It was around 5 AM next morning when Roman and Dean heard the door to the bedroom open and close. The party had been over for several hours but the two men hadn't gone to bed. Instead they had stayed up and talked. Judging by the sound of the light footsteps, it was Seth's mysterious woman leaving this early. Two seconds later she appeared in the open door as she was walking past it.

"Hey!" Dean said loudly.

She stopped and looked at the two men.

"Hi," she said.
"Care to introduce yourself?" Dean asked.
"Why?" She asked.
"Well, I could go and wake up Seth to ask him, but since you're sneaking out while he's sleeping, I doubt that's the route you wanna take," Dean said.

Roman shook his head and smirked. Of course Dean always had a backup plan. If Dean wanted to know something, Dean sure would find out. The woman didn't seem all too bothered though.

"He knows the deal," she shrugged. "But if you must know, I'm Astrid."
"Astrid," Dean grinned.
"And how do you know our boy? He hasn't talked about a new girlfriend or anything," Roman said.
"Oh, we're not. Me and Seth go way back. Every once in a while I roll back here in my old home town and pay him a visit," Astrid said.
"Friends with benefits?" Roman asked.
"Something like that although I doubt you can actually call us friends. We don't talk when I'm not around," Astrid said.

Dean stretched his body as a way to buy himself a few seconds of time. He could see Astrid wanted to leave but that she was being polite by answering their questions. There was a bigger story there that both Dean and Roman wanted to know. Astrid probably wasn't gonna give it but Seth sure would later. They would make him.

"Well, since you're showing up uninvited and you're leaving without a word, I don't think you're too sad about this agreement," Dean said.
"If you wanna know something, just fucking ask," Astrid said annoyed.
"Wow, I take that back. I just hit a nerve, it seems," Dean said. "So what is the deal here? I'm dying to know."
"Keep dying, idiot!" Astrid growled.

Astrid turned and walked out of the house. Dean couldn't help but snicker while Roman shook his head at his friend.

"That was uncalled for," Roman said.
"You wanna know too," Dean said.
"But I can wait like a good boy for Seth to wake up," Roman said.

They had to wait for another three hours. Seth came out of the bedroom around 8 AM and he didn't look good.

"You didn't sleep well?" Dean grinned.
"No," Seth said.
"Fucking half the night drains a person," Dean said.

Seth sat down and sighed deeply.

"Mind telling us who this Astrid woman is?" Roman is.
"She told you her name?" Seth asked.
"That was about the only thing we got out of her," Roman said.
"She... She... Fuck!" Seth kicked the coffee table in frustration. "She's the one that got away but always seems to come running right back to fuck me up all over again. God, I wish I could stop loving her but apparently that's not possible."

Seth slumped back on the couch with a defeated look on his face.

"We met in our early 20's. I fell for her instantly and it was mutual. I've never fallen this hard and this fast before. Everything was fucking great until her parents met me. I'm not good enough to be a part of their family apparently. They made her leave me. They sent her away to work in another state, but everytime she goes home to visit them, she stops by unannounced. I can't say no, and it fucking hurts everytime," Seth said.

Seth looked between Roman and Dean, hoping one of them knew the right thing to say. He knew it was pointless. It didn't matter what they would end up saying. He would still be hurting.

"So she can't stay away from you," Roman finally said. "She still loves you too or she would let you be."
"We kinda got that already from when she stormed out three hours ago," Dean said.
"What did she say?" Seth asked hopeful.
"Something about wanting Dean to die because he wouldn't stop asking questions," Roman chuckled.
"I didn't get offended," Dean said. "What does her family do since they think they're that much better than you?"
"They own a model agency. A very popular one. They sent Astrid away to be a talent scout for their Washington department. I guess that was the furthest away they could send her. They wanted her to model at first but she never liked being in front of the camera. She's fucking beautiful as you saw but it's not her thing. So she dyed her hair black and pierced her face because she knew they would never book a pierced model," Seth said. "And she looks great with those piercings, doesn't she?"

Seth had a dreamy look on his face.

"She does," Dean said.
"God, I love her," Seth sighed.
"Have you ever pursued her?" Roman asked.

Seth frowned as he looked at Roman.

"This isn't some shitty rom-com movie where the stalker guy gets the girl," Seth said.
"That's not what I meant," Roman said. "Did you just let her go back then?"
"Not willingly. I cried my fucking heart out and begged her to stay. She broke up with me and left," Seth said.
"That was many years ago. Times have changed. She has changed. You have changed. You're both more mature now. Have you tried telling her how you still feel about her and asking her to choose you now?" Roman asked.
"I doubt it'll do any good," Seth said.
"But have you tried?" Roman asked again.

Judging by the look on Seth's face, he had bottled all those feelings up inside and never told Astrid how he still felt.

"Try," Roman said.
"I don't want my heart broken again," Seth said.
"Dude, it's already broken," Dean said.
"Just fucking try, Seth," Roman said. "She's in town. Don't let her leave without telling her. Make her understand that you can't go on like this anymore. It's all or nothing. She can't just come claim you once or twice a year. You need her everyday or never again."

Seth turned those words around in his head. Everyday or never again. He wasn't sure he could live with a never again but he knew he had to. It hurt too much to continue like this.

"You're right," Seth finally said.
"I know," Roman smirked.
"I'm gonna take a shower. You two get ready as well. We're going out for breakfast," Seth said. "And dress nice."
"Why?" Dean asked.
"Because we're going to a restaurant for rich, snobby people. Everytime Astrid's home, her parents demand they eat breakfast there at 9 AM," Seth said.