What The End Looks Like | ✓

07: lacey

His eyebrows scrunch up as he pauses to think, "Cass and I moved in here more than a year ago. It was a few weeks before I got accepted to the fire academy. I'm not sure on the official time table, you'd have to ask her though."

"She seems really great. I can see why she's your best friend."

"Cass is pretty great. She's really changed her life around, but I miss her. Maddox is a bit of an attention hog." Dean says and I make a split second decision.

"And Paige? How is that going?"

I look up at him, pausing in my motions so I don't slice off a finger. That's the last thing I need. His face is tight and Dean won't meet my gaze. "It's over. For good I think."

I reach over the counter to squeeze his hand, "I'm sorry."

There's shock and confusion on his face when he looks at me because he doesn't understand. I have a feeling that he's beating himself up enough about it all so I'm certainly not going to give him any shit for it.

I pull away as he tries to read me with his beautiful eyes. That's something that he and his friends like to do. They're trusting but not at the same time. I don't like people trying to read me.

"Thanks Lace. It was wrong for so many more reasons than Maddox. It wasn't meant to be."

I position all the vegetables and sliced potatoes on the foil wrapped pan before pouring olive oil and seasoning over them. "Like I said last time Dean, you need to do what makes you happy. How long do I put these in the oven for?"

He chews his lip for a second, glancing at the clock. "I would do it for seven minutes and then check every minute after that at three-hundred and fifty degrees." Dean already preheated the oven so I don't have to wait for that to happen.

The blast of heat hits me when I open the oven as I momentarily forgot to keep my face back. After the timer is set, I sit next to Dean on the stool next to him, grabbing my water glass from before.

"How is the job going?" He asks subtly and I smile at the thought of it.

"It's actually going pretty great. Everyone there is super nice and I even went out with some people from the office the other night."

He smiles brightly, "Look at you making friends! I'm very proud."

I shake my head at him, "Dean you barely know me! I have plenty of friends back home."

"Okay, but you're branching out in your new home. This is a very big deal." Dean insists, brushing my comments off. "Was I your first friend?"

I nod, feeling my cheeks grow a little warm, "You've met my roommate. She's not exactly a ray of sunshine."

"Not to sound conceited or anything, but I felt like she was undressing me with her eyes." He shudders dramatically, taking another drink of his beer.

Laughter bubbles from my mouth because his suspicion was completely right. "Oh my god, Quinn totally was. I wish I could remember what she said after you left."

"How on earth did you end up with her?"

"Craigslist. In hindsight it probably wasn't the best idea."

Dean chuckles, "No, it probably wasn't. Do you want something else besides water to drink? Cass might have left a bottle of wine if beer isn't your thing."

I'd been expecting him to ask at some point; it always gets asked. "No, I'm okay with water. I'm not a fan of drinking." It's not that I'm not a fan, it's that I can't. He just doesn't need to know that.