The worn interior of the Impala felt familiar under Sam's body. He'd spent much more time there than anywhere else since he'd left college. He tuned out Dean's music and singing. It had become a habit for him to tune the chaos out when he wanted to rest. He wadded his jacket behind his head and slouched in the seat. Hmm, it was as comfortable as any bed.
The flow of the car down the interstate and the sun warming his skin helped lull Sam to sleep. And when he slept, sometimes he dreamed of her . . .
He was crashing through the door of their old apartment. He'd gotten out of class late and needed to get the materials to go to his tutoring job. Jess was sitting at the kitchen table, twisting her long blonde hair around her finger as she read one of her textbooks. Just the sight of her sitting there, absorbed in the material and having no idea how enchanting she looked to him, made her irresistible to him. Oh, how he wanted to cancel on the tutoring and stay home.
Jess looked up and caught the glint in his eye. "You have your job to go to and I need to get this reading done or I don't have a chance at passing."
Sam moved in a little closer and played with the curl that she'd been twisting, not saying a word.
"School comes easy to you," Jess reasoned. "I have to work at it."
"I know I need to get my butt back to school," Sam spoke in a softened voice, "but I'd really rather stay here."
Jess stood up, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a light kiss.
"That's all?" he whispered.
"That's all until you're done tutoring and I'm done reading." She saw the disappointment on his face. "I'll most likely be done when you get home."
That made Sam smile. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, grabbed what he needed and raced out the door.
He kept looking at the clock instead of the student during tutoring. He could have sworn that the clock had completely stopped at least twice. When his last session was done, he was like a madman racing down the sidewalks, almost running into people, until he got home.
Jess's book was off the table. She wasn't in the kitchen or the living room. He could see flickering light coming from the hall. He knew she was in the bedroom with candles lit, waiting for him.
That moment, no matter how many times it happened, was his happiest. . .
A bump in the road jolted Sam back awake. He could tune out many things, but not getting thrown around the Impala. One knee struck the knob on the radio and the door lock got his shoulder.
He tried to settle back in and continue the dream. He wanted it to pick up where it had left off. Dreams of Jess were all he had anymore. He lived for the slivers of happiness that those dreams brought him.