Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and alerted for this story. I love you all, you guys are amazing. I was simply blown away by the response I've been getting. So here is your reward: chapter 2, enjoy. I only hope I can fulfill your expectations.

The additional alcohol hadn't helped. Dean hadn't been able to forget the party and especially Castiel again. If anything this blue-eyed stranger was on his mind even more, now that he was trying so hard to forget him. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the guy, how he'd leaned against the wall watching the game at the party or how he'd greeted Dean in the hall the next morning. Thankfully the kiss was not among those memories. Oh, great now there it was. His brain was just awesome like that, Dean thought miserably.

The ringing of his phone interrupted his bleak thoughts. He hurried to pick it up, because the shrill ringtone really hurt his head this morning. It was his second hangover in as many days and just one was from a party. This was not good. Taking a deep breath he answered the phone. It was Sam.

"Dean, how are you? Is everything okay?" Sam asked at once.

"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't it be?" Dean asked back, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon. I've been trying to reach you for hours. Don't you ever check your messages?"

"I'm fine. I was just sleeping." Dean told his little brother, checking his watch to see if it was really that late already. Though sleep wasn't exactly the right word for his earlier condition. It had been more like an alcohol induced coma, but Sam didn't need to know that.

"I don't believe you. I'm coming over." Sam decided, not buying his brother's explanation. Damn him and his perceptiveness, Dean thought, resigned.

"Alright." Dean sighed. "But bring some food then, will ya?"

"Sure thing. See you in a few."Sam hung up then and Dean decided to take a shower while he waited. Maybe a shower could make him feel a little more like a human being again.

The shower did help, but the food that Sam brought really did the trick. There was nothing like a bacon-cheeseburger to fight the effects of a hangover for Dean. Luckily Sam knew his brother very well, so in situations like these their roles were reversed and it was Sam who took care of Dean, just like Dean had taken care of him while they had been kids.

When Dean felt better the brothers just spent the afternoon talking about everything except the party and Castiel. Sam was glad to see that is brother was okay and he told him about college and the scholarship for law school he was trying to get. They also talked about their Dad since his birthday was coming up, but they couldn't figure out what to do for his birthday just yet. But there was still time and they would think of something eventually.

All in all it was a nice, relaxed Sunday afternoon and by the time Sam announced he should leave soon to still have some time to study, Dean had not once thought about the party anymore. But it didn't stay that way; that would have been too good to be true.

"Cas came to see me yesterday." These few words were enough to ruin Dean's good mood and make him glare at his brother. He got up and was about to leave the room and let Sam find the way out on his own, when Sam spoke again.

"Just listen to me first, alright?" Sam quickly said and Dean reluctantly stopped and sat back down again.

"Okay, I'm listening." he said in a not at all encouraging tone, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"He wanted to talk to you, but he thought that you might just close the door in his face." Sam started and Dean had to admit that Cas' assumption about his reaction to such a visit was probably pretty damn accurate.

"He just wanted to apologize to you. He asked me to give you this." Sam handed Dean a sealed letter with Dean's name written on the front in a beautiful print. Dean briefly looked at the letter than put it down on the table. He had no intention of opening it in front of Sam, if he should open it at all.

Sam was curious to find out what Cas had written, but when it became obvious that Dean wasn't going to open the letter anytime soon he sighed and got up to leave. He really did have to study some more that night and maybe he'd run into Cas again and could get some more information out of him. It was unlikely though. Cas was always there to help when you needed him and Sam considered him a friend. Not a very close one, but a friend nonetheless. But Cas was very quiet and reserved and didn't really talk about himself much. It was hard to know what he was thinking.

When he reached the door Sam turned to his brother once more. "Hey, Dean, do me a favor. Please read the letter before you throw it away, okay? Cas is good guy, he deserves to be at least heard, or in this case, read."

Dean considered this for a moment then nodded once in agreement. How bad could it be to read the letter. It was enough to satisfy Sam and he left Dean alone in his small apartment. Dean picked the letter up again and turned it over in his hands. He couldn't open it just yet and now he couldn't simply throw it away and forget about it either. There was no way he'd break a promise to Sammy.

But he hadn't promised to read the letter right away, so he put it on top of a pile of magazines where it could stay until the right time to read it was there. For now he decided to just ignore it and he turned on the TV and found a zombie movie. He had already seen it before but it was just what he needed right now.

For a few days he managed to ignore the letter quite well, although it got harder and harder each day. The letter just sat there on the stack of magazines and every day Dean would see it and feel a little bit guiltier about not having read it yet. Then, one day after coming home from work, Dean couldn't bear it any longer and he picked up the letter and sat down with it.

Carefully he opened the envelope and pulled out the neatly folded sheet of paper. When he unfolded the paper he saw that the letter was actually handwritten. For some reason he hadn't expected this, it made the whole letter so much more personal. For a moment he just stared at the words that were written in a very clear and even handwriting, and then he started to read.

Dean,

I want to apologize for last Friday night. It was not my intention to make you uncomfortable. I should have paid better attention to your reaction and chosen the shot instead. I am sorry, that was entirely my fault. But a few drinks and the atmosphere, with all the other participants of the game encouraging me, made me choose the kiss and I regret that this choice forced you to do something you didn't want. It was only a game, even though I have to admit that I had almost hoped for the bottle to point at you.

But it was only a game and I am willing to forget what happened if that is what you prefer. It will never be mentioned again after this letter. Maybe, should we meet again, we can make a fresh start as friends.

~ Castiel Novak

Dean let his hand holding the letter sink down onto the table. He had managed to hardly think about the blue-eyed stranger during the last couple of days and he hadn't expected the letter to change that. He had thought the letter would be some kind of apology and offer to forget what happened, which it was, but it also was a lot more. And now the author of the letter was undeniably back in his thoughts.

Cas had admitted that he had wanted to kiss Dean, but he was willing to just let it go and pretend it never happened, if Dean so wished. That was amazing and very unexpected and Dean didn't know what to do now. He didn't even know what he felt now, after reading the letter. He wasn't good at dealing with feelings and this was way out of his comfort zone.

It was only a game, Cas had written. Only a game, nothing important. If only, Dean thought. If only it was so easy.