Today was a big day and big days for Cas meant high anxiety. But he had worked hard for this moment. He studied hard at Columbia University in New York and landed this job in Baltimore, Maryland. It was just the kind of thing he was looking for. He didn't exactly get into the field to create office buildings. He wanted to be different, to leave his own style imprint in the world's largest cities, maybe even abroad. It was a style borrowed from an earlier time period which he wanted to incorporate into the continuously adapting world.
This was a good start for him if it went as well as he had planned which is exactly why he wanted to personally meet with the construction crew.
He grinned as he was thinking about how many people would get to his work. His building was going to be on Charles Street which ran through the city, and into Towson and Baltimore County. The entire length of the street is known as a Maryland scenic byway. Though it wasn't exactly the East-West midpoint of the city, it was a major route through Baltimore. It was also a major artery for public transportation. Thousands of people journeyed down this street every day, everyone from business men to students. There was no doubt in his mind that they would notice the new large cathedral that appeared on their commute. He betted it would be a welcomed change, a new site to see, a break from the mundane, they would notice the detail and new features each time they passed until they were all too familiar with it. After its newness wore off he hoped that they would still appreciate its design.
Cas had always been into subjects such as literature and art. He found beauty in the author or artist true meaning or purpose, each one telling a unique story about that person's history or taste. He wanted to use his interests in these topics to do something people like him would one day understand. He chose architecture because it wasn't the usual channel of expression. Writing took experience and he didn't have that. He was never any good at drawing or painting. He didn't want to be a self-proclaimed photographer like every other art student out there. Architecture was where he felt his education and skills could come together and be integrated for practical use.
This being his first project after graduation he wasn't sure how it would go or how any of this real world stuff worked. He had done an internship as was required of him to graduate but the place he completed his semester with treated interns like secretaries. He never had any real responsibility within the field so he had to rely on the information he had retained from countless hours of sleep deprived studying.
He went to bed early that night hoping that in the morning he could wake up early and go over the index cards he scribbled in preparation for meeting the construction team. He knew it wasn't traditional for the architect to oversee the construction but this was something he wanted to have as much control over as possible. He didn't care if he came off as anal. It was his first job and he wanted it to go well so he could use it as a reference in future endeavors.
He woke up before his alarm went off as usual. He got out of bed and walked to the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. While it was brewing he retreated to the bathroom to turn on the shower. The water took a few minutes to heat up.
He lived in an old building. Most of the area was historic row homes made of brick. He brushed his teeth then tested the water. It was warm enough for the cold morning. When he was finished he returned the unattended coffee machine. He grabbed a thermos and poured it in for his commute. Before he left he stood in front of the mirror fidgeting with his tie. He could never get it just right.
He was new to the city so finding the site could have turned into a complete catastrophe. He turned on his GPS and plugged in the address. He followed the route which it laid out for him. He was glad he left early because traffic was not on his side. He spent 45 minutes trying to get from his apartment to the place where his first attempt at making something that would withstand the tests of time would reside. He was hoping to make something memorable, something classic. Nothing along the lines of the Sistine Chapel of course, but something people generations to come would admire.
He had finally arrived. There it was. A great location for his first gig he thought as he exited his vehicle to feed the meter. He returned to the car to place the pay stub in his window. He had learned a month earlier that these people did not play games when it came to feeding the meters. He went to a bookstore on Light Street with a diverse collection. He was there a half an hour later than he had planned to be, browsing through the cluttered shelves. He came out and realized he had gotten a ticket because his time was expired. Never again he thought.
He closed the car door once again and walked towards the site. He saw only one trailer so he assumed that was where he needed to be. He wouldn't have to walk around aimlessly looking stupid for where he belonged. This was it. He was so into his thoughts he must have been walking faster than he realized, either that or he had traveled a long way without noticing his surroundings.
He realized he was standing in front of the trailer now. He also realized with rushing out the door this morning to get a head start on the travel to the site he had forgotten his index cards. Hopefully he had reviewed them so many times the words he wanted to say would just come right out in a steady flow.
Still he was upset with himself for forgetting his study materials. This is what happens when you get to antsy he thought to himself as he climbed the shabby stairs up to the trailer.
Then it happened. Without a second to blink he hit a patch of ice and went flying in the opposite direction he was previously going on the stairs.
To make things even worse there was someone behind him. He had landed on the strange man and sent him colliding with dirt. He landed on top of him and his eyes met beautiful green ones with dilated pupils. He tried to help the other man up but failed at that as well. He apologized quickly. He didn't even remember what he said exactly because he was so embarrassed. He just needed to flee. He hurried into the building and tried to forget the incident, at least for now because he had to speak in front of a crowd of people and couldn't be distracted at a time like this.
The room filled quickly and it looked the entirety of his audience had chosen seats and were waiting to hear what he was going to say.
He cleared his throat and the room went quiet. He guessed they weren't used to listening to people like him and were told to be on their best behavior while representing their organizations.
He introduced himself and briefed them on his vision for the cathedral. He didn't want to bore them with the history and meaning behind his plan so he wrapped it up and thanked them for being a part of his project. As he was designating his gratitude he couldn't help but lay his eyes and a smile on the emerald eyed hero. He didn't know why he had done it but he broke his gaze and turned around to collect his tan trench coat.
Later when he got back to his empty apartment he decided it wouldn't do any good to dwell on what went wrong that day. He didn't want to be alone with his thoughts so he walked out into the bitter air, searching for a place to go. He saw a bar called Hogan's so he went in relieved to feel the heat when he entered he took a seat and ordered a drink. He evaluated his surroundings. It seemed like a local bar, where everyone knew each other, not caring to talk to strangers. It was an older crowd. They were probably set in their ways and didn't want to talk to anyone who looked like they didn't belong, let alone anyone who was younger than 55. He thought if he was going to have a night out in the local area he might as well stay there because if he wandered too far he may not be able to find his way back.
He sipped on his drink slowly. He didn't want to take off too soon. After all then he would just be back in his apartment reliving the mistakes he made throughout the day over and over again in his head. That was no way to get a good night's sleep so he might as well assist his awaiting slumber by staying up late and self-medicating with alcohol.
Just as he was thinking about giving up on his big night out he was surprised by a gruff but slightly familiar voice. He turned around confused and once he saw the person the voice was coming from he couldn't believe he hadn't known who it was.
What were the chances of running into the construction worker he had fallen on top of hours earlier? This was a busy city and though this was his first night out he was certain it had much more to offer than this whole in the wall.
As the conversation continued he realized the other man was a regular at the bar, so regular he had his own seat. He thought about it for a moment and at first considered it sad and pathetic. He had thought about how he himself had moved around quite a bit never caring where life took him. He thought maybe one day it would be nice to belong somewhere to have a familiar place and crowd surround him, to actually have friends.
He was enjoying his time interacting with Dean. He was glad he decided to go out for once. He looked at his watch and realized that the conversation had made an hour seem like minutes. He didn't want to end his time with his new companion but he admitted he had to get going before it got too late. Reluctantly he stood leave as Dean asked to walk him home.
An odd gesture he thought but not weird in a way that he didn't appreciate it. He believed in chivalry but considered it to be a thing of the past. He nodded and agreed to allow Dean to walk him home.
He was glad Dean mentioned wanting to hang out again sometime because he didn't really have anyone he could call if he felt like going out in this town.
Dean's next move shocked him, he think it surprised the other man as well. He felt the warm brush of soft lips against his cheek. He must have been blushing by then. Dean turned to leave and he couldn't even get out words loud enough for him to hear. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment but the chill from the wind reminded him he hadn't gone inside yet.
He went into the dark dwelling and turned closing the door, leaning on it for a minute before locking it behind him, still not acknowledging the events that just took place. He finally found the lamp and switched it on. He removed his coat and collapsed on his couch. There he sat with no distractions except the white noise filtering in from outside. He replayed the event over, and over again in his head…
He wasn't angry, disgusted or upset just…surprised? Caught off guard? But it was kind of sweet. He wanted it to happen again, but this time in slow motion so he could take it all in. It was over too quickly for him to even realize what the hell was happening. If he wouldn't have been so shocked would he have returned the notion? Probably not, but at least he could have given Dean a sign, letting him know it was a Go, that he was welcome to repeat it if he wanted.
He barely knew this guy but he was longing to know everything about him. He wanted to know his story, his fears, his desires, even the things he can't admit that haunt him the most. Was he rushing this too much? He didn't want to scare him away or come off as desperate. Still, he couldn't wait to see him again; perhaps he would redeem himself for acting so dumbfounded.