Romantic One Shots & Imagines

One Shot #68: Sweets Shoppe II

     You pull up into Dean's driveway dressed in a new outfit bought especially for the occasion. Just a few days ago, the adoption process came to a close with Dean becoming Franklin's legal parental guardian. To celebrate, you promised to take them out for dinner.

     You get out the car and ring the buzzer to their apartment on the fifth floor. Through the intercom, you hear Franky's squeaky voice telling you that they'd be down in a moment. It wasn't long before you heard footsteps quickly approaching the front door. The small boy kept running as if he was going to run into it. Dean's face went from happy to worried as he watched the accident waiting to happen in front of him. Quickly, you swing the front door open just in time to see the little ball of energy shoot past and stop at your car door. Dean catches up and gives you a look of thanks as he takes your hand in his. The two of you walk, hands intertwined, to the car to meet an overly excited Franklin.

***

          "Should I get the Chicken tenders or the mac and cheese?" Franklin asks the two of you as he's running through the kid's menu.

          "Get anything you want. It's my treat." You say to him with a smile.

          "Just make sure you choose some vegetables to go with it, ok?"

          "You sound so much like a parent. Next thing you know, you'll be telling dad jokes to his friend's parents at the next PTA meeting."

          He scoffs. "I'm still the fun uncle. Besides, I thought you liked my jokes."

          "Oh, of course I do!" You say sarcastically, despite it being the truth.

          "By the way, thanks for this." Dean leans over to steal a kiss while Franklin wasn't looking. You kiss back, letting your lips linger. The two of you almost forget that you're in a family restaurant.

          "You've said thank you a thousand times. Just enjoy your dinner." You chuckle.

          "Well, a thousand times is not enough. And it's not just for this dinner. You were there for me and Franklin even when I didn't ask you to be. You knew what type of life I had and you still said yes when I asked you out for the first time." He takes your hand and sets it on his lap under the table. "You're caring, kind, supportive, patient..." He leans in to whisper in your ear. "...sexy..."

          You coyly look down at your folded menu. "We're in public, Dean" You exclaim quietly.

          He lets go of your hand and leans back onto his chair. "Yeah, you're right, but later we won't be." You look at him in confusion. He leans in again to whisper. "Franky is going over his friend's house for a sleepover after dinner. I hope you haven't forgotten because I planned on thanking you a thousand more times tonight." He winks at you before adjusting himself in his seat. He leaves you speechless just in time for the waitress to come and ask for your order.

     The three of you sit at your table laughing the night away. Between your childhood stories and Franklin's school adventures, the feeling of pure bliss did not cease. Everybody's food was perfect and to your joy, affordable.

          You get up to go to the bathroom. "Excuse me, young lady." You turn to see an older women approach you. "I just wanted to tell you how adorable and lovely you and your family are. Me and my husband don't get out much anymore, so we don't often see things like that as we used to."

           "Umm..." You don't know how to respond, assuming she's got you confused.

           "Your husband and son over there." She points and you follow her gaze as if you didn't know who she was talking about. "We didn't mean to snoop, but we couldn't help but notice all of you having a ball at your table." She smiles sweetly. "How old is your son, if you don't mind me asking."

          "Oh...um...well he's nine. His name is Franklin."

          "What a precious name. It suits him well."

          You nod awkwardly. "It does."

          "He looks so much like his father. I bet he gets that a lot." She turns to see the uncomfortable look on your face. "But don't worry, I'm sure once he hits puberty, he'll start to look just like you. That's what happened with my daughter. When she was in grade school, everyone said she looked like me, then next thing you know her senior portraits come in and she's the spitting image of her father."

          "Really?" You carry on politely.

          "Mmhm, yes. But I should get going, my dear. Enjoy the time you have with little Franklin now. He'll be 6 ft. tall and going to prom before you know it." She smiles before leaving. You wave goodbye.

     You go into the bathroom and splash some water on your face. You stare at yourself in the mirror, trying to grasp the conversation you just had. Did you really look like you could be his mother? You were still young, but technically old enough. The old woman's words put your current life in perspective. You were essentially dating a single dad, so stepping into the role of a mom, even if it was just for some of the time, was inevitable. You notice the tips of your fingers go white as you grip the edge of the sink. You immediately regather yourself as another patron comes into the restroom.

          You walk back to the table. "Hey, what took you so long? You didn't get lost did you?"

          You shake your head. "No."

          "Did you fall in the toilet?" Franklin asks jokingly.

          "Alright, Franky." Dean says sternly to him when he sees that you didn't so much as smile at his comment like you usually would. "Are you ok?"

          "Yeah," You force a smile until it feels real. "It took me so long because I ran into a lady who told me how much of a cute boy you are."

          "Ew, no! I don't want to be cute. I'm nine now. I'm too old to be cute." Franky squerms.

          "Hey, you better the enjoy the compliments now because soon you'll be 16 with a face full of acne like your uncle Dean used to have." He jokes.

          "Is that so?" You chuckle. "You must have pictures to share."

          "Are you kidding? I avoided all cameras like the black plague."

          "What about yearbooks?"

          He shakes his head. "I don't have them anymore."

          "I don't believe you." You tease Dean.

          "He's right, he doesn't have them," Franky speaks up. "But, grandma does."

          "Does she now? Guess who's giving Mrs. Donovan a call tomorrow morning." You ask. Franky laughs as he points at you.

          Dean gets up then leans in from behind you. "You're going to regret you said that." He teases back.

     The car ride to Franklin's friend's house was quiet but happy. Franky was already knocked out in the back seat from all the excitement. You let your head lean against the window as the car drifted through the lanes. Your mind trailed back to earlier in the evening when the older lady spoke to you. You couldn't help but be reminded of that day at Chuck E. Cheese when you made the assumption that Dean was Franklin's father. You didn't know why you couldn't just tell the lady that she was wrong. She would have apologized and went on her merry way. But what she saw, in a way, wasn't wrong. Dean and Franky are family and all of you were having a fun time together. As much as you didn't want to admit it, you welcomed her assumption. You didn't want to replace Franky's mother, but you did enjoy the illusion of having a small family. It gave you a glimpse into your possible future; a future that could be closer than you'd previously conceived.

     You feel Dean's hand shift from the stick handle to your thigh. Gingerly, he moves his fingers up and down. With each motion, they move further up your skirt. You look back to smile at him before leaning your head back.