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It was late January – a couple days before my big brother’s birthday. We didn’t typically celebrate our birthdays, but the last couple of years had been really hard on Dean. He had been working two jobs while I was out of work, then he broke up with his girlfriend Lisa and wrecked his car. I really wanted to do something special for his birthday this year.
I had found his present a month ago at a Christmas rummage sale, but I knew the thing Dean would like the most would be food. Something sweet, to be exact. While cake was one of his favorites, I knew my brother. I knew what he truly loved, deep in his soul, better than even cake: PIE.
Apple, cherry, peanut butter, pumpkin. Whatever the flavor, Dean would eat it without hesitation. All I needed to do was distract him long enough to go buy the ingredients. A home-baked pie would probably blow his mind.
The weather had been holding out. It wasn’t cold at all. Warm, even. I considered surprising Dean with a barbecue, but I was baking him a birthday pie even if I did.
- - -
“Hey, Sammy!” Dean called as soon as he came into the house. He chucked his keys into the fruit basket — again, we'd talked about this — and came over to meet me by the coffee pot. “I figured out where Cas works.”
“Yeah?” I said, stirring my coffee and covering a yawn. Castiel, or Cas, was our tenant. Renting out the mother-in-law apartment across the backyard was what had allowed Dean to quit his second job. When Castiel walked up one day, we didn’t ask where he worked or anything. He paid us in cash and we just sort of let him in. No background check, no questions asked. Even after I'd managed to find a job, it was only part time and we needed to keep up the landlord routine.
Now, with how excited Dean looked, I really had to wonder where the mysterious Cas worked. My vote was on drug dealer. A very awkward, suspicious drug dealer. In a trench coat.
Castiel was weird. He barely ever spoke to us. As his landlords, I felt that we were obligated to occasionally ask if he needed anything. The answer was always the same: a polite ‘no thank you’ and then he’d stand there awkwardly until I left. He was a great looking guy and he seemed really nice. I had seen him putting out potted flowers on the mother-in-law’s tiny porch for the bees. He would then sit inside and wait with a camera until a bee came along, and—
“Sam?”
Dean’s voice pulled me back to reality and I cleared my throat.
“Sorry. Haven’t had coffee yet.”
“Dude. He works at the Gas n’ Sip. With the blue vest and everything.”
“Really?” I asked, genuinely surprised. He was a gas station attendant?
“Yeah I know. I couldn’t believe it. Maybe it’s just his cover.” Dean snickered as he dropped his jacket on the hook by the door. He swooped over and stole a cup of coffee, lingering there to take a long sip. He looked me over, taking in my pajamas and groggy eyes. “You work today?”
“No. Just a short shift tomorrow.”
“Nice. We can kick back and watch TV.” He headed off to the couch with his coffee, pausing long enough to ditch his boots.
Great. I should have said that I worked. Now I’d have to sneak off to buy the pie stuff.
“Hey Sam, there’s a new season of Supernormal up on Watchflix!”
I cringed. That show was cheesy. Dean really loved it, since it was about two brothers fighting weird monsters. The supernatural version of us, in his mind. He kept trying to get me into it, but I’d take a good book any day.
“Yay,” I said, joining him on the couch and already plotting how to leave. If I said I’d make a beer run, Dean would want to go. Plus, we already had beer. I sipped my coffee and watched as a shiny black car purred down a back road on the screen.
What else could I do?
“I forgot,” I said, standing back up and sitting my coffee down. “Cas said his sink was leaking.”
“What? Cas is at work.”
“Yeah, I know, but I should fix it before he gets back.”
“The show just started!” Dean protested as I made my escape out the back door.
“It won’t take me too long!” I called back, shutting the door. I circled the house quickly, glancing behind me. I couldn’t take the car. He’d notice. In fact, any engine revving he'd probably notice. I was standing there staring at my truck and cursing my luck when someone cleared their throat.
“Sam?”
I turned and found Castiel standing there, a grocery bag slung over one arm. He was wearing a nice white button up, dark slacks and that same old blue tie. I couldn’t recall ever seeing him without it.
“Cas — tiel. Castiel,” I stammered. Dean and I always called him the nickname, but never to his face. Man. We really talked about him a lot if we felt comfortable enough to give him a nickname.
“Is everything okay?” Castiel asked, looking from the truck to me. I glanced down. I was still in my pajamas. Right.
“Uh, yeah. Everything’s fine.”
Cas nodded stiffly and I turned to head back inside. I needed a new Dean distraction. The store was close enough that I could hurry there and back in like half an hour. How long did it take to fix a sink? I spun back around and waved to Cas.
“Wait, could you do me a favor?” I asked, lowering my voice.
Cas stepped close and nodded, alarmingly blue eyes locked on me. Wow. They were SO blue. Like a sky blue…no, maybe more like crystal.
“Favor?” Castiel prompted.
“If my brother comes out here looking for me, could you tell him that I’m fixing your sink?” I whispered. Cas stared at me, unblinking.
“Sam, my sink is fine.”
“Yes, I know that, but,” I pointed to the house, “I need to go to the store and Dean can’t know about it. Okay? It’s his birthday tomorrow and I’m trying to make him a surprise.”
The awkward man nodded quickly, straightening his shoulders.
“Okay.”
- - -
Shopping in my pajamas was nothing new. It was pretty dead in the store anyway. I couldn’t decide on a flavor for the pie and wound up getting a small bag of frozen cherries and three apples. I was sure that Dean wouldn’t mind those two flavors together. I also snagged a big can of whipped cream, a box of candles and a carton of vanilla bean ice cream.
How I was going to hide all of it before tomorrow didn’t occur to me until I was standing in the driveway, brown bag in my arms. I circled to the back of the house, peeking around the corner to make sure Dean wasn’t out there. I had no idea why he would be, but if I was going to get the drop on him I needed to be on high alert!
As soon as I saw the coast was clear, I darted across the yard and knocked lightly on Castiel’s door. The door and the front part of the little house were all glass. I could see him come out of the bedroom and up to open the door for me. The house was very sparsely decorated with a hard wooden chair and a card table. No rugs. No sofa. The black haired man looked at the bag and then me.
“Dean didn’t ask me anything yet.”
“That’s good,” I said, pushing my way into his house. I didn’t want to just barge in, but I couldn’t sneak past the living room with a big bag of food without catching Dean’s attention. He could smell sugar for miles, I swear. I shut the door behind me and smiled tightly at Cas. “Can I hide these in your fridge?”
The shorter man seemed caught off guard, but he nodded.
“Of course, Sam.”
“Great.” I ducked into the kitchen and tugged the mini fridge open. It was barren inside, other than a pack of hot dogs and a half gallon carton of 2% milk. I blinked and leaned down to check for anything else. Nope. That was it.
That’s…weird, I thought as I tucked the eggs, butter, ice cream, cherries and apples inside, along with the little bottle of lemon juice. I’d have to refreeze the ice cream tomorrow. I turned to Cas and found him watching me intently. I hesitated, then smiled.
“Please don’t eat any of this.”
“I won’t,” Cas said with sincerity. “Thank you for including me in your secrets.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just nodded and headed back out the door. I gave him a wave.
“Thanks again.”
I made it back into the house and left my house slippers outside by the door. They were dusty after my walk. Dean would notice. I padded back over to the couch and plunked down. Dean flinched.
“Jeez! A little warning,” he mumbled, laying back into the plush couch cushions again. “The sink fixed?”
“Yep,” I lied, hiding it with a yawn. “Just a loose pipe.”
“A loose pipe took you forty five minutes?” Dean chuckled, grinning at me. “Damn.”
I shrugged and stared at the TV. The two brothers were standing over a burning grave, having a heart to heart. I had to agree, they resembled us a little. One had longish hair like me and the other had freckles like Dean. They had a friend, too – an awkward angel guy that followed them around like a puppy. He was pretty hot, in a sad ‘I lost my job’ accountant sort of way. He sort of reminded me of Cas.
I paused at the thought. Cas wore a tie and sometimes a trench coat. He had dark, tussled hair and soul searching sharp blue eyes. I had never seen him smile, though. I could only imagine what that looked like.
Dean nudged me suddenly and I glanced over at him. He was smirking.
“Remind you of anyone?”
I blinked and looked back at the screen. The long haired brother was talking to the accountant man in whispers. They seemed close. I looked back at Dean and shrugged.
“Cas?”
“And you. You should try talking to him.”
“I have.”
“And?” Dean pressed.
“And what?” I looked at him, bewildered. “He’s weird.”
“Did you find any bodies over there? Drugs?”
I rolled my eyes.
“He came home. I was just there to fix his sink.”
“Ooh la la,” Dean said smugly. I glared at him.
“I don’t date guys anymore. Remember? That was in college—”
“Sammy,” Dean said, slapping a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay to be gay.” I brushed his hand off and got up to clear our coffee cups. Dean immediately followed me. Like a shark. I sat the cups in the sink and snagged the sponge. Dean stepped up next to me, still looking too smug for my liking.
“What?” I hissed.
“Come on Sammy—”
“Stop calling me Sammy,” I said, scrubbing one of the cups.
“Aren’t you curious?” Dean asked, leaning on the counter.
“Excuse me?”
“He’s gotta be a drug dealer!”
“Seriously? You want me to go flirt with this guy so you can know if he’s a drug dealer or not? YOU flirt with him!”
“Excuse me,” a voice cut in. Both of us spun around. Castiel was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, an envelope in hand. He extended it toward us. “I have a piece of your mail, Sam.”
Without a hint of subtlety, Dean ducked around Cas into the kitchen. I stared after him. Seriously?
“Thanks, Cas. Castiel! Castiel. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I keep calling you that,” I explained, my face heating up. Dammit. Dean HAD to bring up dating.
“Cas is fine. I don’t mind,” Castiel said, glancing after Dean. He leaned closer to me and whispered. “The cherries are thawing. I do not have a freezer. What should I do?”
I blushed deeper at his whispering. His voice was as nice as his eyes – gruff but gentle. I shoved the thought away and cleared my throat.
“Um, it’s okay if they thaw. And the ice cream. I’m using them tomorrow,” I whispered back. Cas nodded firmly.
“Alright,” he said quietly, before straightening up. “Now that you have your mail, I’m going to go home. Goodnight,” he announced loudly, turning on his heel and leaving.
I stared after him. Maybe recruiting him to help had been a mistake.
- - -
The waitress sat the shots down on the bar one by one. Dean beamed up at her, already a little tipsy.
“Thanks.”
She smiled back, dark eyes twinkling. She was Asian and dressed stylish – definitely Dean’s type.
“You’re welcome, honey,” she said with a wink at him. As she walked off, Dean scooted two of the four shots across the bar to me. He toasted me with one and smiled widely.
I picked one up and tapped it against his shot, gulping it down. I shuddered. Whiskey never got any easier for me. Dean swigged it down like it was apple juice and then slapped my arm.
“Sam, as soon as my Baby is outta the shop, we should go on a road trip!”
“To where?” I asked, fidgeting with the next shot. I really didn’t want to get drunk. I already felt warm from the first round of shots. I wanted to go home and bake that pie. Maybe I’d get lucky and Dean would go home with the waitress…
“I don’t know. Kansas? Who cares! It’d be fun. Just the two of us and the wide open road.”
I smiled at him. It was good to see him happy again. He wasn’t just putting on a smile for me, he was actually happy about the idea.
“Yeah. That sounds fun.” I toasted him with the other shot and we drank. I tried not to cough. The spicy warmth of whiskey really made it hard to breath sometimes. I caught my breath and then nodded after the waitress. “You know, I think she likes you.”
“What’s not to like?” Dean preened, grinning. He bumped my shoulder and grinned at me. “Not tonight. It’s just you and me, Sammy.”
“But she’s really pretty. I mean,” I gestured to her, trying to come up with something that might tempt Dean. “Look at her ass. It’s gorgeous.”
“What about Cas’s ass?”
I looked at Dean so fast, I felt a wave of dizziness.
“No.” I held up a hand. “No. We’re not talking about this.”
“Come on, Sam. I saw you drooling on yourself when he was out in the yard.”
“What?” I sputtered, pretending like I didn’t know exactly what he was talking about. After work, Cas would usually water the flowers on the porch and in the yard. It wasn’t my fault that he had done that in a tight t-shirt a few times. And bent over to weed the pots. My face felt even warmer now. “If I can’t talk about the waitress, you can’t talk about Cas!”
“Alright, alright,” Dean sighed, waving to the waitress for another round. “Just you and me.”
- - -
I waited, holding my breath. It was coming closer.
The little bee buzzed over at last, settling onto the purple and white flowers on the porch. I held as still as I could, daring only to press the camera button. The shutter clicked and the bee scurried away. I got up from the grass, my heart sinking. At least I managed to get the picture. It was already dark outside, so when the bee started my way I had ran to get my camera. Perhaps he had been lost?
The slamming of a car door caught my attention. I leaned to look around the house and saw the Winchester brothers crawling out of a cab. They appeared to be drunk, Dean more so than Sam. I sat my camera on the porch railing and went to see if they needed any help.
Dean was smiling and talking fondly up at his brother, swaying back and forth. Sam…Sam was smiling.
It was such a beautiful smile. I felt my nerves fraying as I approached. I hadn’t seen him smile that way before.
“Sam? Do you need help?” I asked, meeting them in the driveway.
“Cas!” Sam said, directing that smile my way. I froze as my heart fluttered.
“Barchal!” Dean shouted, reaching to put an arm over my shoulders. I half caught him as Sam lost his balance. “Dude, thanks for saving…the world. I mean it,” the older brother slurred, squeezing me in a one-armed hug.
“Dean, that’s Cas,” Sam lead us along up the driveway as Dean stared up at me, puzzled.
“No, Sam, this is Barchal — you’re Barchal, right?” Dean asked me as we reached the front door. I leaned to open it.
“Barchal is from a TV show, Dean,” I explained, helping them both inside. “From Supernormal.”
“You’re from a TV show? I remember that episode!” Dean yelled excitedly in my face. I was struck by the pungent scent of whiskey on his breath.
“No, he’s not Barchal,” Sam said, nodding to me. He lead the way through their nice home to a room in the back, which I had to assume was Dean’s bedroom. “His name’s Castiel. He likes bees. Remember?”
He noticed that I liked bees?
As we lay Dean on his bed, his eyes were already fluttering closed. Sam shook his shoulder.
“Hey, no sleeping yet. You need water.”
He disappeared for a moment and returned with a glass of water. We sat Dean up and had him drink it. He managed to finish the entire glass without a fuss and Sam put him to bed.
I knew that I should leave, but I lingered by the back door, watching them. Sam stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly before coming over to stand with me. He smiled down at me with such fondness, I felt like I had just arrived home after a long journey.
“Thanks for helping me so much. You’re really awesome — I thought you were a drug dealer,” the tall brunette explained with a chuckle.
“I work at the Gas n’ Sip, Sam,” I said clearly. Hopefully he understood me. He seemed to be getting more drunk by the minute. I gestured to the kitchen. “Do you need a glass of water, too, Sam?”
Sam smiled shyly, dropping his gaze to the floor.
“You say my name a lot.”
I stared. Did I?
Sam looked at me from under his eyebrows, still smiling.
“And you have really beautiful eyes. They’re so blue,” he stepped closer suddenly and I found that I had to look up at him. He was so handsome. He had soft chestnut brown hair that brushed his broad shoulders and shiny hazel eyes. I felt a little dizzy myself.
“Thank you — I’m going to get you some water.” I doubled back through the house to the kitchen. I didn’t know where their glasses were, so it took me a moment to find them in the cabinet above the sink.
I shouldn’t have come into their home. They were drunk and happy now, but they would probably be mad tomorrow. They thought I was a drug dealer. I had been told by many people that I was creepy and I prayed that Sam wouldn’t agree. I would give Sam a glass of water and leave. Luckily he had followed me into the kitchen, so I simply had to hand him the water. He wasn’t smiling anymore, though. He looked sad.
“Thanks,” he mumbled as he took the water to sip it. He watched me while he drank it, hazel eyes distant. I felt guilty for whatever I had done to make him lose his smile. I didn’t know what it was, but I vowed never to do it again. Sam’s sad expression was painful to see. I shifted on my feet as he sat the glass aside.
“You should go to bed too,” I suggested, coming over to guide Sam out of the kitchen. I didn’t know where his room was. Luckily, the muscular brunette led the way. His room was dark enough that I couldn’t make out too many details. I saw several books on the small table by the door and a big bed with a blue flannel blanket on it. Sam crawled into bed happily, forgetting to remove his boots.
I froze there, trying to decide what was the right thing to do. Should I take his boots off for him? Was that creepy? Could he sleep in them?
I stepped back inside and quickly untied and removed his boots. Sam didn’t stir, smiling in his sleep.
“You have beautiful eyes, too, Sam,” I told him quietly, sitting his boots aside. I tugged the other side of his blanket up and lay it over him. He kept smiling.
I closed the door quietly behind me and headed out into the back yard. The night air felt refreshing. I took a deep breath and sighed. Had I done the right thing? Should I have agreed with Dean that I was Barchal? Did Sam not want water?
Perhaps I had lived in one place long enough. I didn’t want to wear out my welcome.
- - -
“Castiel?”
Sam’s voice cut through the dream that I was stranded in. My eyes fluttered open and I saw the brunette leaning in my door, soft hazel eyes watching me for any sign of life. I lifted my head suddenly, bracing my arm on my fluffy pillow to sit upright. I blinked slowly.
“Sam. Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Sam said quickly, stepping into my little home. He immediately made his way to my refrigerator and pulled out the carton of ice cream, cringing when it flexed in his hands. Then he came back to the door and smiled. “Sorry to wake you up. You looked like you were out cold.”
I nodded and crawled out of bed, joining him at the door. What had I been dreaming about? I was so surprised to see Sam’s face earlier that I couldn’t remember. Something to do with flowers?
“And, uh, thanks for taking my boots off last night,” he added shyly.
I felt my face flush with warmth.
“I’m sorry. You were already falling asleep and I wasn’t sure what to do—”
“No, no. It’s fine. Thanks,” Sam interrupted, hugging the carton of ice cream under one arm. He rubbed his neck, thankfully changing the subject. “Today’s the big day. Dean’s birthday. Can you come over and distract him?”
“I can — after work.” I shifted on my feet. Sam looked disappointed.
“Yeah, I work too. I’ll be home around three.”
“I am off at four,” I told him.
Then Sam smiled again. It was such a nice, fond smile. I felt my heart skip in my chest.
“Alright. It’s a date then.” He turned to open the door, but then looked back at me, face flushing pink. “I didn’t mean that like it sounded. Not a date. Sorry. I didn’t mean a date like a…a date DATE, just like a set time. I just meant for Dean’s birthday party.”
I nodded quickly.
“Of course. I understand.”
Sam forced a laugh and retreated out of the door. I watched him hurry away across the lawn, running a hand through his long hair.
I sat down heavily on my bed, resting my hands on the soft duvet.
I had known what he meant, but hearing him clarify it made me realize that my feelings were not returned. Not that I had feelings like that for him. How silly would that be? I frowned at the door and went to get dressed. I would help Sam with his surprise, then start looking for a new home.
- - -
I couldn’t stop kicking myself. Why? Why had I told him it wasn’t a date? He knew it wasn’t, I knew it wasn’t — why’d I say that?
I propped my head in my hands, poking at my chef salad with my fork. It was break time, but I wasn’t really hungry. All I could think about was baking that pie and how I had made an idiot out of myself that morning.
A date with Cas wouldn’t be terrible. I hadn’t dated a guy in a long time. Maybe we could just stay around the house and watch bees together. Maybe have a cup of coffee. I smiled at the thought.
My phone hummed as a new message came in. It was Dean, which wasn’t a surprise.
Hey Sammy. I hope it’s okay. I invited Cas over for beers tonight.
I blinked. Wow. Dean didn’t need my help to distract himself tonight. Before I could think of a reply, another message came in.
He agreed really fast. Think he likes sommmmmebody over here.
A cheeky face sticking out its tongue was added to the end. I frowned and tapped a reply out. After this morning’s conversation, I seriously doubted Cas would want to see ME.
I’ll leave you two alone, Dean. Don’t worry!
Not me! YOU!
The reply came back super fast. Dean was not going to let this go. I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to or not. Weird or not, Castiel was something else. I smiled, thinking back on the fuzzy memories of telling him he had beautiful eyes. God, that had been so stupid.
I propped my head on my hand again, staring at my food absentmindedly.
His eyes WERE beautiful – shiny and blue. It was hard to look away when he looked at me, and I found that I didn’t mind that. I sighed and sat my phone aside. Only an hour until I was off work.
- - -
“Hey, I’m home!” I called, dropping my jacket onto the hook.
“I’m in the living room!” Dean called back. Sure enough, he was settled in front of the TV with a box of cheap tacos. He held a taco up to me. “Season finale time!”
I shook my head.
“That’s okay. I’ll make a sandwich or something.” And a pie, I added silently. I checked the fridge and found the ice cream was still safely hidden behind my big bag of spinach. I had a feeling that it’d be safe there.
I just had to wait until Cas arrived. I dragged my feet getting home, hoping the black haired man would magically get off of work earlier.
At around four fifteen, I heard a knock on the door.
I dropped the taco wrapper into the box between Dean and I before hurrying to answer the back door. I had given in and eaten the tacos while we watched the ridiculousness that was the season finale of Supernormal. Yikes.
Cas was waiting patiently for me, a grocery bag over his arm. He glanced around and then offered it to me.
“Here are your things, Sam.”
“Thanks, but we have to go to your place!” I looked behind me, too, shooing Castiel off the back porch. “I’ll be out in a second!” I closed the door and tried not to look too excited as I came back to the couch.
Dean looked up at me.
“Who was it?”
“Oh, uh,” I rubbed my neck. “Cas is home but, I was thinking…about what you said,” I stammered, disappointed in myself for not coming up with a reason to go to Cas’s house before. “I’m gonna go talk to Cas.”
My brother’s head shot up and he smirked. No comment. Just the smirk while I stood there squirming. I shook my head and left. Jeez. Why was he so nosy?
I scurried across the yard as quickly as I could, barely remembering to knock on my way into the little apartment.
Cas was standing in his tiny kitchen, the bag of cherries in hand.
“Do you need my help, Sam?”
“Uh, yeah! Do you have an apron?”
Cas shook his head slowly. I nodded.
“Okay, how about a spatula? Whisk?”
He shook his head at each item, looking glum. I held up my hands.
“I’m going to go grab those from the house, stay here.”
- - -
I had never baked before. As soon as Sam returned with the apron, bowl and whisk, he set me to work cutting up apples.
I was horrible at it. He showed me how to peel the apples, but when I did the same motion, most of the apple came off with the peel. I was glad there were only three of them, though I worried it wouldn’t be enough with my “peeling technique.”
Cutting the apples up was much easier. I cut them into thumb-sized chunks.
When I turned around to tell Sam that I had finished preparing the apples, I noticed that he had already made a crust. He had another ball of dough nearby, which I assumed was for another pie.
He noticed me turning around and stepped over to my side.
“Okay, we need to put these,” he picked up the cutting board and raked the apples into a pan, “into here. Now we add the cinnamon and the butter.” He pointed around me at the counter and I hurriedly handed him the butter stick.
“This is very complicated,” I told him, watching as he cut off a large chunk of butter and pushed it down into the apples.
“It’s not so bad. You just have to do it a couple times. Could you add the cinnamon? I need to bake the bottom crust.”
I nodded, still thoroughly confused. That was why there were two crusts — one was for the top. I grabbed the small bottle of cinnamon, checking the label for instructions.
“…Cas? What’re you doing?” Sam asked suddenly.
I turned and held up the cinnamon.
“I do not know how much to add.”
“It’s not an exact science, just dump a bunch in there.” He chuckled as he bent to slide the pie crust into the oven.
I had never used my oven. The burners on top were intimidating enough.
I turned and ‘dumped’ the cinnamon in, coating the apples. Sam joined me, adding some white powder and stirring the apples. He offered me the gooey spoon.
“Just cook them until they start getting soft.”
“Yes,” I nodded and started stirring. Sam stayed at my side, watching the apples. I glanced up at him and he smiled.
“You’ve never baked before?”
I shook my head.
“Well, I can teach you. You know, if you want,” Sam offered with a shrug.
A personal baking lesson from Sam?
I tried not to let my mind assume it meant he liked me. That was just wishful thinking.
“Yes, I would like that, but I’m leaving soon.”
Sam cocked his head, leaning a flour-coated hand on the counter.
“Leaving? Are you going on vacation?”
“No, I plan on moving.” I turned to face him, stirring the apples slowly. They still weren’t soft.
“Cas,” Sam said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I glanced at it and then up to him. His expression was so sad. Those eyes were unbearable to look at. He frowned. “Was it something we did? We can lower the rent.”
“No, Sam. It’s nothing that you did,” I lied. It wasn’t his fault that I had grown fond of him and he did not feel the same.
“Please reconsider. I’d miss you. I know we haven’t really talked that much, but I wish we had started hanging out sooner.”
I felt powerless to refuse under his gaze. I stared back, captured by his beautiful sad hazel eyes and that hopeful smile he was wearing.
I placed my hand over the hand he had on my shoulder.
“I’ll think about it. I promise.”
Sam’s smile brightened immediately and he patted my shoulder. He stepped back over near the oven and started to roll the second ball of dough out.
“Alright! Let’s get this pie done!”
I turned my attention back to the apples. Well, I pretended to. My mind was still distracted by how sad Sam had looked. Did I really matter that much to him?
- - -
“Hey Dean?” I asked, trying to sound worried. My brother sat up on the couch and craned his neck to look at me.
“Sammy? Is that…”
“Happy birthday!” I held up the pie for him to see, careful not to move too fast and blow out the candles. Cas and I joined him on the couch. I sat the pie in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s kinda late. We had to wait until after work to bake it and then we had to stand around while it cooled.”
“Oh, I’ll bet you were baking,” my brother remarked with a grin. I rolled my eyes.
“Shut up.”
“I’ll go get the ice cream.” Cas got back up and stepped around the coffee table.
“There’s a scoop in the second drawer down!” I called after him. A hand slapped over mine as Dean leaned in to whisper.
“Dude, it’s totally cool with me if you two wanna Watchflix and chill.”
“NO. Tonight’s about your birthday.”
“The whole day was about my birthday! I ate tacos, I binge watched Supernormal and hell, I even got a home baked PIE!”
The grin on his face made me feel less guilty about avoiding him all day.
“Thanks, Sammy,” Dean said with surprising fondness, patting my back. “This is awesome.”
I checked that Castiel hadn’t come back and whispered to my brother.
“He doesn’t like me.” I added a shrug to make it look like that fact didn’t sting as much as it did. “He’s actually leaving soon.”
“Then what the hell are you doing? Go talk to him!” Dean shoved my shoulder. I stubbornly stayed where I was as Cas rejoined us with the ice cream and scoop.
Aside from the occasion nudge from Dean, the rest of the evening went really well. The pie was good — what little Cas and I got of it — and Dean seemed like he could die from joy. I took note that mixing apples and cherries was definitely a good move.
“Well, it’s officially not my birthday anymore,” Dean sighed, still hugging the empty pie pan on his lap. He yawned widely. “Back to work tomorrow. Hey Sam, why don’t you walk Cas home?”
I slowly turned to stare at him. Seriously? Cas lived across the backyard. Dean just grinned back at me.
“You don’t have to, Sam. I know how to navigate around the pool in the dark,” Castiel said confidently. I glanced his way. That didn’t sound like a good idea.
“Don’t you have your cellphone for a flashlight?”
“No. I left it in my house.” Cas got up, offering his hand to Dean. “Thank you for sharing your pie.”
“Hey, no problem. Thanks for helping Sam do stuff behind my back.” Dean shook his hand and started cleaning up. Cas and I shook hands too, then the dark haired man smiled at me.
“Goodnight, Sam.”
“'Night Cas,” I told him, caught off guard by that smile. He left without any other comment and I stood there by the couch and watched him go.
I had no reason to be so sad, but as the back door closed, I felt my heart sink. We hadn’t been dating.
“What the hell?” Dean shouted suddenly, making me jump. I glared at him.
“WHAT?”
“Get your ass out there!”
“He doesn’t like me like that, Dean—”
“Bullcrap!”
Before I could think of a biting reply, we both heard a loud SPLASH in the backyard.
“Cas?” I ran out into the backyard, barely stopping in time not to fall in myself. Castiel was clinging to the side of the pool at the far end and coughing up water. He had almost made it home. I ran around the edge of the pool, dropping to my knees to haul him out.
“Sam. Don’t touch me, you’ll get wet,” Cas sputtered. I didn't care – I was about to change into pajamas anyway. I slid my arms under his and dragged him out of the pool, patting his back.
“Jeez. Are you okay?”
He shivered and nodded.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry. I misjudged where the walkway was...”
I laughed, suddenly feeling really stupid about how worried I had been. What did I think, that he’d drown? I rubbed my forehead. Good grief.
“Sam?” A cold wet hand landed on my shoulder. I looked up and saw that Cas was smiling at me again, blue eyes twinkling in the dark. “Thank you for saving me.”
Even in the dim light from the house, he was so handsome. His hair looked so dark when it was hanging down wet over his face. It made his eyes look stunningly blue. I reached out and wiped his hair back, instantly regretting the action. I cleared my throat and stood up, helping Cas up too.
“You’re welcome. Let’s get you home.” I led him along, keeping my arm around him to make sure he didn’t end up right back in the pool. “I’m sorry we haven’t put solar lights out here yet.”
We made it to the little house and the porch light came on automatically. I squinted in the sudden light, turning to Cas. He was looking at me.
I smiled and gestured to the door.
“Goodnight, I guess.”
“Sam, wait.” He grabbed both of my arms, his expression growing very serious all of a sudden. “Sam. I’ve thought about what you’ve said. I want to stay. I…I AM staying.”
“You are?” I gasped, forgetting that he was soaking wet and scooping him up into a hug. I was instantly drenched, too, but it didn’t matter. Cas was staying! God, I felt so cold and happy. I’d buy him a dozen flower pots for his porch. Anything he wanted!
Without thinking, I tipped his chin up and kissed him breathlessly. Cold hands cupped my face as he leaned up against me, sighing softly.
Oh god.
I pulled away, my face glowing hot.
“I’m SO sorry!” I shook my head. “I’m—I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I did that!” I took a step back, holding up my hands between us.
Castiel stared up at me, blushing too.
“It’s alright, Sam.” He shivered and hugged his arms around his waist, still watching me.
I covered my face with a hand, groaning. Why, Sam? WHY WHY WHY.
“Sam?”
I peeked through my fingers down at him.
“Yeah, Cas?”
He straightened his back and cleared his throat.
“Would you like to watch the bees with me sometime?”
Did he just ask me out? He had asked me out. He had asked me out? I was flabbergasted.
“Yes!” I said, a bit too loudly. “Yes, Cas. I’d love to watch the bees with you. Maybe grab a cup of coffee, too? V-visit the park?”
“That sounds wonderful.” Castiel smiled and nodded.
“Do you work tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yes I do. But I will be home after four.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, smiling like an idiot. I had a date with Cas! Dean would probably gloat about it. Oh well.
“It’s a date then,” Castiel said, stepping over by the door. I just nodded.
Could I kiss him again? Would that be weird? People didn’t usually kiss on first dates, but making pie together could be counted as a date, maybe?
Cas laid my mind to rest as he leaned up to press a kiss to my cheek. I was worried my face would melt with how hot it was. I returned the kiss and then stepped out of the way of the door.
“Goodnight, Cas.”
“Goodnight, Sam,” The blue eyed man said, feeling around in his pockets and frowning. He turned and glanced past me at the pool, then to me.
“Sam?”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“I think my keys are in the pool.”