A/N : I am sorry for the late update. I have not been feeling okay and I am also writing my exams. Its not a good combination. I hope to upload soon after my exams.

Chapter 26

The next visit to Palo Alto, Sam has shifted to his own place which is a few blocks away from his campus. Sam had told him about the house, a single story with three bed rooms and a small lounge and kitchen. Dean was surprised how Sam found an apartment with these many rooms. The landlord to the house, a lady, was leaving the states but didn't want to sell the property. She rented it to Sam with a reasonable amount on the agreement that it would be Sam's responsibility to look after the property. It was a fair deal, so Sam had accepted. Sam had also told Dean where he had kept extra set of keys to the house so that Dean could come at any time. Dean was speechless when Sam had said that, thank God they were on the phone. Now Dean is on his way to Sam's house. He stops in the drive way and parks the car. Its a modest house, with green and white exterior. The house doesn't feel like it was built before mankind, instead, it has a modern feel to it. Dean makes his way to the steps and to the door. He finds the keys under a plant pot which is placed strategically as not to be seen from casual eyes, unless you know where to find it. Dean enters the house. A small corridor opens up to a open kitchen which is organised neatly with shelves mounted on the wall. The kitchen is clean. There is a small area where there is a small table with four chairs, which needs to be changed, Dean thinks. He turns to the left and there is a lounge, where his eyes first land on a very big, comfortable looking couch, a chocolate brown colour with love seats on opposite sides. There is a flat screen TV opposite the couch, and Dean sees some CDs stacked on the small shelf with is just placed near the TV. Dean can see a corridor opposite the wall of the TV and knows it goes to the bed rooms. Dean wonders whether he should go and check them out too, but thinks the better of it. Sam would give him a tour later. Sam doesn't know that Dean is coming. Dean wanted to surprise Sam, but its getting old now. Whatever. Dean is just about to flop on the couch to take a nap when his eyes fall on the shelf mounted along the wall on the opposite side. He slowly makes his way there, not believing what he actually sees. Pictures of him and Sam are put in various frames, neatly arranged on the shelf. Dean swallows. These are the pictures from his last visit when he and Sam went to the beach. Dean was surprised that Sam hadn't gone to the beach before. So they had made a plan, only the two of them. It was an awesome trip. They had a lot of fun. Dean had bought a camera and they had taken pictures there, and also random pictures when they just went out after that. They had taken out two copies of the photographs, each keeping one. He touches the photos reverently, Sam had put these photographs in a frame, for the world to see. There are pictures of Sam and him only. Not the family, not friends, and it sends a now familiar thrill down Dean's spine when Sam does these things for him which means the world to Dean and it seems like Sam does them for Dean only and Dean feels special. Things between them have been changing gradually, little, but surely. They had become more close, physically. All those touchy feely crap Dean ran away from, now he craved from Sam. A touch here and there. A hand on the back. Shoulders brushing. Sitting too close for just two dude friends. But Dean didn't run away from it. He savoured it. He was not that stupid to let it go. And Dean knew that Sam wasn't oblivious to the the changes between them either, but neither dared to talk about it. Dean can't even imagine how it would go like. 'Hey Sam, why can't I keep my hands to myself when you are around. Don't my hands love me anymore..' Dean snorts just thinking about it. Yeah, that's going to go too well. But well, there is no harm done. Its not like those touches were anything but innocent. Dean doesn't deliberately try to stay close to Sam. It just happens. He isn't even aware of it most of the times. Except, one time, he remembers clearly. They were at the beach horsing around. Sam had thrown mud on his face and ran. Dean had yelped like a girl and started running behind Sam. Then Sam had collided with someone and his motion was halted, Dean in his momentum had clashed into Sam and they both fell down in a tangle of limbs. They were both laughing, but then Dean had suddenly realised in what positions they were and his throat felt dry. Dean was on top of Sam. Sam's one hand was on Dean's hip and other was curled around Dean's neck. While Dean's hand were on each side of Sam's head. Their legs were tangled together. To anyone passing, it would have looked like they were making out, that's how close they were. Dean could very well feel the heat seeping from Sam's skin where his shirt had ridden up from the waist. His moist breath on the neck and Dean wanted to snuggle into Sam and just stay like that. Even Sam had gone quiet after a while. Seeming to realise their awkward position but neither of them disentangling. Dean could feel every inch where he was touching Sam, and that was everywhere. Someone clearing their throat had taken them out of their stupor and thank goodness for that. Dean was going crazy with how close Sam was. He would have done something monumentally stupid, like kissed Sam. Sam was blushing furiously and Dean wasn't any better off. The memory had frequented Dean's mind a lot after that.

So, sometimes their closeness went unnoticed to them, and sometimes it couldn't be more obvious. Dean comes back to the couch and flops down. Sam would be back in a few hours and Dean can take a nap in that time.