Dean thanked the barista for his coffee then looked for a free table – or at least empty chair – in the crowded little café. An attractive, dark-haired man sitting alone caught his eye. It had been a while since he'd been with a guy; his last few partners had been women. He cupped his hand around his mouth and breathed into it before giving it a quick sniff. It didn't smell too bad.
"Hey, dude," Dean greeted the man warmly, belatedly noticing the red rose that was lying on the table in front of him. It was clichéd, but enough to tell him that he didn't have a chance. He continued anyway. "Is this seat taken?"
Blue eyes widened and looked at the empty chair. "Um, yes. Or it will be."
"Right. Okay." But still Dean didn't walk away. He looked at the table, taking in the almost empty coffee cup and the handful of paper napkins that had been crafted into origami figures. The man had obviously been waiting a while. "Blind date, huh?"
The man nodded. A beat later he asked, "How did you know?"
"Because if she – or he," he added hopefully, "had seen even a picture of you, there'd be no way they weren't gonna show."
The crimson blush that spread across the man's cheeks was adorable.
"Plus the rose is a dead give away," he grinned. "I'm Dean, by the way."
"Castiel."
"It was nice talking to you, Castiel." As much as he wanted the guy's number, he knew when to walk away.
But Castiel called his name as he started looking for another table, and Dean turned back to see him hurriedly swallowing the last of his coffee.
"I don't think he's coming. You may have my table."
He. Castiel had said he. It took another second for it to dawn on him that if the date was off, Castiel was available.
"Or I could shout you a fresh coffee?" Dean suggested before the other man could leave. "We could... talk... a bit more?"
Castiel stared at him for a long moment, before he smiled. "In that case," he said eventually, picking up the rose, "I believe this is yours."