Cas smiled at the counter, deep in thoughts, while making a Bloody Mary.
Seemed Dean wasn't the only one wrapped up in their relationship. Cas himself had all but forgotten his friends.
He dropped the celery in the glass and served it.
"Thanks, brother. You seem... preoccupied a bit. Argued with Dean, did ya?"
That voice like warm red wine... Cas smiled and extended his hand.
"Hello, Benny. No. I did not. Just a lot on my mind."
Benny grinned those pearly whites bare as he clasped Cas' hand and shook it.
"I'll say, chief. You didn't even recognise me until just now."

Cas hummed, wondering if he had the guts to ask Benny about Dean.
"You ok, chief? That redhead bother you? She tends to punch people, I noticed."
Cas smirked.
"It's ok, Benny, we go way back. Would you mind explaining what happened between you and Dean? If you say it is none of my business, I understand."
Benny sipped his drink and ran a hand over his scruff.
"Nah. I don't mind chief. Might even be good to tell it. See, used to be that Dean and I, we would go out. Visit a bar or two, get a little buzzed. Good times."

He sipped his drink again, waiting for Cas to interupt, but Cas nodded him on.
"We rarely got real plastered, but if we did, one would crash at the other's place. No problems. My girl, Andrea, she was fine with it. And we thought Lisa was too."
Cas was mixing drinks and listening, but he could feel the tension rising. This was where it would be going south.
"Turns out, she wasn't." Benny said, a bitter scowl around his mouth.
"She never told us. Him or me. Nah. That peunez just let us roll, and one day, I'm crashing on their sofa, she starts makin' out with me, just like my Andrea always did to wake me up."
Cas could taste bile. That bitch...

Benny shrugged, ostentatiously not bothered, but his eyes were hard.
"Mais... o'course I don't know it ain't her. So I respond likewise and... well... Before I know it, that friend of Dean's is standin' there. Hands to mouth, gasping "oh my God!"and then givin' Lisa what not for doing that to Dean. Don't have ta tell ya I was surprised, and not in a happy way, to find I was lying next to her, buck naked. And she was equally naked."
Cas could litterally feel the blood drain from his face.
"Now, I now my body chief... and my body told me there had been no horizontal mambo that night, but it sure looked like it."
Nodding, Cas made him another drink. Whiskey, neat, because Benny looked like he could use it.

"Next thing we know, Lisa is beggin' us to not tell Dean, because it was an honest mistake, and we wouldn't wanna break his poo' lil' heart, now do we? Then she tells the friend to go and get Dean for their appointment. Soon as we're alone, she turns like a leaf in the wind.
Tells me to slowly drop outta their lives, or she tells Andrea about us waking up naked together.
Mais... what do now, chief? What do? So I cussed her out, and left. Stopped contacting Dean. Made up excuses when he called. I love Andrea. An' I know she'd believe me, but would Dean? I mean... at that time he was still so in love with her."
Cas fixed another whiskey, this one for him.
He downed it in one shot, slamming the glass on the counter.

"Geez, brother. Calm down. You gonna break that." Benny chuckled.
Cas coughed off the burn, and looked at that open face.
"Just when I thought I'd heard the worst of her, there's another, much uglier story around the corner." he growled.
Benny smiled sadly, sipping his own drink.
"I don't even wanna know, chief. That woman... she a lie. An' don't be a coullion, you best take care to stay away from her! I got a feelin' in my blood she is one bad salop."

Loving the Cajun accent that got stronger the more agitated Benny got, Cas smiled at him.
"Thanks Benny. I am disinclined to get any closer than I am. By the way... my name is Castiël, Cas for friends."
Benny saluted him with his glass.
"You sayin' I'm you friend, Cas?" he smirked.
Cas pondered that for half a second.
"Yes. Yes, I am. We might not be best buddies, but I like you."
Benny grinned his teeth bare.
"I like you too, Cas. You ok."

The night was busy, but Cas still had time to chat with Benny.
"You know, Dean made jambalaya tonight." he told the burly man.
Benny smiled warmly.
"Was it any good?" he asked lightly, but Cas could sense something behind the innocent question.
"It certainly was. I rarely have jambalaya, but this was one of the best." Cas answered honestly.
"Good. Dat boy always was a good student. Did he remember to use andouille? An' the Holy Trinity? Ain't no jambalaya without those."

Cas chuckled, while he wiped the counter.
"I take it you taught him to make that. I don't know what either of those are, but it had chicken, a sort of smoked saussage, bell peppers, celery and onions. And lemon zest, no tomatoes though. He said he hadn't made it in ages."
Benny was nodding in a satisfied way.
"Good, good. Ask him to make you some gumbo. I wanna know if he remembers that too."
Cas glanced at the guy shrewdly.
"You miss him." he concluded, pushing a complementary St. Charles at Benny.
Benny sent him a gracious smile and heaved a sigh as he stirred his drink.
"I do. Mercy me, I do. But I ain't makin' that call, Cas. It's up to him."
That was all Cas needed to know.

Notes:

Cajun slang:
Peunez - a stink bug
Mais... what do now, chief? - Well... what do I do now, chief?
That woman... she a lie. - that woman, she's a liar, and lies often
An' don't be a coullion. - and don't be stupid / an idiot.
Salop - whore