It felt like a strange mixture of forever and no time at all before they were finished for the night.
They'd begun with a slow song, as everyone settled in. Then, they'd spiced it up with some fast songs, to encourage dancing. They'd played rather fast jazz for most of the set, barely giving any of them time to breathe.
The band, as a whole, was amazing. They left the stage together, leaving a thunderous applause behind them. They walked backstage, the boys laughing. Y/N watched with a big smile on her face. Finally, Gabriel turned around and threw an arm around her shoulder.
"You gotta let me buy ya a drink, sweetheart! You killed them out there!" He grinned, pulling her close.
She laughed, ducking out of his grip. "Not a chance, Gabe."
"You're breakin' my heart, doll!" Gabe gripped his shirt where it rest over his heart, pretending to be in great pain.
Dean threw his arm around her now, pulling her as close to him as he could. "I'm sorry, Gabe, but she's made her choice."
Gabriel gasped dramatically. "What? You chose him over me? I thought we had something special!"
Y/N laughed and twined her arms around Dean. "I'm sorry, Gabe. I tried to fight it, but I just couldn't," she answered him as dramatically as possible.
Chuck laughed. "I didn't know Joan Fontaine was our singer tonight!"
They all laughed at that. Chuck gave her a genuine smile. "In all seriousness, Y/N, you were amazing."
"Yeah," Dean began, squeezing her slightly. "We're happy to have you with us, doll."
"Yeah, anything to distract from their ugly mugs," Gabriel joked. Chuck glared at him playfully.
"Well," Y/N began. "I think it's all because you guys are so easy to work with."
Dean shook his head. "Nah, it's all you."
She smiled brightly up at him. "Well, then, at the very least, I couldn't've done it without you, so, thanks."
He shrugged. "Probably not."
She shoved him, moving out of his arms as she laughed. "Glad you're a better piano player than comedian!"
Dean grinned. "I'm even better at other things, doll!"
"Ugh, the private rooms are back there. Get it out of your system," Chuck rolled his eyes.
They all laughed at that. It was then that Chuck bid farewell, saying he had an appointment with Mistress Magda (Y/N was afraid to ask) that he couldn't miss. Gabriel then took the opportunity to go flirt with some dame at the bar he'd been eyeing all night.
Y/N and Dean, however, decided to call it a night.
"Please tell me we don't have to be here as early tomorrow," she begged.
"Nah, that was just Crowley wanting you to have prep time."
His name made Y/N's steps stop. "Do…do you think I did well enough?"
Dean turned to her, slowing to a stop himself. "If you did any better, I think their hearts woulda exploded."
She nodded, her brow still furrowed. "So…do you think…do you think he'll be happy?"
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Dean's hands landed on her shoulders. "The fact that you ain't seen him since the show started is a good sign, Y/N. Trust me, the less you see of him, the better."
She gave him a half-hearted smile. "If you say so."
"I do. Now, get your pretty ass outta that gown. I wanna go home."
"You don't need to wait on me for that, Dean. Go, I'll be fine."
"I ain't lettin' you walk home alone, sweetheart."
She frowned. "You don't even know where I live. What if I'm on the other side of town?"
He shrugged. "I ain't lettin' you walk home alone."
She took a moment to look at him, searching him for any hidden agendas.
He was standing there, his hand scratching the back of his neck, the tips of his ears beginning to pinken. He shifted slightly in his place as well, exuding a nervous energy.
She placed her hands on his shoulders, pulling him down closer to his level. She leaned up and placed a soft, quick kiss on his cheek. She fell back on the back of her feet and smiled. "I'll be quick."
He looked a little stunned as she turned on her heel and walked into the dressing room. She could only hope that he didn't notice her cheeks beginning to match her dress.
Thankfully, it turned out that they were at least in the same direction. Y/N was currently in a hotel about ten miles south of the club, and Dean's apartment was only a few miles beyond that.
They walked into the parking lot and Dean placed his hand on the small of her back before pointing. "That's my Baby there."
She was a beautiful car. Obviously well-maintained and somehow shining under the low street lights, sat a sleek black Chevrolet. Y/N would be lying if she said she knew the make and model, but even she knew that it was special. Even if the only thing that made it special was the complete adoration it was shown by its owner.
"She's absolutely tops, Dean," she breathed out, smiling up at her chauffeur for the evening.
His smile looked like one of a kid on Christmas morning. "Well, c'mon, I'll introduce ya." His hand left the small of her back. Instead, he held out his arm for her to take.
She twined her arms in his and said, "Can't wait!"
He let her into the vehicle, and the smooth leather interior was one of the most luxurious things she'd ever felt. "Jeepers, Dean…how'd you afford this?"
Dean climbed into the driver's seat, shifting the bench seating slightly. "Well, it was my dad's. He was a mechanic, and he bought it offa some guy when it was a wreck, then restored it. Taught me everything I know 'bout cars while he did it, too." he glowed slowly.
Y/N's fingers trailed over the seats, her eyes watching it give just slightly under her touch. "That's amazin', Dean. I'm kind of jealous."
Dean started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot quickly. "Really?"
"Yeah. Musta been nice," she answered absentmindedly.
"Well, sure learned a lot from the old man," Dean shrugged, focusing on driving.
They sat in a comfortable silence after that. Y/N watched the lights flash by, and Dean focused on his driving. The only breaks were when Y/N gave him directions, pointing around corners and down side streets.
Finally, they pulled up to the dingy motel. It was barely standing and, when she had first checked in, she worried that it was abandoned.
She crawled out of the car herself, waving off his offer to get the door for her. She turned around, leaning against the window. She smiled at Dean warmly and thanked him once more for the ride "home."
He was frowning, his eyes inspecting the crappy motel and obviously finding it wanting. "You sure you'll be okay here?"
She shrugged. "For what I'm payin', I can't even be sure there's a bed in there."
His brow furrowed even more.
"I'll be fine, Dean. You're sweet to worry," she smiled.
There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, "Can I pick you up in the morning?"
She sighed. "Dean…"
"Look, please? At least I'll know you're alive, and you aren't even outta the way, alright?"
She chewed on the inside of her cheek, thinking it over. She would like to keep her one pair of shoes alive long enough to get her until her next paycheck, and walking twenty miles back and forth every day was not conducive to that.
Honestly, though, that was just an excuse. She just wanted to spend more time with Dean.
So, finally, she shrugged. "Alright, if you insist. What time do you usually go in?"
He visibly relaxed a little at the promise. "I'll be by around 12, if you're good with that."
"See ya then," she patted the door before pushing herself off of it and turning around. She'd only gotten a few feet, however, when she heard Dean call her name out once more.
She turned back around, her eyebrows raised.
He answered her confusion with a soft, genuine smile. "Sweet dreams, doll."
She gave him one of her own. "Good night, Dean."
With that, he drove off, and she walked into her shitty little motel room. She shut the door behind her, locking it, then got ready for bed and crawled under the scratchy blankets onto the lumpy mattress. However, she felt almost none of those things, just eh warmth his smile had given her.
Maybe this job would turn out better than she expected.
