Hire a Boyfriend (Dean Winchester)

The Fourth Date

As I sit in the restaurant, I'm confronted by déjà vu. My previous date with Dean Winchester comes to my mind. Back then, I was nervously waiting for him, half ashamed to hire a boyfriend. Now the only things I feel are confusion and excitement. After I tried to stop my contact with Dean and failed to do so, I complied with my desire to talk to him. Our chats made me realize that my liking for Dean was beyond physical desire. He's a person that I truly want to get to know, and that terrifies me. It's not the fact that I am scared to love or whatever, or even the fact that I might not be reciprocated. I'm old enough to understand my own emotions and not be scared of them. Nevertheless, I've never truly had a stable, healthy relationship before, and the fact that I met Dean professionally prevents me from crossing that line. Still, here I am, waiting to have a fourth date with him. Of course, if he were to ask, this isn't a date.

This is an unofficial get-together. We didn't plan it through HiBoy. I'm not even sure who asked who. Two days ago, we were talking on the phone about random things when suddenly we agreed to go eat at a restaurant together. It just made sense. We were becoming friends, and we wanted to hang out together. For both of our sakes, I'm going to ignore my sexual desire. I'm just hoping he doesn't feel the same, honestly. Because if he does, well, I really don't know what to do. Not only would we be breaking HiBoy's rules, but also it would be extremely awkward. He already knows my family, and I really know his womanizer attitudes. It's not how I want to start a relationship. But I'm getting ahead of myself, this is just a friend's hang out, nothing more.

Although, as Dean walks through the door, I have to mentally pinch myself to avoid drooling or looking too intensely. Damn, he looks hot in those jeans. Fuck. My gaze goes back to my menu when his size connects with mine. Why am I acting like a fucking schoolgirl?

When he arrives at my table, his gruff voice makes my heart beat faster. "Hey sweetheart, you already ordered?" He has taken a liking to call me sweetheart ever since I mocked him about naming his car. I remember I told him it was dumb, and then he said something about using a nickname for me. At first, I didn't think he would go through it, but it turns out he did. After the first hundred corrections, I gave up on scolding him.

"Not yet" I answer, while he sits. "I was planning on trying the chicken salad here. I've heard that it's delicious."

He groans. "Not you too. Sam's obsessed with healthy food." He takes the menu and rapidly skims through it, "here." He shows it to me, pointing at something. "They serve this amazing pork meat burrito with spicy salsa. You have to try it."

I look at his smiling face, I'm hesitant, I don't know about the burrito. Still, Dean has proven his fair share of knowledge about food, so when the waitress takes our orders, I ask for it.

"And for you, handsome?" the gorgeous brunette asks.

Dean doesn't even glance her way as he responds, "same for me, thanks."

I raise my eyebrows in amusement when she walks away and he doesn't acknowledge her suggestive retreat. "What?" he asks.

I shake my head and decide to change the topic. "Have you talked to Sam about your promotion?"

A while ago, he told me he received a promotion offer. His boss offered him to manage the shop in Lawrence. Apparently, he was going to open a new place on the coast and needed someone to take over on the old one. Dean wasn't sure about accepting, mainly because it meant more administrative work and less working on the cars themselves. He has mentioned before that he values his brother's opinion a lot. That's why I recommended talking it over with him.

"No," he sighs. "I'm not sure if that's for me. Besides, if I accept his job, then I'd have to leave HiBoy." He doesn't seem too heartbroken about that last fact. I don't understand what's the problem.

"Listen, if this is about you not wanting the job, then don't take it." I say, "but if this is about you don't think you're up for it, then you're wrong." He looks at me skeptically. "Let me finish. You are really good at repairing cars, and you've been working for Bobby for years. You know how the gig works, he couldn't leave the shop in better hands than yours."

His smile is tender as he answers, "I appreciate the compliment." Then, he raises a brow mockingly. "But what are you going to do if I leave HiBoy? You may need your fake boyfriend again." His tone is teasing, yet I can hear genuine interest in his voice.

I snicker, "don't worry about it. I can always get a new boyfriend, can't I?" I'm obviously joking, there's no way in hell I'm renting someone again. It saved me from embarrassing questions, but it just earned me new ones. Like the last chat with my mother, when she asked if I was planning on marrying Dean. The only good thing that came out was Dean's friendship. Or whatever this was.

"You know..." he says slowly, "you can always count on me for that, even if it's not through HiBoy." He offers as if it's nothing. I can see that he is tensely waiting for an answer.

For a moment, I really don't know what to say. I'm not sure if he is offering to continue to play pretend or if he genuinely wants to go out with me. I don't want to ask. Maybe he's as attracted to me as I am to him, or maybe he just feels a duty towards me because he said the comment that escalated our fake relationship. He coughs, and I realize I've gone quiet for more than I should've. I don't want things to get tense between us, so I decide to go for the safe option.

"Sure, I can just transfer to your account the money," I say, assuming that if we date in front of my family again, it'll be like any other professional transaction.

He looks uncomfortable and slightly mad as he murmurs, "that's not what I meant." I don't have time to ask him to explain himself because the waitress returns with our food.

As I munch on my burrito, I realize Dean is right. This is one of the best meals I've had. I look up to see him stuffing his face with his food. I'm not gonna lie, it's slightly gross, but I appreciate that he feels comfortable around me. We eat while we catch up on our lives. It's refreshing to be like this with someone. Despite the fact that we talk on the phone all the time, we still have things to share. And even when we don't, the silence that surrounds us is peaceful. I like being with Dean.

"So, what did you mean when you said I could count on you for the dates?" I ask, unable to stop myself or my curiosity.

He swallows before answering. "Well, your family thinks I'm your stable boyfriend and unless you plan to 'break up' with me, they'll remain to believe so." I don't tell him that I was planning to stage our split, I want to hear about his idea. "That's why I thought that since I might leave HiBoy and I don't want you to pay me any longer. No, wait, let me finish. I thought you could do the same favor for me."

He wants me to fake date him in front of his family? "You want to fake date me in front of your family?" I ask, shocked.

He seems a bit embarrassed when he answers. "Yeah, look, I told you my mom wanted me to have a girlfriend, considering that I've never brought a girl home before. I'm getting a bit tired of the nagging... I just thought..." I don't know what to answer. He takes my silence as a rejection. "If you don't want to, I get it. I'll still play as your boyfriend with no charge..."

"No, no," I interrupt him. "I'll do it." My answer is so honest I surprise myself, and him.

"Oh!" Yeah, oh, what is this? I thought we agreed that this wasn't a rom-com. Yet, I remain quiet.

The rest of the date flows awkwardly. Each of us pay for their meals, which is a change from before because as part of HiBoy's policy I had to pay for everything. When we exit the restaurant he offers me a ride, but as much as I want to ride him, I mean, with him, I brought my car. I tell him that there's no need.

"Alright." Silence. "Well, I'll let you know when the family meal is up."

"Yeah, text me or whatever." More silence. Great, our dynamics have fallen. In a poor attempt to regain control, I say, "This was nice. You are nice." You are nice, seriously?

Nevertheless, it does the trick. He relaxes again, and his smile turns teasing. "You are nice, too." Suddenly, he gulps, nervous. The change is odd. He appears to think over something before he makes his move. He places his lips on my cheek. The contact is soft and innocent. I'm too stunned to do anything more than to stand there. The gesture ends as fast as it starts. It couldn't have been more than two seconds, yet it felt like forever. "Take care, sweetheart." Then he leaves.

As I drive home, my cheeks remain red and my smile never falters.