"What's your deal with her?" Roman asked the second she was out the door.
"No deal," Dean answered.
"Yeah right," Roman snorted. "Then why bring her back on the road with you? Why not let her stay in your house?"
"I like rubbing it in Seth's face," Dean answered.
"That's all?" Roman asked.
"I swear," Dean held up his hands in defense.
"You better be serious," Roman said. "She's off limit."
"I know," Dean said.
He moved over to his suitcase to find his gear for the night's show. They had just arrived and Erica had been so kind to run out for coffee for all of them straight away.
"Truth is..." Dean said with his back turned to Roman. "...I like having her around."
"Dean," Roman growled warningly.
Dean turned around and looked at Roman.
"Not like that, Roman. After spending these last few days with her, I found out there's so much more to her than we ever knew. We only knew her with Seth and it just seems like she's been holding back," Dean said.
"Holding back?" Roman asked.
"Yeah, a lot. She's really funny and she can do this whole ping pong with me once I get rolling with my weird words," Dean answered.
"Someone ought to keep you in place," Roman chuckled.
"So yeah, I like being able to rub it in Seth's face, love it in fact, but I also like just hanging out with her. She was always our friend but now I know she's really our friend. Does that make sense?" Dean said.
"I guess," Roman shrugged. "Just don't try anything funny with her."
"She's sleeping in the guest room with the monster," Dean answered.
"The monster? Do I even wanna know?" Roman chuckled.
The sound of a foot meeting the door a couple of times stopped their conversation. Dean walked over to open and found her balancing three cups of coffee in her hands.
"For you," she gave him one before moving over to Roman. "And for you."
"Thanks, baby girl," Roman said.
"My pleasure," she said.
Dean shut the door and walked over to sit down on the other bed.
"Tell Roman about the monster," he said teasingly.
"Oh, you mean my new boyfriend?" She giggled.
"Boyfriend? What the hell did I miss?" Roman asked.
"The monster under the bed. Yeah, Dean told me to be aware of him but turns out all he wants is a little bit of love," she said.
"You guys are equally weird," Roman shook his head.
"But you love us," Dean said.
"Yeah, Roman, you love us," she chimed in.
She moved over to sit next to Dean and both of them put on their best pouting face while looking at Roman.
"I always knew Dean was weird but where the hell have you been hiding, baby girl?" Roman laughed.
"Under Seth," Dean answered.
It was meant as a joke but it was clear the wound was still fresh when her shoulders sank down and a little sigh left her.
"I'm sorry, girlfriend," he placed an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Girlfriend? I thought the pet names were for your home only," she gave him a little push.
"I slipped. Sorry, my bad," he stuck out his tongue.
"I give up on you two," Roman rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "Have you picked up your stuff at Seth's house yet?"
"Not yet. I'm not sure when is the right time to do it. Either I do it now and move it all to Dean's house and then move it again once I find somewhere else to live, or I just live with the few items in my suitcase and wait till I've found somewhere to live and then go pick it up," she said.
"Neither solution seems easy," he said.
"It's not. Either way I have to go back into that house and I really don't want to," she sighed. "And apartment hunting is really no fun."
"You can stay in my house as long as you want," Dean said.
"Thanks," she muttered.
She got up and walked over to the window, looking down at the street below. It wasn't just that she had to hunt for an apartment. She also had to figure out where she wanted to live. Did she wanna stay in the same town and maybe run into Seth again? And what should she do with her life? For so long she had just been his girlfriend, following him everywhere he went. Did she even know how to exist on her own?
"Don't worry about it," Dean suddenly stood behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his head down on her shoulder.
"I'm not gonna kick you out. Take all the time in the world," he said.
"It's just..." She sighed. "...Who am I?"
"You're you," he chuckled. "You're Erica."
"Who am I if I'm not Seth's girlfriend?" She asked.
"What?" He asked.
He spun her around fast and Roman got up from the bed just as fast, both of them standing side by side to stare at her.
"You don't mean that," Roman said.
"I don't know who I am or what to do. I don't even have a job. For so long I was his girlfriend," she said.
"Yeah, following him around like a little puppy," Dean snarled. "I'm beginning to think this split between us and him should have happened way sooner. It's like I'm seeing things much more clear now."
"Good for you," she said. "If you'll excuse me, I could really use a shower."
She disappeared into the bathroom and the water started running a minute later.
"She's really hurting," Roman said.
"You're telling me," Dean sighed.
"That piece of shit really did a number on us all but somehow I think she's hurting more than us," Roman said.
"It makes sense. They had this whole huge life together both on and off the road," Dean said.
Roman sighed and walked over to the bathroom door, leaning his ear in on it.
"She's crying," he said lowly.
Dean walked over and leaned his ear in on the door too, listening to her on the other side. He knew how she felt. He had done his share of crying in the shower too where he thought no one could hear him after Seth's betrayal.
"Seth is an asshole!" He growled.
"We can agree on that," Roman chuckled a little. "You're gonna take care of her for a little while, right?"
"I'll try," Dean said.
"Good. I'll try too," Roman said.