[b] 1995 [/b]

Dean held her a bit tighter than he probably intended, against his body as they walked.  It was almost instinctual, with her giving him permission to care a little deeper.  It was a step for them that he had never seen.  He had almost deposited her into his usual ‘sister’ category in his mind, due to the fact that her dad didn’t care for him, and Bobby had made it clear he didn’t want a Winchester near her, in that way.  Lucky for Dean, he was good at sneaking, and she only saw Bobby when she had the odd chance.

He smirked at his thoughts and her words in unison.  Feeling almost high, he barely noticed how big of a change this could possibly be, closing the gap between friendship and a potential relationship.  He was even oblivious to the fact that things could go badly, and there was a point of no return. He leaned forward with a bright and toothy smile, coming dangerously close to her lips as he simply quipped the word, “Good.”

They had approached the restaurant, and he opened the door for her, quickly greeted by his favorite middle-aged waitress.  She came up to them both, smiling brightly at them, and then specifically at Dean, “You’re here early!  And on a date?”

Dean nodded proudly, which caused the woman to smile even brighter.  She seemed legitimately happy to see him mingling with kids his age, and even more happy to see him with a girl, and looking happy.  She waved them in, gesturing toward the soda bar.

“I know your order, Dean Winchester.  But what would you like, sweetheart?”, she asked Mika, as Dean released her to take a seat at the bar.