The next morning was full of cleaning and cooking in Sarah’s house. At first, mum hadn’t been thrilled that Sarah had invited Castiel over without asking first, but she had quickly warmed up to the idea. She had realized this was her chance at holding the parental interrogation, and Sarah was delivering the target to her voluntarily.

So, on Saturday Sarah’s mother embarked in much needed cleaning operation. She didn’t even remember the last time they had mopped the floors or dusted surfaces. Usually they did a quick hoover around the house. She ran through the house like a whirlwind, scrubbing every surface as clean as possible.

“Castiel’s not coming here to inspect the knobs in the drawers,” Sarah commented.

She had finished hoovering her own room and was heading to the kitchen to continue the food preparations. She had decided to make pizza since it wasn’t anything too fancy. Sarah also suspected her nerves wouldn’t allow cooking anything more complicated than pizza. She had almost retracted Castiel’s invitation three times that morning alone.

Sarah rolled her sleeves and sank her hand in the pizza dough that had risen nicely while she had been cleaning. Kneading the dough dulled the sharpest edge of her anxiety, but still Sarah couldn’t help but worry that she had invited Castiel over too soon. She never thought these things through. The invitation to meet her dad had also happened on a whim, and while it had gone well, this could be a different situation. Mum had acted nice towards Castiel before, but it’d be terrible if mum didn’t like Castiel after getting to know him a bit better.

Sarah slammed her hands in the dough and exhaled, letting her shoulders slump. She should relax and calm down. Everything would go well. Whatever mum though about Castiel wouldn’t change Sarah’s opinion or feelings. This was an opportunity for them to talk properly. If mum hated Castiel, that was her loss. Sarah would still love him the same.

She plopped the ball of dough on baking surface. A smile softened her face, and she let out another deep breath. Everything would go fine. Mum would like Castiel. They would have fun together. It’d be a blast.

Sarah stared at her reflection on the wardrobe mirror, modelling two shirts. She couldn’t decide what to wear. She wanted to be casual but at least little fancy, but neither of the shirts fit in the vague idea of an outfit she had in mind. There probably wasn’t anything in her closet that would fit in it. She didn’t know what she wanted. With a frustrated sigh Sarah threw the shirts on her bed and ran her hands through her hair. At times like this Sarah wished she had more than just sweaters. She needed to upgrade her wardrobe. She wanted to look good for Castiel, and for that she wanted something else than loose shirts that covered her like potato sacks. She wanted to wear something that would wow Castiel.

Sarah sighed again and picked one of the thinner sweaters she had. It had a few sequins here and there and that’d have to make do for the fancy part. She pulled her hair on a high bun and added a light touch of lip gloss on her lips. She smiled at her reflection before heading out of her room.

The scent of pizza filled the entire house and was Sarah’s cue to hurry to the kitchen. She had made a chicken and pepperoni pizza with plenty of cheese. She pulled the pizza out of the oven, and her mouth started to water. The cheese had melted, the crust was brown and the chilis on one side of the pizza added a spicy tang to the scent.

The phone in her pocket vibrated, and Sarah’s heart jumped a little when she read the text on the screen.

I’ll be there soon.

Sarah replied with a heart and pushed the phone back in her pocket.

“Mum!” she called.

The sound of hoover had quieted down, but Sarah was worried she’d find her mum on her knees, scrubbing the floors.

“In Stef’s room, darling,” a reply came from few rooms down.

Sarah headed there and found her mother trying to hold Steffie down so that she could brush her hair.

“Castiel messaged that he’ll be here soon,” Sarah said.

“Did you hear that? He’ll be here soon and if you don’t sit down now, I’ll leave you here in this room. Castiel doesn’t want to meet messy little girls,” mum mumbled to Steffie who had started excited bouncing in her chair.

A smile tugged Sarah’s lips.

“Steffie you look more excited than I do. What’s up?”

“I thought you’d never get a boyfriend,” she said. “It’s been soooo long.”

“Wow, I’m hurt. Just remember to be nice. You too,” she said and shot a pointed look at her mother.

Grace placed a hand on her chest, a faked shock showing on her face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m always nice.”

Sarah was about to reply but then the doorbell rang. A spike of anxiety struck through her when she turned on her heels and marched to the door. Her palms started to sweat, and her mouth was dry. She took a deep breath before opening the door.

“Hi.”

Seeing Castiel made Sarah’s anxiety melt away in seconds. She beamed at him and stepped out of the way so Castiel could get in.

“Hi,” she replied when he closed the door. “You found the right house.”

“Looks like it. Unless you have an identical twin,” Castiel grinned while removing his coat. When he had hung it up and took off his shoes, he scooped Sarah in a tight hug and kissed her.

Sarah wrapped her arms around Castiel’s neck and enjoyed the moment. The sound of footsteps from the hallway sparked the teens apart.

Castiel quickly smoothened his dress shirt and his hair before Sarah’s mother came in to view. Steffie bounced behind her but suddenly stopped when she saw Castiel.

“Castiel,” Sarah’s mother greeted.

“Ms…” Castiel started but realized he didn’t have any idea what her surname was.

“It’s Miller. You can call me Grace,” Sarah’s mother laughed and pulled Castiel into a hug.

Castiel could’ve kicked himself over his stupidity.

Grace released Castiel and turned to look at Steffie.

“Come on, introduce yourself too.”

Steffie fidgeted with her hands while walking closer. Castiel leaned down slightly and smiled.

“Hi. I’m Castiel.”

“Stefanie,” she whispered shily and hurried back to her mother and hid behind her.

Castiel looked at Sarah who shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it.”

They stood in the hallway for a few quiet minutes when no one knew what to say. Sarah chewed the inside of her lip. Her mum combed Steffie’s bangs into order. Finally, Sarah couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“Should we go eat? The pizza’s going to get cold.”

Everyone mumbled a reply and shuffled to the kitchen. Castiel followed behind Sarah and stole a quick glance at the hallway mirror to make sure he looked representable. His mother had insisted he’d put on a dress shirt which Castiel had done but not without giving it a personalized touch. He had chosen a black shirt, rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, and left the two top buttons open. Stonewashed jeans and a simple ear piercing completed the look. He had debated on leaving it out but Grace already knew he had piercings so there was no need to hide them. Also, Sarah had mentioned before that she liked them, so Castiel gladly wore them for her viewing pleasure.

Castiel and Steffie sat down at the table while Sarah cut the pizza in pieces and put them on two serving plates.

“Chicken and pepperoni pizza. This one has chili, and this doesn’t,” she explained while putting the plates on the table.

Steffie snagged a piece from the chili-free plate before Sarah could sit down on her seat next to Castiel.

“Looks nice,” Castiel commented before taking a piece as well.

They all ate in silence for a few moments. Sarah tried to focus on her food instead of the feeling of Castiel’s leg resting against hers. Now wasn’t the time to start blushing.

Sarah’s mother was the first to break the silence.

“How is your dog doing?”

“He’s getting better. He walks around a bit and is happier than he was last week. But he has a long way to go still. He has a check-up scheduled for Monday actually.”

“I hope it goes well. Do you need a ride there again? My car’s available.”

“My parents are home so they can take me. Thank you for the offer though.”

Sarah smiled while taking a bite of the pizza. Mum and Castiel seemed to get along well. They chatted about work and school. Sarah’s mother was curious to know what Castiel’s parents did.

Steffie listened to the conversation and fidgeted in her seat. She was dying to ask questions from this mysterious stranger.

“So, you are Sarah’s boyfriend?” Steffie asked after gathering some courage, and everyone’s eyes were on her.

“I am, yes,” Castiel replied.

Steffie straightened in her seat. A real boyfriend!

“Do you hold hands?”

“We do sometimes.”

A blush creeped on Sarah’s cheeks

“Do you kiss?”

“Steffie,” Sarah muttered in a warning tone.

“Do you?”

“Yes, we do,” Sarah said, cheeks burning. She took a sip of water to calm down.

Steffie’s eyes sparkled in excitement.

“Have you done sex?”

Sarah almost choked on her water.

Castiel sputtered as well, eyes darting from Steffie to Sarah to her mother. Their eyes met for a second, and Castiel was petrified on the spot. There was a sharp look in Sarah’s mother’s eyes, curiosity about knowing what the answer was, and readiness to stab Castiel if he said yes.

“Where have you learned that word?” Sarah asked after nearly coughing her lungs out.

Her sister shrugged and took a bite of her pizza.

“It’s not something little girls should know about,” Sarah mumbled. Her face was beet red, and inhaling water was only part of the reason.

“You need to keep an eye on what kind of tv she watches,” she then said to her mother.

After that, silence took over the table when no one knew what to say. Sarah wished for a hole to appear in the floor so that it’d swallow her. Castiel wished for the same thing along with sudden amnesia to strike everyone in the room. Steffie was the only who enjoyed the food and devoured her pizza piece.

“Can I leave the table?” she asked when she had finished her drink as well. She was already bored because no one talked anymore.

“Yeah, sure,” her mother said.

“Thank you for food,” Steffie said before rushing to her own room. This visit was so boring.

The silence grew heavier and more awkward as it stretched on. Sarah felt her mother’s eyes on her. She tried to focus on eating the pizza, but chewing was getting difficult. It was like she was eating rubber.

“So,” her mother said, and Sarah’s stomach twisted, “have you ‘done sex’?”

The colour had somewhat managed to fade from Sarah’s and Castiel’s faces but the redness was back in the blink of an eye.

“That’s a very personal question,” Sarah said.

Her mother tensed. Avoiding an answer was almost always an implication that it would have been something the asker didn’t want to hear. In this case that answer would’ve been yes.

“You have just started dating. It’s too early to–”

”We haven’t done it yet,” Castiel cut into the conversation, “and I’m not going to pressure or rush Sarah if that’s what you’re worried about. Everyone seems to think that I’m waiting my chance to jump on her like an animal without any consideration of her feelings. But even if you don’t believe it, I do care about her and want nothing but the best for her. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Castiel regretted speaking up before he had even finished talking. He had lost his patience and snapped at Sarah’s mother. But it annoyed him immensely how everyone seemed so worried about two eighteen-year-olds dating and what they did in private, like that didn’t happen constantly and everywhere.

“I’m sorry if it sounded like I didn’t trust you,” Sarah’s mother said. “I don’t think you would be unreliable or treat Sarah badly. I made a lot of mistakes in my youth and I don’t want Sarah repeating them, so I just want to know that you’re being careful. I realize I may have been prying. I’ll try to keep my nose out of anything too personal, but I’m also ready to talk about things if needed.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Sarah muttered.

The mood was ruined. She had wanted to have a nice afternoon, but now everything was awkward. Steffie’s dumb questions had ruined everything.

Like sensing that she was in someone’s thoughts, Steffie appeared in the doorway.

“Mum can we watch a movie?”

“Sure. I’ll help you. Feel free to join us if you want, Castiel.”

Grace left the room to set up the film. When they were left alone, Sarah sighed. She stood up and started to clear the table.

“I’m sorry about this. Steffie was super weird and mum ruined the mood too. I don’t blame you if you want to go home.”

Castiel walked behind Sarah, who was getting tin foil to cover the pizzas with. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Don’t worry about it. I got a bit annoyed, but I’m not upset. Your mum is just worried about you.”

Sarah smiled weakly.

“It’s still annoying how everyone thinks they should know what we do. It’s not their business if we sleep together or not.”

“It isn’t, and we don’t need to talk about it with them.”

Sarah turned around in Castiel’s arms, so she could look at him. She smiled and pressed a kiss on his lips.

“You’re so good,” she whispered.

“I know,” Castiel grinned and kissed her again before letting go. He didn’t want to risk Sarah’s family busting to the scene. Although, that would’ve fit perfectly in the theme of the day.

They cleaned up the kitchen and headed to the living room where Sarah’s mother tried to convince Steffie to pick something else than a Barbie movie.

“I’m sure Castiel doesn’t want to watch this,” Grace sighed. “Why don’t we pick something else? You’ve seen this ten times already.”

“But it’s my favourite!” Steffie stomped her feet and crossed her arms. She noticed Castiel and ran to him.

“Can we watch Barbie rock star princess?” she asked.

“Uhh, sure. I haven’t seen that yet...”

A wide smile lit Steffie’s face.

“Mum did you hear? He says we can watch Barbie!”

“Wonderful,” her mother sighed.

Sarah chuckled and pulled Castiel to the couch. They snuggled together in the corner while Steffie took rest of the couch. Grace settled on an arm chair and pulled out a book. She decided to sneak out as soon as possible.

“Prepare for an absolute masterpiece,” Sarah whispered to Castiel’s ear.

“I can hardly wait.”

He put his arm around Sarah’s shoulders and pulled her close. She rested her head on his chest and wrapped one arm around him. Castiel traced patterns on her arm with his fingers.

As the movie progressed, Sarah could feel her brain cells wither and die. She had lost count on how many terrible songs they had already heard and there seemed to be no end for them. Steffie was engrossed in the movie and hadn’t noticed that their mother had left the room thirty minutes ago.

When Barbie’s character burst into another song, Sarah nudges Castiel’s side.

“Do you want to do something else?”

“If there is an option, yes please. I think my brain might melt.”

Sarah chuckled and stood up. Castiel followed her in the hallway. Steffie didn’t notice. She was singing along with Barbie and her fairy friend.

Sarah lingered at her room’s door for a few seconds. This was the first time she brought a boy in her room, and the thought caused a pinch in her stomach. But she took a deep breath and opened the door. She had always liked Castiel’s room more. It was more interesting and showed Castiel’s personality. Her room had white walls, wooden floor and bed, desk, and a wardrobe. She had a few paintings and posters on the walls. But perhaps it did reflect on her, Sarah thought when she watched Castiel look around the room. She was plain after all.

Sarah made sure to leave the door half open before following Castiel. He sat down on the bed and pulled Sarah on his lap when she walked closer.

“Thank you for saving me from that movie. I don’t think I could’ve survived much longer,” he murmured in her ear.

“You mean you don’t enjoy Barbie in a double role as rock star and a princess?” Sarah laughed.

“Not particularly. I think I could’ve written a better script for that movie.”

“I don’t doubt it. But then again, the bar isn’t exactly set high,” Sarah grinned.

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”

Sarah squealed when Castiel’s fingers found the ticklish spots on her sides. She squirmed in his hold and tried to push herself free.

“Are you saying that I couldn’t write a good Barbie movie?” Castiel asked between the tickles and Sarah’s laughter.

“No, no. I’m not. You could write a good one.”

Sarah’s breathing was heavy from all the laughing, but it turned to a surprised gasp when Castiel pressed a lingering kiss her neck. She froze for a second, and Castiel loosened his hold. His eyebrows were drawn together in concern, but Sarah eased his worried by cupping his face and pressing her lips on his mouth.

Castiel let out a muffled sound. His hand slid up Sarah’s back, and he sank his fingers in her hair. Sarah’s gripped his shirt when their kiss deepened. Then she pulled back.

“The door is open. Mum or Steffie could come in any moment,” she said.

“I live for excitement,” Castiel said and pressed another kiss on Sarah’s neck. It made Sarah shiver. It was so hard to resist Castiel.

“Maybe little longer,” she muttered against Castiel’s lips.

Castiel smiled pulled Sarah closer again.

When they walked back to the living room five minutes before the movie ended, Sarah’s cheeks were warm, and her heart still pounded loud in her chest. Who would’ve thought that kissing would give such a rush? She squeezed Castiel’s fingers when they sat down on the couch again. Barbie was celebrating with one last song and then the credits started rolling.

Steffie snapped back from her trance and turned to look at Castiel and Sarah.

“What did you think?” she asked.

“It was very interesting,” Castiel replied. “Lots of singing.”

“Yes! The songs are the best. I know all of them.”

“I did hear you sing along. You have a beautiful voice.”

Steffie’s face turned red. And she jumped off the couch.

“Where’s mum?”

“Probably in her office,” Sarah said.

Steffie nodded and ran out of the room.

“I should probably go home,” Castiel said and stretched. “I have to save Ares from my parents.”

“They haven’t called so I’d assume everything’s fine. The dog’s still alive and hasn’t run off.”

“True. But I’m worried he’ll be fat from treats when I get back.”

Sarah chuckled when they both headed back to the hallway again. They stopped at Grace’s office where Steffie was explaining something to her mother.

“I will be heading home. Thank you for having me,” Castiel said from the door.

“Oh, it was a pleasure. It was wonderful to meet you. I hope I’ll see more of you in the future.”

“I’m sure you will,” Castiel smiled.

Sarah leaned at the wall while Castile put on his coat.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked.

“Not sure yet. I have some homework to do.”

Castiel smiled and kissed the frown from her face.

“Well, I’ll call you at least.”

Sarah pulled Castiel in a hug.

“Sure. Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for wanting to introduce me to your family. It was nice to meet them.”

They exchanged a long good-bye kiss before Castiel headed outside. Sarah’s heart fluttered in her chest when she turned around and headed to her room.

“Sarah,” her mum called from her office when she walked past.

Sarah poked her head inside.

“He seems like a good boy,” mum said. “And he’s so handsome. Oh my, why there weren’t boys like that in my youth.”

Sarah winced. Would this be the start of endless teasing? Hopefully not.

“Thanks for being nice to him,” she said. “He means a lot to me.”

“I can see that. I’m happy that you’re happy.”

Sarah smiled and returned to her room. The bed covers were still wrinkled from where Castiel and her had lied down. She sat down and buried her face in a pillow to muffle a squeal. She was so ridiculously happy.