Chance Encounters

Setting up the Date

Splitting your time between making sure the lines stayed where they were supposed to, and watching as Jared and Jensen made the fans days in the photo op line, you were surprised when a man came walking over to you. It was the big, burly man from earlier, when you had first met Jensen. It seemed like so long ago, so much had happened since then.

"Y/N?" He asked, and you nodded, taking your eyes off of Jensen hugging a small child to give him your full attention. 

"And you are?" You asked, holding your hand out, your professional training taking over. 

"Cliff, the boy's bodyguard." He said, his handshake firm and tight as he assessed you. You let him hold your hand, and waited with baited breath as he judged you. You hated it, knowing that he was only looking at the surface, and not where the important stuff laid, but you understood his reasoning behind it.

He must have seen something he liked, for when he let go of your hand, he had a huge smile upon his face. "Jensen wanted me to come talk to you. Something about a dinner tonight, and not having time to text you about it."

You quickly glanced back Jensen's way, seeing him watching you out of the corner of his eye as two giggling teenage girls want to have him protect them for Jared who is wearing Moose Antlers. A smile on your face, you give your attention back to Cliff. "Yeah, he asked me to dinner, said he would text me the time. Is that still on?" You asked, a little anxious that he might be canceling it on you.

Cliff was watching over your shoulder, his attention more on what was going on behind you, than on the actual message he was trying to relay. "Um yeah, it is. He's done in half an hour, so meet at your office in an hour? Okay, good." He said, moving back towards the photo op space, where a couple of girls were refusing to leave. 

You considered your options. You had promised Philip that you would stay here, take over his duty. But you really wanted to head back to your room, wash the grime you still felt from Brian's touch off of you, and spend some time pampering yourself for dinner. Nibbling on your lower lip, you studied the line, seeing the volunteers doing a great job of keeping it going, and you made your decision. Smiling at Jensen who still had his eyes on you, you left the room, looking for Maureen. She was back near the ballroom, shutting it down, making sure no one was left inside so they could get ready for the karaoke tonight. "Maureen." You said, handing over your clipboard. "I'm going to take off for a while tonight. I'm sure I'll be back in time for Karaoke, and then you will have the rest of the night off." You promised her.was

"Ooh, hot date?" She teased.

"Yep. And I'm going to get ready for it now." You said, watching her mouth drop open in shock.

"Truly?" She asked, because it was such a hard concept for her mind to wrap around. You didn't blame her, it had never happened before. Work had always taken precedent over any sort of a love life, and even over your friendships half the time. 

"Yeah. So just make sure the door stays closed until an hour before show time, and that the line doesn't get too crazy. Also, make sure they have everything they need in the green room, and that the sound system is still working great for them. And I should be back in time to help with most of that too, but I just..." You blabbered, hating to leave so much on her plate.

"Y/N, it's okay." She stopped you. "Go get ready for your date. I've got this." She said, pushing on your arm, and in an unexpected move, you pulled her into a hug. 

"Thank you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you, and I consider you a close friend." You admitted to her, pulling back quickly. It was an unusual display of affection for you, and it ended up being a little awkward. 

"No problem, boss." She said, using your title as a nickname. Waving over your shoulder, you made your way to where the line was already starting to thin, some of the fans heading up the long hallway back to the hotel lobby. You contemplated your options. You knew your risk of running back into Brian was great either way. If you took the hidden hallways, you would have as many places to hide, but if you were in the main lobby, it would look weird for you to duck away from him.

Making your decision, you started following a big group of girls, all busy giggling and exclaiming over their photo ops. You stayed as close as you dared, but when you saw Brian looking through the crowd,  you knew you'd have to take it a step farther. "Hey." You said, touching one of the girls on the shoulder. "Do you mind if I join your group for a couple of minutes. That guy over there won't leave me alone."

The pretty brunette nodded, and wrapping her arm around yours, pulled you into the middle of the group, acting as if you were the best of friends. The rest of the group got the hint and wrapped around you, keeping you hidden as you passed your annoying manager. "Thank you so much! He just won't take no for an answer." You told them.

"No problem. Us girls have to stick together." She said before waving as you went off on your way. Shutting your door behind you, you made your way into the bathroom. You didn't have enough time to start from scratch, but you would do your best in the short amount of time you had. 

Undoing your hair, you brushed it, letting it hang down your shoulders, and began to touch up your make up. It felt weird, getting ready for a date, something that hadn't happened in a long time, if you could call it a date. It was dinner with a very handsome man, a man who sent butterflies tingling in your stomach every time you even thought about him. But he seemed more than just handsome, but nice too, totally different than what you had first imagined. And you couldn't wait to find out more about him, to see what made him smile.