Secrets and Camera Flashes

Chapter 25

Castiel shows up at Jo's house the next day, just as their managers conspired to have happen. He rings the doorbell and takes a step back, waiting for someone to open up. He has to admit, at least from the outside, she has a really nice-looking place here. It's big and it's fancy and he's kind of jealous. He's always thought living alone in a house meant for a family of three was excessive, but this... Wow.

The door is opened by Jo's security guard. Castiel gives him a smile and a brief "hey," but he already knows the guy has no interest in talking. Security guards never do. Once you've formed a personal attachment to the person that hired you, you're morally obligated to do everything they ask, like picking up dry cleaning or whatever. No one wants to subject themselves to that.

"Cas?" Jo calls from god-knows-where. "Is that you?"

"Yes?" How loud was he supposed to say that? Where is she?

"I'll be down in a second," she calls out. "Gotta finish my makeup 'cause I sleep too long. You can just hang out if you want."

Castiel awkwardly clasps his hands in front of him and leans against the wall. Well. This is awkward.

It takes a couple minutes for Jo to appear, standing at the top of the staircase like a princess. She's not dressed like a princess, though — she's just wearing skinny jeans and a black tank top. Her hair and makeup just look casual, like she didn't put much effort into her appearance, but Castiel is well aware of the fact that female celebrities can't leave their houses without putting an hour into their hair and makeup if they don't want to be torn apart online.

"Ready to go?" Jo asks.

"Of course," Castiel says. He opens the door for her. "After you."

Castiel refuses to take a limo to anywhere but a movie premiere or an interview with other castmates, and this "date" is neither, so he drives. Jo sits in the passenger seat and gazes out the window, looking very posed and elegant. She's good at that — almost as good as she is at looking like a badass, but this isn't a movie, so unfortunately, he doesn't get to see that side of her.

"Thanks for suggesting we get ice cream," she says after a minute or so of silence. "That's way more fun than just walking down the sidewalk."

Castiel chuckles. "Yeah, walking around aimlessly really isn't my thing, either."

"I've never been to this one, though," Jo adds. "Is it any good?"

"The best," Castiel says. "I wouldn't dream of having a second date at a place with substandard ice cream."

"If you're trying to give me the best date ever, does that mean you're gonna pay?" Jo asks teasingly. "Gonna be a perfect gentleman?"

"I was just gonna give them a 50 and tell 'em to keep the change," Castiel says.

"Well, aren't you just the nicest guy on the planet?" Jo says. "I understand why I fake-fell for you."

"Thank you?" Castiel says uncertainly. "I think?"

They make it to the ice cream parlor after a few minutes, and it's not long before they're seated on a picnic bench outside, ice cream in hand. As much as Castiel hyped the place up, he hasn't been in at least a year, and he'd almost forgotten how good their ice cream is. One would assume vanilla ice cream always tastes the same, but this place is just... yes. It's just a yes. 

"I can't believe you got vanilla," Jo says. "There are, like, 70 flavors on that list, and you picked vanilla?"

Castiel shrugs. "I like vanilla."

"That's so boring."

Castiel eyes the cone in her hand. "You're eating toothpaste and chocolate chips."

Jo scoffs. "How do you not like mint ice cream?"

"How do you not respect vanilla ice cream?" Castiel counters.

"Fair point," she says.

The two eat their ice cream in near silence, and Castiel can't help but wonder if she's also mapping out where every camera is right now. It's a weird habit he has. Even when he knows the paps were called here, he still wants to know where they are.

"Okay, weird question," Jo says, "but did Dean actually give you the 'if you hurt her, I'll kill you' speech?"

Castiel raises an eyebrow. "No?"

"That's what I thought," she says. "He told me he did but I couldn't tell if he was joking or not."

"Maybe he did, I don't know," Castiel says. "If he did, it was just a throwaway remark."

"A throwaway remark as in you guys have been talking and he could have slipped it in?" Jo asks. "You guys still talk?"

"We've talked once or twice since the breakup," Castiel says. "Why do you ask?"

"I just figured you guys would start ignoring each other," she says. "I mean, you barely knew each other to begin with, and since you're supposed to pretend you hate each other..."

"Well, he seems pretty cool, I guess," Castiel says. "That, and he felt bad that the internet turned on me."

"Eh, that won't last long," Jo says. "We'll clear the air in a week or two, make sure people know you didn't do anything wrong. The only ones that'll hate you after this are Dean's groupies."

"Dean's 'groupies' are scary," Castiel says. "They're everywhere. You can't escape."

Jo just laughs. "Oh, Cas, trust me. You don't know the half of it."