It was the first day of the school year and you'd just dropped your son off to begin classes. There was one book remaining on his list that you hadn't purchased yet, so you headed to the local bookstore to pick up a copy. Before leaving the store you decided to browse around a bit, as you didn't need to be at work for a few hours. You passed the sections for cooking and travel and then came upon the ever-dreaded aisle for self-help books. Initially you passed it, but then you slyly made your way around nonfiction, pretending to be interested in biographies and journals until you'd reached the end of the aisle and returned to the back of self-help.
You gulped, thinking about the loneliness at the start of the semester when your son returns to school. It had always settled in right after the supplies had been bought and the stress had subsided, right after the feeling of relief to get rid of him wore off, as it always did. Richie had been your entire life for the past twelve years and, since your divorce from his father, the two of you had become the closest to best friends that a mother and son could realistically be. You loved being his mom, but when times like these came around, it became increasingly more difficult to push down and cover up your desire to have a partner. Someone who could relate to you, make you laugh, and occasionally take some of the load off your shoulders. Hell, at this rate, you'd have given anything just to get laid. But being a single mom made dating really hard, with or without the issues with self-confidence that hung in the balance.
Looking through the titles of books whose topics covered everything from weight loss to mental health to professional success, you began to realize why most people preferred purchasing these things online. You picked up one or two books that discussed single parenting and dating after divorce. After returning each of those to their respective places on the shelf, you noticed a book with a strange title that caught your eye. You had picked it up with your left hand and was scanning the cover, a bewildered frown on your face, when a voice came from a few feet to your right.
"Hey, excuse me, would you mind telling me where you found that book? My daughter will have my head on a stake if I don't find one by tomorrow". You turned your head slowly to the man the voice had come from, your eyebrows still drawn together, but your face softened when you took in the sight of the man standing at the end of the aisle.
He was dressed in a pair of brown boots, fitted jeans, and a canvas jacket layered over a knit henley shirt. The top two buttons were undone. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a toothy smile. "Doing a little light reading?", he asked. Your eyes went wide as you returned your gaze back to the book in your left hand, which was entitled 'The Power of the Pussy'. Quickly, you tossed it blindly back onto the shelf, as far away from his view as possible. You returned to him with a shy smile and cleared your throat. "Here, I'll show you", you started, leading him to the back section of the store.
"Thanks," he said, "I don't mean to bother you but all the store clerks are helping other customers".
"It's not a bother. I don't mind," you responded as you stopped in front of a particular bookshelf, scanning the spines of the books. "So your daughter goes to Grandview?" you asked.
"Actually, she goes to Columbus, but apparently all the parents within a ten mile radius were on top of their school supply game this year. This is the first store I could find with the book in stock".
You looked at him to appreciate his strikingly good looks. The short, sandy brown hair on his head matched the neatly trimmed stubble on his face. His eyes were green and the corners of them were crinkled with laugh lines. His tongue poked out slightly to glide over his top lip. You willed your cheeks not to blush.
"Well, wouldn't it suck," you spoke slowly, "if the last copy in stock… were this one I have in my hand?" You looked at him playfully with a smile growing across your face. He let out a breath. "Don't mess with me," he joked, grinning, "I'll duel you for that book".
You laughed to yourself as you pulled another copy from the shelf. "Hey, you shouldn't underestimate a single mom. I might have had a fighting chance". He accepted the book gratefully out of your hand and snapped his eyes up to meet yours, a twinkle shining in his iris.
"I'm Dean", he extended a strong hand, "fellow single parent and last minute shopper extraordinaire".
"Y/N", you introduced yourself, giggling, and then stated, "Looks like we've got to stick together".
The two of you headed over to the line at the checkout counter and he motioned for you to stand ahead of him. You were suddenly very aware of the choice of pants you wore today and whether or not they made your butt look nice. Your mind raced, searching for something to say.
"You know, I'd like that", Dean uttered.
You turned to him, "Hm?"
"If we stick together". You looked at him questioningly and he continued, stuttering a bit, "I mean, maybe we could stick together one night… for drinks? Or dinner?"
You smiled down at the floor, blushing.
"Or maybe," Dean said, "I could just have your number, in case I need to find another book… or a protractor". He laughed at himself, which pulled a breathy laugh out of you as well. Your heart started to flutter in your chest when you lifted your eyes toward him again.
"Dinner would be nice", you nodded. Eagerly, Dean pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and handed it to you to input your phone number. When you handed it back to him, it was your turn to step up to the checkout counter and pay for your book. The woman behind the register shot you a smirk and a suggestive look, glancing behind you at the man you'd just snagged. You blushed furiously and nodded in her direction, shoving the receipt in your bag.
As you began to walk towards the door, Dean called after you, "Y/N,"
When you turned to look at him, he winked and said, "I'll call you".
You spent the rest of the day creating fantasies in your head about Dean Winchester, fellow single parent and last minute shopper extraordinaire.