Sean was never going to ask her out. "I'll go."


Turns out Paula Norwood's nephew Henry was a secret jerk.

As promised, Sue had texted Henry and set up a date with him for that evening. She had been dreading going but she couldn't disappoint Mrs. Donahue; it had been so nice of her to even think to set her up she knew couldn't go back on the date.

Which is how three nights later, Sue had found herself across the table from Henry, wishing she was anywhere else.

Not only had he insulted her looks, he had also brought her to a pizza parlor in the next town, telling her that she wasn't "fancy dinner material".

Sue was currently in a loose-fitting, belted yellow dress with brown-heeled sandals and she knew she looked cuter than normal- she even had make-up on! When she had come into the living room Brick had even whistled in appreciation at her appearance but clearly it was all for nothing.

Or according to Henry wasn't good enough.

The date was a disaster and the only silver lining Sue could find was that the pizza parlor was BYOB so Henry had brought wine, which she was happily helping herself to.

An hour and a half in he had called her a nerd multiple times and chewed with his mouth wide open, cutting her off anytime she spoke as he made it clear he had no interest in anything she had to say.

Sue dreaded having to tell Mrs. Donahue about this date.

"So where do you go to school again?" Henry asked, his eyes following one of the waitress's asses.

"East Indiana State," Sue sighed softly, picking up the wine bottle to pour herself another glass. She was surprised to see that it was empty, had she really drunk nearly the entire bottle herself?

"I've never heard of them, they must not be an academic school," Henry said snootily. "You know this one timeā€¦"

Sue tuned him out, her attention on her phone as it vibrated with a text. She squinted to read her phone as the wine was starting to catch up with her.

How's the date? Sue bit her lip to hide her smile that Sean was checking up on her.

Horrible. Sue typed her response quickly, about to put her phone away when her phone vibrated again almost immediately.

That bad? Sue scoffed at Sean's text, looking up sharply to see that Henry hadn't heard her and was still rambling.

So bad I'm thinking of how to nicely ditch him. Sue waited for a few moments for a reply and when one didn't come in she sighed to herself and went to put her phone away when it vibrated again.

I'll be there in ten minutes.


True to Donahue form, ten minutes after Sue had told him where her and Henry were she saw Sean walk through the front door.

Sue immediately perked up, a wide grin crossing her face as she gave Sean a wave to alert her to their location.

"Why do you look so excited- who are you?" Henry narrowed his eyes at Sean's appearance at their table.

"I'm Sean," Sean gave Henry a fake smile, "and I'm going to take Sue home with me."

"We're on a date," Henry said slowly as though he thought Sean was an idiot.

"Not anymore," Sean snorted, turning to Sue. "Ready Suzy Q?"

"Ready!" Sue exclaimed excitedly, standing too quickly and stumbling. Sean caught her arm to steady her.

"Are you drunk?" A slow smile spread across Sean's face.

"She drank this entire bottle except the two small glasses I had," Henry rolled his eyes.

"Did you?" Sean asked Sue with an amused expression.

"Maybe," Sue replied, giggling. Sean laughed with her and lowered his hand to her wrist.

"Are you too drunk for ice cream?"

"Never!"

"Hey," Henry cried out angrily, standing. "We're on a date."

"You were on a date," Sean pointed out, taking Sue's hand in his. "We're leaving."

"You can't take another man's date," Henry scoffed loudly. "Aren't you Sean Donahue? Isn't your mom the one who set up this date anyway? My aunt will be mad to hear about you breaking up my love connection with Susan."

"My name is Sue," Sue said slowly, Sean's face contorting in irritation.

"My mom did set up the date but she shouldn't have," Sean told Henry. "Sorry to break up the love connection."

"Why shouldn't she have set up the date?" Henry lowered his eyes in suspicion. "You are single aren't you Susan- Sue?"

"No she isn't," Sean cut in, "she has a boyfriend."

"Let me guess, it's you," Henry crossed his arms over his chest.

"Look at that, you aren't as dumb as I thought," Sean smirked. Sue's eyes widened; had Sean just told her horrible date he was her boyfriend?

"If she is your girlfriend why would your own mother set her up on a date with someone else?"

"My brother is in Europe," Sue stated matter-of-factly.

"And?" Henry looked at Sue in disgust.

"My brother is Sean's best friend," Sue continued, saying her words slowly.

"You don't actually like this girl do you?" Henry laughed cruelly. "She isn't smart and she isn't even pretty."

Sean went to take a step towards Henry but Sue pulled him back, holding his one hand with both of hers. He looked at her and Sue shook her head sadly, silently begging him not to get into a physical fight.

"Sue is beautiful and yes I do like her. I like her a lot actually," Sean's annoyance came through in his tone. "What she means is that I'm dating my best friend's sister and he's in Europe so we can't tell our families about it until he's back home because he'll be super pissed if he hears about it secondhand."

Henry paused, looking between the two of them.

"Kiss."

"Excuse me?"

"Kiss your girlfriend," Henry smirked. "We aren't in Orson and there are only four other people here."

"We don't have to prove anything to you," Sean rolled his eyes, tugging Sue's hand lightly as he started to move. "I'd say it was nice meeting you Henry but well, you were here."

"I'm telling my aunt all about this!" Henry called after them. "I know you're lying!"

Sue let Sean lead her out of the pizza parlor and to his car, both of her hands still covering his. Sean sighed when they got to the passenger door, turning to her.

"That guy is a real asshole."

"He's a jerk," Sue agreed, looking at the ground. Sean placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head up until their eyes met.

"You are pretty Sue," Sean told her honestly. "Henry should consider himself lucky that you even gave him the time of day."

"Yeah I don't think he feels the same," Sue bit her lip. "He brought me here because he said I was 'unconventionally pretty and not worth being seen at a nicer place with'."

"Yeah I'm going to go punch him."

"Please don't, I just want to go home," Sue begged him. "I don't want you to sit here and lie to me about being pretty or sweet I just want to lay on my living room floor with Woofy Dog."

"You're right, you aren't pretty," Sean agreed and Sue's heart sank. "You're beautiful Sue and I know you think I'm just saying that but I'm not. You are truly gorgeous, inside and out."

"Really?" Sue asked him hopefully.

"Definitely," Sean chuckled, moving his hand from her chin to cup her cheek. "If you were my date I would definitely take you out to the nicest restaurant in Orson."

"This is a cute dress-"

"Suzy I would take you in your oldest turtleneck and brightest sneakers," Sean confessed. Sue paused, searching his eyes for dishonesty but she found none.

Sean took a step closer in her pause, their bodies only inches away now. Sue tilted her head back to continue to look Sean in the eyes but her eyes strayed and she looked quickly at his lips then back at him.

Sean smiled at the action and repeated it himself. Sean then kissed her quickly before he lost his nerve.

With how fast he had kissed her, Sue had expected him to kiss her urgently but he slanted his lips over hers slowly, his hand leaving hers and sliding around her waist to pull her closer.

Sue put her hands on his shoulders and stumbled in her drunken state, biting Sean's lip in her movement and he groaned. Sean deepened the kiss immediately, tangling his hand in her hair.

A throat cleared behind them and they broke apart to see the smiling face of Paula Norwood, whom Sue suspected Henry placed a call to.

"Hey Mrs. Norwood," Sean gave her a nervous smile, placing his hands in his front pockets.

"Beautiful night isn't it?" Sue winced at how uncasual she sounded.

"Don't worry, I won't tell your parents."

Sean and Sue stood still, both breathing a sigh of relief as they watched as Paula walked inside.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, both wanting to continue making out but unsure how to say so.

"You still up for ice cream Suzy Q?"

"Yes!"

Sean grinned widely at Sue, taking her hand in his and pulling her close to him and he kissed her quickly.

"Let's go."