The Choice

Chapter Five

The smell of coffee enticed you as you were nudged awake. Opening your eyes, you saw Dean standing over you, a steaming mug in hand, wearing a bemused expression. From where he stood, you had slid down the couch arm in the night, legs akimbo, sticking out over the other couch arm, the fluffy socks a reason for his bemusement.

You must've slept at a funny angle cause your neck felt stiff as Hell. You struggled to sit up but managed to, shifting the blanket so Dean could sit, if he wanted to. You swiped a hand down your face, knuckles rubbing the sleep out of your eyes until you saw stars.

"Captain America, boot you out or something?"

You shook your head and accepted the mug from him.

"Ben snores like a Mack truck."

"Ahh."

He sat beside you, wearing the clothes he came in, minus his jacket.

"Well, Beau's in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Hope you don't mind. I saw you had a coffee maker. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't wake up after all the noise it made. I was convinced you would. Beau checked on you, too. Said you were still sound asleep." He chuckled lightly and waited expectantly.

Figures. You could sleep through a noisy coffee machine, but not Ben's snoring.

You stared at the mug in your hands. God, it smelled so good. He reminded you of a kid who just wanted to impress their parents. He held the same energy. A pent-up kind of excitement. You brought the mug to your lips and sipped.

Holy fuck.

That was the best coffee you've ever tasted. Not too sweet, not too bitter and heated to perfection. Your tastebuds rejoiced in the flavour.

"Oh, shit." You whispered.

"Good, right?"

He looked so proud of himself, so happy. And he had a right to be. You savoured the taste, closing your eyes. You'd tried with that coffee maker, but whoever designed it had made it as complicated as possible. You'd given up, pushing it to the back of the cupboard, leaving it to gather dust. You'd forgotten about it, lying to your then mother-in-law, who had gifted it to you and your husband as a wedding gift.

"Well, I'll let you—yep."

He slapped his thighs, stood up and left you alone with your coffee.

The warmth from the mug seeped to your core. Your ankles ached from exposure to the cold, and your back twinged from sleeping on the couch, but the coffee made up for it.

You heard Dean and Beau's deep tones and laughter from the kitchen. Whatever Beau was doing, it smelt good. And it seemed that Dean and Beau were getting along. You could only hope that Ben would join their camaraderie.

Heavy footsteps thudded downstairs, pulling you from your thoughts, stopping you from checking on the two men in the kitchen.

Ben emerged wearing only his boxers. How did he manage to still look so good? His hair wasn't exactly flawless, but it looked better than yours. Yours resembled a bird's nest, but his made him look even sexier. It wasn't fair, and it had you thinking. What would he look like after sex?

"You look like shit, y'know that?"

He sauntered in and took the seat beside you. He noted the mug in your hands and brazenly took it, downing the contents as you stared at him in shock.

"Fuck. That's some good coffee, sweetcheeks."

The audacity of this man was something else. And it only got worse. He handed back the empty mug and stood. He scratched his balls right in your eyesight, stretched, then tapped your knee.