Chapter 4

The next morning, Hope was still thinking about what had happened the night before.

She was hit on at the bar by a guy she had no desire of getting to know; he made her feel really uncomfortable and that's when the green eyed man, that she now knew his name was Dean, showed up and saved her in more ways than one. He told the guy he was her boyfriend and when the guy didn't take no for an answer in the parking lot, Dean fought with the guy to keep her safe.

After Dean got her home that night, she asked him to come inside so she could take care of his wounds, but like every other man out there, he played tough and she had to convince him that it was the least she could do for her ''knight in shiny armor'' and that made him smile. God, that smile! She could look at that smile for the rest of her life.

Eventually, he had to leave because he had to work the next day, but not without promising her that, that night, beers were on him. She couldn't wait for the night to come, just so she could see him again.

That's when it hit her: she was falling for him and she was falling hard. She didn't know if he felt the same or not, but to be honest, she was scared to find out. What if he didn't? Then what? She couldn't afford another heartbreak. So, with that realization, she decided to never tell him how she felt.

At the same time, Dean was at work, trying to focus but failing miserably. All he could think about was Hope. Her smile, her touch, her laugh, her face, everything about her. He was falling in love with her and, for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. That's when the ghosts from his past came to his mind. He got afraid that his past might caught up with him and he didn't want to put her at risk, in the case that happened. No, he wouldn't. She meant too much to him to let something happen to her. Right there and then, he decided he wasn't going to tell her how he felt. He just couldn't risk her getting hurt because of his past.

The day went by and the night soon fell over the town.

Hope got ready to meet Dean at the bar. She decided she wouldn't dress up, so she wore black jeans with a black t-shirt and her old black combat boots. For some reason, that outfit always made her feel strong and she was going to need all of her strength not to fall even harder in love with him.

As she walked in the bar, Dean was already waiting for her at one of the tables. Looking from afar at him, she saw how handsome and good looking he was. He was wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and a red plaid shirt on top. God, he looked good! There goes her resolve out the window.

Dean saw her as she was making her way towards the table he was sitting at. She looked beautiful in an all-black outfit. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was a hunter, just like he used to be.

-''Hi, Dean. Sorry if I'm late.'' – she said with a smile.

-''Hi, Smiles. No worries, I just got here as well.'' – he answered, thinking to himself that he was such a liar. He had been there for at least an hour, trying to come to terms with his decision of not telling her how he felt.

-''So, how was your day? Anything interesting happened in the construction world?'' – she asked with a slight chuckle.

-''Oh, you know, the usual. Nothing worth mentioning. How about you? How's vacation going?''

-''Aside from playing nurse last night, not much to report.''- she answered with a grin on her face, which made him chuckle.

The rest of the night was spent talking about what they liked and what they hated. The more they talked, the more they realized they had more in common then they initially thought. They both liked pie, classical rock, beer and scotch and classic cars. Finding these things about each other, made them both think that the early decision that they made was at risk.

Dean couldn't help but feel happy when he was near her. She made the world feel like a simple place, even though he knew that wasn't the case. When he was with her, he would smile and laugh. And even when he was away from her, she was in his thoughts and that would make him smile everywhere he would go. But there was a little voice in the back of his head that kept telling him that if his past caught up with him, she could get hurt, and he wasn't about to let that happen. She made him happy and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Even if that meant giving up his life for her. That's settled. He was going to keep her safe and protected.

Dean was having this train of thought as he was talking and watching Hope trying to beat him at a game of pool, and Hope noticed that there was something going on in his mind but didn't say anything. She shrugged it off, thinking that he was probably trying to plan his next move in the game.

As Dean started playing, Hope realized that there was no way she couldn't fall for him even harder. He made her laugh, smile and she never felt so safe with anyone as she feels when she's with him. She knew that he was responsible for her current happiness and she wasn't going to throw that way. But she knew that, at any given moment, she could have to just pick up and leave, without being able to even say goodbye. That's what was making things even harder for her, she wanted to just let go but she knew she couldn't. What was she going to do? ''The hell with this'', she thought. She was going to enjoy what she had at that moment, and if the time comes where she has to leave, well, then she'll leave. But until then, she was going to play pool, drink beers, laugh and smile with Dean.

The game ended with Dean winning. She caught him letting her win and call him out on it, so he played has always. Of course he would win. He always did in the past.

They sat down at a table, with a couple of beers and started talking again.

-''So, how did you get so good at pool? 'Cause those were some impressive shots.'' – she asked him with a smile.

-''Well, when I was younger, me and my younger brother would travel around the country with my dad because of his job. Sometimes we would get really short on cash and I would play pool for money. No one would believe a twelve, thirteen year old would be able to beat them, so…'' – Dean answered with a sad smile, remembering Sammy, not quite sure why he told her the truth. Maybe it was because he felt that he could tell her anything and that she wouldn't judge him.

Hope, noticing that that made him sad, quickly apologizes.

-''I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude or make you sad. I'm so sorry.''

-''It's okay. You didn't intrude. It's just that, it's been a while since I've told anyone about my childhood and usually when that happens I get shut down, so…'' – he said, shrugging his shoulders.

-''Well, I won't do that. If you ever want to talk, about anything, I'm right here.'' – she answered with a kind and sweet smile. God, how he loved that smile!

Soon it was time to call it a night and, just like the night before, he offered to drive her home. She accepted, she would take any excuse to be with him a little longer.

As they got to her place, they said their goodnights and Hope went inside thinking that she would give anything to just sleep in his arms. With that thought in her mind, she went to sleep and spent the entire night dreaming of him.

After dropping Hope home, Dean made his way back to his rented apartment, thinking of Hope and how he wished he would have given her a goodnight kiss. He thought of how would feel to have her in his arms all night and to wake up to her beautiful smile every day. With that thought still lingering in his mind, he went to sleep.