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Bookshops. It's not that he despised them, books had been a great company for a long time, but for him they felt unholy. All that knowledge, only in the hands of those who could afford it. But having his own money was worth it, and he liked helping people choose what fitted them best. Speaking of which...
"Hello! Welcome to Alexandria. My name is Castiel, how can I help you?" At the door was one of the most gorgeous guys he had ever seen, green eyes and sandy hair. He took it all in while he walked to the counter
"Oh, um, hey. I was looking for a book for my brother, he's turning 16 tomorrow. Dean, by the way" The flirty smile was making Cas feel weak in the knees, but he had to remain calm. He told himself he did it unconciously, probably being taken by a beautiful girl and not at all interested in guys
"Okay, Dean. What does your brother read?"
"About anything. Sammy's a bit of a nerd, he read all the books of Game of Thrones in two weeks, and the last Harry Potter book in a sitting"
"Hey! I also read Deathly Hallows in a sitting!"
"And you work in a bookshop, so..." They both laughed at this, and then Castiel got up and went to one of the aisles, motioning Dean to follow him. Working there had been a great help dealing with people. A year ago he would have never imagined he would be laughing with a stranger, and yet there he was.
"Okay, so back to your brother. You said he was into fantasy books. Does he like sci-fi too?"
"He likes the alien bits, but not really into futuristic stuff."
"Oh, poor thing! He is missing out on so much!"
"See? Nerd" Dean grinned
"Okay, okay. I am sure you would have told me, but did he mention anything?"
"Well, he said he wanted to read something different, and that he was a bit tired of fantasy and all that stuff"
"That is a good start. Are those things connected? He wants to read something different to fantasy, or is he tired of fantasy and wants to read something new and weird? The first one is simple, every reader at some point ventures out of what they know, in search of something that fits them better"
"No, I think it's the second different, whatever that means"
"In a few words, we have to find something that will blow your brother's mind. And I am almost sure I know what. Has he read Lovecraft?"
"Not much I guess"
"Did he watch Lost?"
"Not voluntarily, but yeah". At the face Castiel made, Dean explained. "I'm the older brother, I had full control of what we watched"
"Oh. Yeah, Gabe used to do that, but got bored when I stopped watching TV. Anyway, I narrowed the selection to four: Cthulhu Mythos, short horror stories written by the Circle of Lovecraft, In the Mountains of Madness, one of my favorite books from this author, S, in which you have a great book with a love story on the margins, and House of Leaves, a haunted house written on a haunted book"
"I must admit it, you're pretty good at this"
"Thanks. Now take a look at them and decide which one you will give to your brother."
"I think I'll take the black one"
"Dean, they are all black"
"I know, right? Just kidding. I think he'll like House of Leaves"
"Great choice. Okay, so our return policy is a pain in the ass, so here is my number, call me if he wants to change it or anything" Cas said writing his number in the back of the receipt and giving it to Dean with the book. Dean was really fun to be around, and if he wasn't into dudes, he was not much of a reader as to come again to this place. However, that didn't seem to be the case, as he blushed and fumbled with the door on his way out.
That Friday he received a text from an unknown number: Cas, its Dean. Sammy loved the book. Want to celebrate? I know a place that has great pie, I was thinking around 7?
He grinned at the text for what seemed like hours before he texted back: I am glad he liked it. Pie sounds great, but I am afraid I have to cover Anna who called in sick. Maybe another day?
Dean didn't reply, and he spent the day thinking he had blown up his chance. Around seven, he heard the door.
"Welcome to Alexandria, how can I-Dean?" His greeting was cut as he saw who was in the door. The same gorgeous guy from a few days before, with two cups of coffee and two slices of pie in a plate greeted him from the door
"You said you couldn't come for coffee, so I brought coffee to you" he explained with a smile. When Cas didn't answer, he awkwardly continued. "If this is too much I can leave, maybe I read it all wrong and you gave me your number because the return policy actually sucks and-"
"Dean" Cas smiled brightly and stopped all his ramblings
"What?"
"Thank you"