It was a cloudy Saturday morning. Sarah woke up early because she had a bus to catch. Her dad had heard about the issues at school (thank you mum) and had decided Sarah needed some time away from all the negativity. Or rather, he had been ready to march to Mercedes’s house and give the girl a lecture. Sarah had managed to calm him down by promising she’d come for a visit and stay overnight. And Sarah couldn’t deny that a change of scene was needed. People still stared and whispered at her at school when she walked past, but nobody said anything to her in the open. Mercedes had become another target of gossip which Sarah believed took away some of the attention from her. The word of Mercedes’s outburst in the hallway had spread around the school like a wildfire in just few hours, and many had heard the lecture her dad had given her since he hadn’t spared his voice on it. Mercedes tried to act like nothing had happened, but she flinched every time she saw Sarah or Castiel and quickly marched away with Victoria and Lind as her support.

After eating a small breakfast and checking she had everything necessary for a sleepover in her bag, Sarah headed to the bus stop. Mum had said her good byes and returned to work. The deadlines were creeping closer, and she had received even more work. Sarah was slightly worried and hoped mum would remember to take breaks. She’d have to offer her help again once she got back home. Steffie hadn’t woken up by the time Sarah left. She had insisted on staying up late like big girls and now spent longer than usual in bed.

Few snowflakes floated down from the clouds when Sarah walked to the bus stop. Only one person was waiting, and Sarah’s heart leaped when she recognized the figure.

“Castiel?”

Castiel looked up from his phone and flinched from surprise. He smiled nervously and shifted his weight from one leg to another.

“Hi.”

“Why are you here? Are you going somewhere too?”

“I, uh, I came to see you,” he said eyes on the street.

“Me?”

“Yes. Well, you see, Amanda told me you’re going to stay at your dad’s place. I couldn’t let you leave without talking to you. I… Are you really going?”

“Yeah, I am. For the weekend.”

“Weekend? Oh, right. Of course.” He looked at Sarah’s bag. Indeed, it was quite small.

“Did you think I was going to move there? That I’d leave without saying anything?”

“Well…” Castiel rubbed his neck. “A bit. I guess I panicked a little,” he let out a nervous laugh. “Maybe I understood what Amanda told me wrong…”

“So, has Amanda told you everything I’ve talked with her or just this?”

“No! She hasn’t told me much. Please don’t be angry at her. I keep asking things from her. I can’t be in peace if I don’t know how you’re doing.”

Sarah felt a sting of guilt in her chest. “It’s fine. I should’ve said you something at least. Keeping you in the dark was unfair.”

“Don’t be sorry. You wanted space. I should’ve respected it better. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s fine,” Sarah smiled. Here they were, apologizing to each other and telling to stop doing it. She was about to say more, but the bus curved into view from around the street corner and soon stopped in front of them.

“Oh well, I guess I’ll let you go now. Have a nice weekend,” Castiel said and smiled, moving out of the way so Sarah could get in.

“You too.”

Sarah walked to door and stopped, bus card in hand. She turned to look at Castiel.

“Do you want to come too?” she asked.

“What? Me?”

“Yes. I understand if you don’t. This was an out of the blue suggestion. But if you want to, you can.”

“I… Yes of course. I’ll come.”

They both climbed the few steps to the bus. Sarah paid their tickets, and the bus driver closed the doors relieved that he could finally leave. He didn’t understand why everyone always had to dawdle at the door. He had a strict schedule to keep.

Sarah led them to vacant seats, and they sat down. Sarah tucked her bag under the seat in front of them and took off her gloves. After they had settled, an awkward silence fell between the two. Sarah looked out of the window, and her thoughts raced in her head in panic. What was she thinking? Why did she ask Castiel to come? This was a terrible mistake. She had to say something, but what?

“I-“

“I-“

They both started at the same time and closed their mouths in unison as well. Sarah’s cheeks reddened, and Castiel cleared his throat.

“You first,” he said.

“Okay…” Sarah took a deep breath. “I hope you didn’t feel pressured to come with me. I suggested this so suddenly and with this situation we have too… I won’t mind if you want to go home instead. And I totally understand if you do.”

“No. I want to come. I’m happy you asked me. I mean, of course I’m a bit nervous. I didn’t expect to meet your dad this soon but just the fact that you wanted me to come makes me so happy. I’ve been worried about you. Especially since things kept going to shit.” He touched Sarah’s arm softly but pulled his hand away almost immediately.

“At first, I thought I was selfish, and I still do a little bit for not saying anything to you. But this break has helped me think. Spending time without you has opened my eyes on how I feel about you and myself and…us.”

Castiel tried to swallow a lump in his throat. His palms started to sweat. He didn’t know how to interpret Sarah’s words. Was this a good thing or bad?

The bus rattled and their shoulders bumped. Sarah looked at Castiel with red colouring her cheeks.

“I’ve thought about us a lot. I wanted to talk to you so bad whenever I saw you. I heard from Amanda that you defended me against some guys. It made me happy. Sitting here with you makes me happy.” Her eyes dropped from Castiel eyes to his nose and lips. “And if you still want…I would love to be with you. Officially.”

Sarah’s heart leaped to her throat when the last word dropped from her mouth. She didn’t dare to look at Castiel in the eye. His lips curled to a smile, and Castiel’s hand rose to touch Sarah’s chin gently, encouraging her to raise her eyes to meet his.

Castiel’s wide smile formed wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. His voice faltered slightly when he spoke the first words.

“I’d want nothing more than that,” he said and brushed Sarah’s cheek with his thumb. He lowered his eyes on Sarah’s mouth. His tongue quickly grazed his bottom lip.

Sarah felt heat creep up on her cheeks now that she was close to Castiel. His touch, although gentle, had been like an electric shock. She bit her tongue, trying to keep her breathing calm when Castiel leaned closer.

“May I?” he asked when their noses nearly brushed each other. His warm breath tickled Sarah’s skin and made her heart dance. ‘Yes, of course, please do it,’ she wanted to say but couldn’t utter a word. They all got caught in her throat, so she nodded.

Castiel didn’t need more. He closed the short distance between them and pressed his lips against Sarah’s. A wave of heat rushed over him and settled in his chest. His mind emptied of all thoughts, and he sighed against Sarah’s lips.

Sarah’s cheeks flushed and electricity rippled over her body when Castiel kissed her. It felt so good, so natural, so perfect. She had missed this feeling and the softness it wrapped her. Castiel’s sigh made her smile. She raised her hand on Castiel’s arm. Castiel wrapped his own around her and pulled her closer. They both forgot their surroundings; the bus and the passengers around them did not exist for a few minutes. Then, Sarah broke the kiss and took a shaky gasp of breath. Smile danced on her lips when she looked at Castiel’s grey eyes.

Castiel’s chest felt like it was about to burst. This all had happened so quickly he had hardly been able to process it. But he couldn’t have been happier. Sarah was back and he didn’t want to let her go again. He’d keep her safe.

Sarah leaned back to her own seat with slight blush still on her cheeks. She looked out of the window to notice that the bus had made good progress on the journey while they had been occupied with their matters.

“Oh, I completely forgot. How is Ares going to be if you’re with me?”

“He’ll be fine for a few hours. We already went for a walk this morning.”

“Already? How early did you wake up?”

“You don’t want to know,” Castiel said with a slight smile. He had barely slept because the thought of Sarah leaving had stressed him. Now that he knew the situation, it felt silly to have lost sleep over it.

Sarah looked at him with her head slightly tilted. Then she tapped her shoulder.

“We have still little bit left so if you want to rest, you have time for a quick nap,” she said.

Castiel smiled and leaned closer, resting his head against Sarah’s shoulder. Her hair had a faint scent of berries. Sarah smiled. Her heart fluttered, and she watched the views roll past the window. They would arrive in the city soon. The thought of Castiel meeting her dad made her nervous since she hadn’t told him Castiel would be coming. But now she wanted to keep it as a surprise. That way dad wouldn’t have time to fuss or overthink. It’d be a great surprise. Or a disaster. But Sarah wanted to believe everything would go well.

When the bus reached the town, Sarah gently nudged Castiel. He had managed a twenty minute nap despite the rather uncomfortable sleeping position. Castiel startled awake, and his eyes darted around before his brain caught up on what was going on. He turned to look at Sarah, who smiled at him.

“Good morning sunshine. We’re almost there,” she said.

Castiel looked out of the window. They passed vaguely familiar buildings and streets. He had visited the city few times but not in a good while.

Sarah picked up her bag when the bus turned to a new street. Soon the car stopped, and they climbed out. It was snowing more, and Sarah lifted her face towards the sky. Snowflakes landed on her face and melted into tiny drops of water. Castiel stretched his legs and neck while looking around. They were at the edge of a small park. Tall buildings surrounded them, full of office buildings in the upper floors and many different businesses in the street level: shops, cafés, restaurants, hair salons. The city looked like their home town but bigger and busier.

“Are you ready?” Sarah asked. Castiel nodded even though nerves pinched in his stomach. Sarah smiled and led the way.

They walked a while in silence. Sarah navigated the streets with ease, and Castiel tried to keep himself calm. What would Sarah’s dad be like? Would they get along? What if they did not?

“Can you tell me something about your dad?” Castiel asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry I don’t think I’ve said much about him. Umm, what do you want to know?”

“Well, his name. And where does he work? For example.”

“His name is Marcus. Apparently, according to people, I get my looks from him,” Sarah said. They passed an Indian restaurant. Castiel’s stomach let out a quiet rumble. He glanced at his stomach with narrowed eyes. Better not start acting up now. It’d be embarrassing to meet Sarah’s dad and the first thing he’d hear would be Castiel’s growling stomach.

“And where he works. Hmm, did you see the news about that one phone company being bought by the big tech company?”

“Yeah I did. Did he work there?”

“He’s the CEO of the tech company,” Sarah said with redness creeping up to her cheeks.

“Wha- Really? Your dad’s some bigwig CEO? Is he rich too?”

“I guess he is.”

“Wow. I would’ve never guessed from you. Your dad’s probably richer than Mercedes’s, and she acts like a princess.”

“Dad doesn’t throw his money around apart from his hobbies. He promised to pay my college tuition but doesn’t really spoil me in other ways. If I want something, I usually have to buy it myself. He’s not stingy but wants to make sure I’m responsible with money. Ah, we’re here.”

Castiel looked at the building while Sarah typed the keycode. The house looked modest, not something Castiel would’ve expected a millionaire to live in. The door buzzed when the lock opened, and they walked in. Sarah headed to the elevator and pressed the button of the top floor once they were both inside.

“Are you nervous?” she asked.

“A bit,” Castiel admitted. “I’m coming in unexpected and all… I haven’t dressed up very well.” He had stone washed and ripped jeans and leather jacket with a hoodie under it. His hair was on a ponytail and piercing gleamed in the faint light of the elevator. While this was his usual style, he would’ve dressed better for the visit if he had known he’d be coming.

“You’ll be fine. I’ll protect you,” Sarah smiled and squeezed Castiel’s fingers.

“I’ll count on you then,” Castiel grinned.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Castiel took a deep breath. He didn’t remember the last time he had been this nervous.

Sarah rang the doorbell. Before Castiel could prepare himself, the door already swung open.

“Sara! Sweetie!” Marcus shouted and puller her daughter in a hug. While holding his daughter, Marcus noticed Castiel standing in the hallway, trying to keep a calm and polite smile on his face.

“Oh?” Marcus said and released Sarah. “Am I correct if I assume, you’re Castiel?”

“Y-yes, sir. Castiel Thompson,” Castiel replied, offering his hand. “I’m Sarah’s boyfriend.”

Marcus took the hand and shook it firmly. His eyes were nailed on Castiel’s face and examined his expression when he slightly tightened his grip.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Marcus Webster.”

He kept the eye contact, and Castiel had to fight for the urge to lower his eyes.

“Dad…”

Marcus sighed with a smile and let go of Castiel’s hand. He turned his attention to Sarah, and Castiel sighed in relief, trying to discreetly swipe sweat from his palms.

“I didn’t know you were bringing him too,” dad said.

“I didn’t either until just before I stepped in the bus,” Sarah smiled. “But I thought this is a good opportunity for you to meet. And he didn’t get scared of the suggestion.”

“Always a good sign. But come in for goodness sake. I don’t make my guests to stand in the hallway.” He gestured Sarah and Castiel in and closed the door behind them.

Sarah dropped her bag on the floor and put her jacket in the hanger. Castiel followed her example and placed his shoes next to the wall. He tried to neaten his appearance in a quick glance to the mirror, but there wasn’t much he could do.

“You look fine,” Sarah whispered to him when they headed to the living room. “Very handsome.”

“I hope your dad appreciates it,” Castiel whispered back, and Sarah chuckled.

She led Castiel through the kitchen to living room where a large corner sofa controlled the space along with a large tv. Castiel looked around in the room. Everything looked stylish and expensive but not too lavish.

Sarah slumped on sofa and succumbed in to a pile of pillows. Castiel sat down next to her, back straightened, as if he were scared to lean against the back rest. Sarah’s dad sat on the other end of the sofa, so he could observe the young couple. He wasn’t quite sure what to think about this situation. He hadn’t expected Sarah to bring her boyfriend. He wasn’t mentally prepared for this.

“Is Lena coming here today?” Sarah asked.

“She might visit but she wasn’t sure.”

“Okay. It would be nice to see her again.”

Dad smiled but the smile faded soon. “We need to talk about what happened. Are you okay? You were too quiet in the phone. I can still handle the situation. Just tell me the girl’s name.”

“Dad, I’m okay. I told you the issue is solved. And you’re not going to do anything. It’d just make me look worse if I had to ask my dad to help,” Sarah huffed and crossed her arms.

Marcus wrinkled his brow. “You say that pictures of you being spread around school is just swept under the rug?”

“It wasn’t swept under the rug. Mercedes got detention.”

“Detention! Might as well have patted her head and asked her to not do it again. Has detention ever worked on anyone?”

Marcus’s eyes drifted to Castiel who shrugged. “Slowed me down for a couple of weeks,” he said. “Not that I have been in many detentions,” he added with a little cough.

“Honestly, it’s fine. If she causes any trouble again, then I’ll act. I just want to get past this. It’s been hard enough.”

“I knew it!”

“Dad. I came here to get my mind off it. Can we drop it? I’m fine, I swear.”

Sarah’s dad puckered his lips while he pondered if he’d believe his daughter’s words. She looked fine and was known to be stubborn (she got it from her mother of course). So, it would probably be better to leave the subject. And he did have another target ripe to be picked.

“Fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, let’s talk about this young man instead.”

Sarah’s cheeks flushed red and a grin on his dad’s face widened.

“Do we really have to? Can’t we just order food and watch a movie?” Sarah muttered.

“You knew what’d wait for you. Now then, tell me about yourself, boy.”

Castiel stiffened. “What should I tell… I’m in the same class as your daughter. I, uh, play guitar. I have a dog, and…”

Sarah had never seen Castiel this nervous. He tried to keep his cool but struggled. His eyes bounced around the room trying to avoid Marcus. Sarah touched his arm as a calming gesture and made Castiel flinch. His face flushed bright red. It looked like there was a drop of sweat on his brow.

“Interesting… Now tell me, what are your intentions with my daughter?” Marcus leaned closer and rested his chin against his laced fingers. His blue eyes focused on Castiel who squirmed in his seat.

“M-my intentions? I don’t have any intentions. I mean, I intend to take care of her. I l-like her very much.”

Sarah felt bad for Castiel. She threw a reproaching look at her dad, who just barely could hide his satisfied smile. He enjoyed this more than he had thought.

“Since Sarah is my only and beloved daughter, I naturally have to be careful who I allow in her company. Frankly, you look like a troublemaker, and I don’t know if I can approve of that. It might be harmful for Sarah.”

Castiel straightened his posture and clenched his hands. The look in his eyes was desperate and worried. Sarah buried her face in her hands. This was a disaster.

“Sir, please. I can assure you that I take this very seriously. I know I don’t look like an ideal boyfriend, but I swear I would never hurt Sarah on purpose. We’ve been together for a short time, but she is very important to me.”

Castiel touched Sarah’s knee with his hand and looked at Marcus. His face was emotionless for a long time, and it made panic raise its head inside Castiel again. But then a smile cracked the serious mask and he laughed.

“That’s what I wanted to hear. You seem like a good boy. I’m happy Sarah has found someone on her side.”

Castiel stared at Marcus. Next to him, Sarah muffled a groan in her hands.

“Did you really have to do that?” she asked.

“I had to test if he was good enough,” dad shrugged.

“You probably traumatized him!”

“Nah, look at him. He’s perfectly fine. Maybe a bit pale. Do you want something to drink?”

“Yes. Go make coffee and leave us alone for a second,” Sarah grumbled.

“Fine. Tea for you?”

“Yes please.”

Marcus rose from the couch and headed to the kitchen. On the way he patted Castiel’s shoulder and smiled.

“What… what was that?” Castiel asked when Marcus had left to room. “Am I approved?”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. Dad was mainly teasing you.”

“How do you know?”

“He’s my dad. When he does the hand thing, he’s not being serious.”

“I was half serious!” A shout came from the kitchen. Sarah rolled her eyes.

“But honestly, you don’t need to worry. You’re fine,” she said and smiled at Castiel.

Castiel relaxed with a sigh, shoulders slumping, and he leaned against the backrest for the first time.

“I was so stressed.”

“I noticed.”

“Your dad is scary.”

“When he puts effort into it.”

“He clearly did now.”

“But you know, it was kinda touching to hear that I’m important to you,” Sarah said, leaning her head on the couch. “You really made an impression on me too.”

“Of course you’re important to me,” Castiel said quietly. He leaned closer and brushed hair behind Sarah’s ear. “I was ready to fight your dad if he didn’t like me.”

“Sure,” Sarah chuckled. The laughter in her eyes made Castiel’s heart flutter.

“It’s true. I’d never lie in a serious matter like this,” he grinned. His hand brushed Sarah’s cheek. “I have gained quite a bit of muscle from pulling Ares around.”

“You’re a considerable threat then,” Sarah smiled. “I’m sure dad would’ve been very scared.”

“I’m sure,” Castiel murmured, leaning closer to Sarah. “And when I had won, I would’ve asked for a prize…”

“What kind of prize?”

“Just something small…”

Castiel’s nose brushed against hers. Sarah’s shivered when the warmth of Castiel’s breath tickled her skin.

“Here’s some coffee for you kids.”

Sarah and Castiel jumped away from each other, faces bright red and hearts pounding in chest.

“I’m watching you, boy,” Marcus said as he settled back on the couch with his coffee cup.

Castiel avoided his eyes while picking up his cup. He offered Sarah her tea.

“So, you said you play guitar. What kind of music?”

“Rock with some metal and punk vibes. I have a band with a couple of friends.”

“Interesting. Remind me to show you my music collection.”

“I told you he likes you,” Sarah said before taking a sip of her tea. “That pile of CDs is his priced collection. He probably loves it more than me.”

“Vinyl records, not CDs. And you know that I could love nothing more than you,” her dad said. “Although Pink Floyd’s original vinyl of Ummagumma comes pretty close.”

Castiel almost chocked on his coffee.

“You have that? I heard it went for almost sixteen thousand dollars in an auction recently.”

“Indeed, it did,” Marcus smiled. “It was a tough competition, but I finally came out on top.”

Sarah sighed and sipped her tea.

“Why don’t you show it to him? I know you want to,” she said.

“True. Come and I’ll show it to you. Most of my collection is in Sarah’s room⁠–“

“Unfortunately.”

“⁠–but I have quite a few here.”

The men abandoned their coffee cups and moved to inspect a bookcase full of vinyl records. Turned out that ‘quite a few’ meant roughly two hundred records, with at least fifty filling one shelf. Castiel looked at the collection in awe. He had never seen anything like it. He had many of these albums too but on CDs. There was something special in seeing them like this. He couldn’t help but wonder how much money Sarah’s dad had spent on his collection. It must have been in hundreds of thousands.

Sarah smiled from the couch when she watched dad eagerly tell stories behind his collection. Sarah had heard them so many times she wasn’t interested anymore, not that it always stopped her dad. Sometimes Marcus took one or two special edition records of their cases to show them to Castiel. Some cases had the artists autographs in them. Castiel’s eyes were wide from excitement and respect, and dad was sparkling with satisfaction of finding someone who understood his passion. Sarah shook her head in amusement. Those two were like kids in a candy store.

Sarah finished her tea and stood up, stretching her arms.

“I’m gonna start lunch,” she said and received only vague mumbles as a reply. Sarah rolled her eyes and gathered the mugs in her hands. The coffee was already cold, and Sarah was sure that dad and Castiel wouldn’t move away from the music shelf in a while.

She poured the cold coffee in the sink and washed the mugs. The fridge was full of ingredients for cooking. Sarah pulled out chicken legs and butter, and gathered onions, garlic, herbs, peppercorns, and lemon from other cupboards on the kitchen table. She turned the oven on to preheat and rolled up her sleeves.

Before she was able to start chopping the onions, dad’s phone started ringing at the corner of the table. Sarah glanced at it and saw Lena’s name on the screen.

“Dad! Lena’s calling you!”

“Could you answer please? I’m a bit busy.”

Sarah sighed and picked up the phone.

“Marcus’s phone, Sarah speaking.”

“Oh, hello Sarah. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. How are you?”

“Good as well. You’re already at your dad’s then, I assume.”

“Yeah, we arrived like an hour ago.”

“We?”

“I’m here with Castiel,” Sarah said and blushed.

“Oh. That’s great. I was about to ask if it’d be okay for me to visit but I guess I should pass now.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to make your boyfriend uncomfortable. I’m a stranger to him after all.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine if you come. I’m making lunch so there’s a chance for free food,” Sarah added smiling.

“Oh, they put you on the cooking duty?”

“Dad’s too busy showing off his music collection.”

“Of course. Well, maybe I pop up for a bit then.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. We’ll see you soon then.”

“Yeah, bye.”

The call ended and Sarah put the phone back on the table. She walked to the living room door. Dad had set up the record player, and he and Castiel were humming with the music and scanning the shelves for more songs to play.

“Lena is coming to visit soon,” Sarah said. A wide smile grew on Marcus’s face.

“Wonderful. Will she be here in time for lunch?”

“Perhaps if I don’t need to make it alone,” Sarah huffed. “Do you want to help?” she asked from Castiel.

“Sure.”

“Can it wait a bit? I need to show him this one song first.”

“Fine. Take as long as you need,” Sarah said and smiled, walking back to the kitchen. It was good to see that dad had already taken a liking to Castiel. It eased Sarah’s worries a lot. She had been confident that dad would see Castiel was a good guy, but she had still worried that he’d get overprotective or rude, like many stories of dads meeting boyfriends turned out. But she had been right in trusting her dad.

Back in the kitchen, Sarah placed the chicken thigs in a bowl, and sprinkled oil, salt, and pepper on them, mixing carefully. She laid the thigs in oven tray and started peeling garlics that were soon tossed in the tray as well. She used this recipe a lot, especially as a weekend lunch. It was a bit fancier than what she usually cooked and fit this special occasion well too. She put the chicken in the oven with roughly chopped onions thrown in the pan as well. While it was cooking, she started working on a salad.

Sarah was cutting iceberg lettuce into smaller chunks when arms wrapped around her waist. She flinched and turned to look at Castiel. He leaned his chin against her head.

“Did I scare you?” he asked.

“You did. I almost cut myself,” Sarah huffed.

“I’m sorry.”

“Did you finally finish going through dad’s collection?”

“For now. We’re apparently moving on to the records in your room next,” Castiel smiled.

“He really likes you,” Sarah said and continued to chop the lettuce. Castiel watched her work and pressed soft kisses in her hair. Each one sent a slight shiver down Sarah’s neck.

“Did you come here to help or distract me?” Sarah asked but didn’t sound bothered at all.

“Maybe a bit of both?” Castiel leaned closer and pressed a kiss on Sarah’s neck. She put the knife on the table and turned to face Castiel, who looked down with a satisfied smile.

“You’re gonna be left without a lunch soon,” Sarah muttered but leaned closer.

“That chicken in the oven smells delicious. I think I could eat all of it.”

Sarah smiled and her lips brushed against Castiel’s bottom lip. Castiel’s hold of her tightened, and he pressed his lips against Sarah’s. Sarah leaned against the table, eagerly responding to the kiss. Her stomach tingled with electricity that spread to her chest. And then the doorbell rang.

Their lips parted with a sigh of disappointment. Castiel let go of Sarah, and she moved towards the door.

“It’s probably Lena. I’ll go open the door. If you could be lovely and chop the lettuce for me? Put it in the glass bowl.”

Sarah hurried to the door and indeed, Lena was standing behind it.

“Hello, Sarah,” she greeted with a smile.

“Hi,” Sarah replied and let her in.

“I really hope it’s fine for me to be here,” Lena said glancing towards kitchen where Castiel was carefully cutting lettuce with a serious expression on his face.

“It is fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Is that him? He looks like a handsome young man.”

Sarah’s cheeks reddened slightly as she nodded.

“Yeah. I’ll introduce you two.”

They walked to the kitchen. Castiel wiped his hands in his jeans after throwing rest of the lettuce in the bowl.

“Castiel, this is Lena. Lena, this is Castiel.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

They shook hands, and Lena turned her attention to Sarah.

“Where is Marcus?”

“He’s playing with the records in the living room.”

Lena smiled at them and hurried to the living room. She had barely disappeared from the view when Castiel turned his attention to Sarah.

“Now that your dad has distraction too, we can continue from where we were before the disturbance”, Castiel grinned. “Did you see how nicely I cut the lettuce?”

Sarah glanced at the bowl. “Oh, you really did. Very impressive.”

“I know. I think I deserve a reward for that.”

Sarah scratched her chin, looking thoughtful.

“Few pieces look a bit roughly chopped. So, I don’t know…” she said with a grin growing on her face. “I think you sho⁠– Hey what are you doing?” she shrieked and broke to a laugh. Castiel had wrapped his arms around her pulled her away from the table, spinning around the kitchen. Sarah grabbed his hands and squirmed when Castiel pressed kisses on the crook of her neck.

“I’m getting my well-deserved reward,” Castiel hummed.

“Dad will find out.”

“Because you are so loud.”

“Oh, so this is my fault?”

“Just a little bit.”

Sarah laughed and broke herself free from Castiel’s hug only to turn around and wrap her arms around him. She leaned against his chest and looked him in the eyes.

“I missed you,” she said with a wistful smile on her lips.

“I missed you too.”

Castiel leaned closer, but Sarah pressed a finger against his lips.

“Let’s finish the salad first.”

Castiel pressed a kiss on her finger and then sighed.

“Yes ma’am. Whatever you want ma’am.”

Sarah gently smacked Castiel’s chest with the back of her hand, trailing the hand over his shoulder as she walked past. Castiel shuddered from delight and looked over his shoulder. Sarah had a different air around her. She was more relaxed. It made Castiel smile. He really had missed her.

To Castiel’s great disappointment, he didn’t get his reward kiss before lunch because Marcus and Lena decided to join in on the food preparations. But Sarah’s soft smiles and occasional touches told Castiel she hadn’t forgotten. And even if she had, it would’ve been fine. He would have many opportunities to kiss her. It was probably for the best to practice patience when in her dad’s house.

All four of them were sitting at the table, enjoying lunch. Marcus had opened a bottle of wine for Lena and himself. According to him, it went perfectly with Sarah’s chicken recipe. Castiel wasn’t sure about the wine part, but he agreed that the food was delicious. Living alone he usually cooked simple and cheap meals. It was rare to get such treats as the juicy chicken leg and the roasted onions with refreshing salad. Everyone complimented the food, and Sarah’s cheeks was turning redder than the radishes in the salad.

The lunch passed with idle chat. Lena and Marcus asked more questions from Castiel, but this time in a conversational manner and not as an interrogation, which was a big relief to Sarah. They were curious to know what his parents did, if he had any other hobbies than music and what his plans were after high school.

“The plan right now is to apply studying music,” Castiel said. “Commercial music and sound technology and production.”

“Interesting. Would it be far away?” Sarah’s dad asked.

“In Riversmuth.”

“Oh, so not awfully far away then. It’s, what, two hours from here?”

“Something like that.”

Sarah listened the talk and uncomfortable lump tried to settle in her stomach. She didn’t remember where the place that offered graphic design was, but it certainly wasn’t in Riversmuth. With her luck, it’d be far away.

“What about you Sarah?” Lena asked.

“Hm?”

“Do you have any plans yet?”

“They’re pretty open right now. I’ve been thinking about graphic design but I’m not sure. I’ll be looking at other options too.”

“You still have time to think. I’m sure you’ll find something you like. If you have trouble deciding, you could also try career counselling. It helped me when I was pondering between a few options.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

When lunch was finished and they were putting their plates in the dishwasher, Castiel glanced at the clock. It was well past midday already.

“When does the bus back leave by the way?” he asked. Sarah looked at the clock.

“Oh, really soon. Like in 40 minutes.” She would’ve liked to keep Castiel here for longer, but the bus service between the cities was terrible for no reason at all. There were no buses leaving in the evening.

“I guess I should get ready to leave soon then,” Castiel sighed. He didn’t really want to leave either. Marcus was nice to talk with, and he just wanted to spend time with Sarah.

“Why don’t you stay the night here as well?” Marcus suggested.

“Oh, I couldn’t… I already came here uninvited.”

“It doesn’t bother me. There’s plenty of room.”

Castiel contemplated the offer. He was very tempted to stay. Just few hours with Sarah didn’t feel like enough after the uncertainty being away from her had caused. What if she disappeared when he left?

“It’d be nice if you could stay. But what about Ares?” Sarah said. “He’d be alone all day.”

“Well, I could ask Leon to check on him. If he’s fine with it, I suppose I could stay. But it’s a short notice so I don’t except it to happen.”

“Worth a try,” Sarah said. She hoped Leon would say yes.

Castiel took out his phone. Hopefully, Leon didn’t have any plans for the day.

hey, I’m at Sarah’s dad’s place. And I’ve been invited to stay over. Could you check on ares a couple of times today and give him food? No problem if you can’t.

Leon’s reply came almost immediately.

I didn’t know you were going there. But of course I can check on Ares. Is it okay if I take him for a walk with Amanda’s dog?

thanks man. I owe you one. The food’s in bottom left cupboard. Her dogs a girl right so Ares should get along.

Cool. We’ll be careful. Have a fun night. Don’ make too much noise ;)

shut up

haha

Sarah looked at Castiel expectantly when he put the phone back in the jeans’ pocket.

“Leon can check on Ares,” he said, and a smile beamed on Sarah’s face.

“You don’t mind staying then?”

“I don’t. If it really is fine for me to stay.” Castiel looked at Marcus. He couldn’t quite believe Sarah’s dad would want him here. He was basically a stranger.

“Of course it is. I suggested it, didn’t I?” Marcus laughed. “I need someone to talk about music with. Sarah doesn’t want to hear about it.”

“I’ve just heard all the stories so many times,” she groaned. “And I don’t know anything about the technical stuff.”

“And that’s why it’s good you’re here, boy. Let’s go see the rest of the collection in Sarah’s room,” Marcus said, tapping Castiel on the shoulder.

Marcus lead Castiel to the guest room. Sarah followed them to drop her bag in there so it wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. And perhaps she could listen to some stories to make his dad happy. Lena joined them as well, also interested in the collection. She had only heard about few of the records.

The spare room was just a stylish as the rest of the apartment. The colour scheme was light but warm, and the window opened a view to a small park. King-sized bed took most of the room. There was a tv on the wall opposite of the bed, so it would be easy to enjoy movies while laying comfortably under the covers. Under the tv was an open credenza full of vinyl records, and a bookcase filled the other wall, taking advantage of the fact that a small walk-in closet made a wardrobe unnecessary in the room. In a corner next to the bed, there was a vintage gramophone and in a little space below it, an elegant statue of a tiger.

Sarah dropped her bag next to the bed and sat down when dad walked to the credenza. Castiel sat down next to her, looking at all the music stored in the shelves.

“So, this is your room?” he asked.

“It’s a guest room but I’m the most common guest,” Sarah said. “I doubt Lena sleeps here,” she added with a grin, speaking a bit louder so that her dad would hear. He didn’t say anything, but the back of his neck turned red. Lena’s cheeks caught some rosiness as well.

“Watch how you speak, child. Or do you not want your boyfriend to share the room with you?” her dad said back. It was Sarah’s turn to blush.

“W-what?”

“Now that I think about it, perhaps he should sleep on the sofa.”

“I’m fine with it,” Castiel said. Sarah’s cheeks were bright red. It seemed like she had only now realised that they could sleep together.

“N-no you don’t need to,” Sarah muttered. “You’re a guest too. The sofa is not good for sleeping.”

“Let’s talk about it later. For now, I want to you to focus your attention to this beauty,” Marcus said and pulled out a vinyl with a cover print of a man with a dog’s lower half. Sarah had always found that Bowie art to be very disturbing, but dad seemed to like it. Not enough to have it in his main collection but enough to have paid few thousand dollars for it.

“Diamond Dogs?” Castiel was in awe again. He probably shouldn’t have been surprised to see any album in the man’s collection, but still he was amazed by every new record he saw.

“Indeed. Have you heard it?”

“A couple of times. Not a big Bowie fan although I do enjoy his music from time to time.”

Marcus nodded while walking to the gramophone. He fiddled with it for a few moments before gently placing the vinyl in its place. Soon the music started playing. Sarah leaned backwards and collapsed on the bed. She stared at the ceiling and hummed along the melody of the song. Castiel glanced at her before Marcus waved at him to join him once again on the record shelves. Lena sat down next to Sarah. She asked about school and Sarah’s mother and sister. It was a nice chat. Sarah looked at dad and Castiel every now and then. Apparently, there were more of Castiel’s favourite bands in these shelves, and some forgotten gems as well based on the excitement in dad’s face. Sarah couldn’t hide a smile. It was nice to see them both act natural around each other. It was like they had known each other for a long time.

Sarah and Castiel sat on a couch watching a tv show neither really cared about. Lena had left almost two hours ago, and after that they had spent another hour listening to music and talking. Leon had updated them about Ares. He and Amanda had gone for a walk with the dogs, and now it seemed like Ares was in love. He had kept whining after Amanda and Bailey had left. Castiel had sighed after reading that. Lovesick teenager would be a pain to handle.

Marcus had gone to get them a take away dinner from a nearby Indian restaurant. Sarah stifled a yawn and picked a remote to open the list of tv channels when the ad break started. Castiel glanced at her.

“Everything alright?” he asked, and Sarah turned to look at him.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been a bit quiet ever since the talk about our sleeping arrangements.”

“Oh. It’s fine, really,” Sarah said but her tone didn’t convince Castiel.

“Well. It’s just that I didn’t really think about how we’d sleep before,” she added after a brief silence. “And I guess realising it made me a bit nervous.”

“You don’t need to be. We’ll just sleep. Just think you’re sleeping with your dad. Or a friend.”

“That’s not the same at all,” Sarah said and blushed. “You’re my boyfriend. Just sitting next to you causes butterflies in my stomach. Sharing a bed… I feel really stupid. I shouldn’t stress about it this much, but it’s the first time we sleep together,” she muttered. Heat creeped up her cheeks, and she hid her face to her knees she had pulled up against her.

“You’re not stupid. Don’t worry about it. You have my permission to kick me out of bed if I get too close,” Castiel smiled. “Would that make you feel better?”

“I don’t really want to kick you. But I guess it’s a back-up plan.”

Castiel laughed and pulled Sarah closer, kissing her hair. She flailed as a protest and from surprise but quickly noticed that sitting like this, Castiel’s arm wrapped around her wasn’t bad at all. It was in fact very nice, even though her heart thumped in her chest like she was running a marathon.

Castiel took her hand and pressed it against his chest. Sarah could feel Castiel’s heartbeat, strong and fast.

“You’re not the only one who’s nervous,” he said, smiling softly. He had been nothing but nervous all day but being alone with Sarah was different. He felt hot, his mouth was dry and touching Sarah made his skin tingle. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”

“Thank you,” Sarah whispered and snuggled closer to Castiel. He pressed a kiss on her hair again and wrapped his arm better around her. They stayed like that for a while, watching a boring tv show, until sounds from the door told them that Marcus was back with food.

Slowly Sarah moved away from Castiel and stood up stretching. She headed to the kitchen and Castiel followed her. Dad placed several bags of food on the table and started unpacking the haul.

“Vegetable pakora and paneer naan. Butter chicken for me, chicken korma for Castiel and lamb biryani for Sarah. I also got some snacks for movie time.”

“If we even have room for the snacks after eating all this. It smells so good,” Sarah sighed when she opened the container full of delicious cheese filled bread. She wanted to eat it right now, all of it.

“It’s been forever since I’ve had Indian,” Castiel said opening the container of his chicken korma.

“Yeah, the one place we have sucks”, Sarah sighed.

“It really does. You get better food from the supermarket microwave meals.”

Marcus set plates on the table and they settled to enjoy food. One bite from the naan bread sent Sarah to heaven, and the tender lamb and the spiced rice of the biryani were like angels singing in her ears. The food was amazing, but she quickly realized she had taken a bit too much on her plate. The eating pace slowed and deep sighed accompanied the breaks.

“Did you take too much?” her dad asked after a third sigh.

“I did,” Sarah wailed. “I might fall into food coma.”

“This leaves more snacks for me then,” Castiel grinned. He didn’t seem to have any issues with his portion size, even though he had more food on his plate than Sarah.

“How can you eat that much?” she asked.

“Young men have bottomless stomachs,” her dad laughed. “I remember being constantly hungry when I was around your age.”

“I’ve had my biggest growth spurt, so I’ve got past the worst part. But I felt like I needed food constantly. All that eating and I didn’t even get that tall.”

“What? You’re tall enough.”

“Not even 180 centimetres,” Castiel sighed.

“How tall you are then?”

“179.”

“Oh, shut up. I’m not even 170. That hurts the most.”

“You should’ve eaten more biryani when you were younger.”

“I really should’ve. Now it only grows my waist.”

“You’re perfectly fine. There’s clearly more room in you for at least half a naan,” Castiel said and gently poked her side with his finger.

Sarah squirmed and huffed, poking him back. Castiel dodged and laughed.

“No playing in the dinner table, children,” Marcus said smiling. The more he watched these two interact, the more convinced he grew that Castiel was a good fit for Sarah. He seemed to draw out more of her personality. She was less quiet and smiled more. As a father, it made him happy to see it.

“Ugh, I can’t eat anymore,” Sarah announced with a groan after cleaning her plate. “I might die. Serve the leftovers in the funeral.”

“Are you able to walk or do I need to carry you?” Castiel asked with a grin.

“You couldn’t lift me up,” Sarah sighed. She slowly slid down from the chair and picked up her plate to bring it to the dishwasher. “I’m gonna collapse on the couch and never get up.”

Castiel watched with amused smile when Sarah waddled to the living room and threw herself on the couch with a deep sigh. He helped Marcus back the leftovers and then moved over to the living room where he found Sarah stretched out on the couch.

“Are you still alive?” he asked, towering over Sarah.

“Just barely. I think I can see the pearly gates when I close my eyes.”

“Do I need to prepare to do CPR?” Castiel grinned and sat next to her.

“You could, just in case,” she replied gazing up to Castiel’s face.

Castiel cupped his hands on Sarah’s face and leaned down to press a kiss on her lips. She gasped and sat up, almost hitting her head against Castiel’s chin, but he dodged in the last second. Her cheeks were red, and her heart thumped in her chest.

“Too much?” Castiel asked.

Sarah shook her head. “It’s okay,” she whispered and moved closer to Castiel, leaning against him slightly and very embarrassed. The heartbeat didn’t want to settle no matter how much she thought about calming things, like sleeping puppies and forest walks.

Luckily, dad arrived with two bowls of crisps and a dip. He placed them on the table and picked up the remote.

“So, any wishes on what we’ll be watching, or will you let the old man decide?”

It was dark outside. The crisp bowls had moved from the table on the couch. Sarah and Castiel had one, and Marcus was keeping the other one. They had watched two movies, third was almost finished now. Sarah dozed off against Castiel’s shoulder, and he had wrapped his arm around her again. Marcus glanced at them every now and then. He hid a smile in the glass of wine he had poured to himself.

When they neared the ending of the film, Castiel gently shook Sarah awake. She muttered something and nuzzled her cheek against Castiel’s shoulder before almost jumping awake. She looked around and squinted her eyes to the brightness of the tv screen.

“I thought I’d wake you to see the ending,” Castiel said. “But you’ve missed most of the film, so I doubt you get any of it.”

“Shush. I’m tired,” Sarah grumbled and tried to focus on the tv. But like Castiel had said, she had no idea what was going on and only vaguely remembered who the people in the scene were. They were kissing so Sarah guessed things ended well for them.

Finally, the credits started to roll, and Sarah pulled herself to the edge of the sofa.

“I’m going to bed,” she announced and stood up. She stretched her arms and legs, letting out almost a cat-like noise. She started trudging towards her room. Castiel and Marcus stood up as well.

In her room, Sarah pulled out her pyjama and toothbrush. Dad was cleaning things up in the kitchen, and Castiel was heading to her room.

“He’s gonna sleep in your room then?” dad asked when she noticed Sarah.

“Yeah. I’m not gonna put him on the couch,” Sarah said.

“Alright. Just remember no hanky-panky in my house.”

“Wha- Dad!” Sarah’s face flushed red.

“What? My house my rules. No hanky-panky.”

“It wasn’t a protest. And please, stop saying hanky-panky.”

“Alright, alright. I trust you kids to behave.”

“As you should,” Sarah muttered and continued her way to the bathroom, cheeks still burning.

She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. She changed into her pyjama and looked herself from the mirror. She was suddenly very conscious about wearing tiny shorts and t-shirt. Did it look too suggestive? But she hadn’t known he’d be coming. It wasn’t her fault. The thought of sleeping in the same bed with Castiel was exciting and terrifying at the same time. It was the first time she’d share a bed with a boy, with a boyfriend. It was not something to take lightly. Sarah rubbed her face. She needed to calm down. They’d just sleep. There was nothing to worry about.

Castiel was checking her phone when Sarah walked back to the room. She avoided looking at him, only casting a shy glance at him when she walked past in her tiny night shorts. She tugged the hem of her shirt in hopes it’d cover something, but it didn’t help.

“The bathroom is the second room on the left,” she said to Castiel. “There are extra toothbrushes in the first small drawer, for guests. You can use one.”

“Okay, thanks,” Castiel said, peeling his eyes off Sarah. She looked so nice. Long, slender legs and soft-looking skin. It was better to go before his head turned any mushier. Castiel placed his phone on the night desk and headed to the bathroom.

Sarah was fluffing the pillows and straightening the bed linen when Castiel came back. He had opened his ponytail, and the tips of his hair brushed against his shoulders. He smiled at Sarah and closed the door. Sarah sat on her side of the bed, and Castiel took off his shirt. It only took seconds for Sarah’s face to turn burning red, and the colour just deepened when Castiel unbuttoned his jeans. He was so handsome. Sarah knew Castiel was sporty, but she hadn’t expected to see actual muscles on him. He wasn’t body builder type, but his body was toned, and Sarah could easily see the shape of his muscles. The heat spread from her face to lower in her body.

“What?” Castiel asked when she noticed Sarah’s look. She quickly turned her eyes away, cheeks burning.

“Nothing.”

“Would you like me to keep my clothes on?”

“N-no. You don’t have to. It’d be uncomfortable to sleep in jeans,” Sarah mumbled.

Castiel didn’t say anything, but he folded his clothes into a neat pile.

“Are you ready for bed?” he asked, and Sarah nodded.

Sarah settled under the covers while Castiel switched off the light. Darkness fell in the room and only a faint glow of streetlights filtered through the curtains. In the dark Sarah heard Castiel’s footsteps, and the felt his weight on the bed. The springs creaked slightly, when Castiel settled to his spot on the edge of the mattress, far away from Sarah.

“Good night,” Castiel said.

“Good night,” Sarah replied quietly.

She stared at the ceiling and didn’t feel tired. Castiel’s breathing next to her was steady and quiet. She wasn’t sure if he had already fallen asleep. It hadn’t been that long. Or had it? She had no sense of time. She felt restless. She rolled to one side and the other, back to her lying on her back and then to her side again. Her heart ba-thumped in her chest loudly, she could hear it.

“Castiel?” she called out his name quietly so that she wouldn’t wake him up if he really were sleeping.

“Yes?”

The answer caused a jolt of electricity course through Sarah’s body.

“W-would you come closer?”

Castiel didn’t reply but the springs creaked again when Castiel moved closer. Sarah could sense his presence near her, but she didn’t dare to turn and look.

“Is this better?” he asked.

“Yes. But you can come closer if you want.”

She felt the mattress bend under her, when Castiel moved even closer. His chest was against her back, and his breath tickled her neck. He wrapped one warm around Sarah, who took his hand and squeezed his fingers.

“Better?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Good night again.”

“Good night.”

Sarah closed her eyes. She felt calm. Her heart thumped loudly still, but in the same strong and steady rhythm as Castiel’s heart that she could feel against her back. She pulled Castiel’s hand against her chest. Their calm and matched breathing lulled her to sleep.