Chapter Text
Melone's Closing Time
Only Allie was still working.
A lone couple lingered over the last of their drinks while the hockey team, who had occupied the biggest booth for most of the evening, had finally decided to call it a night.
Well... almost all of them.
Dean was still there, waiting for her at the bar.
Allie pushed through the kitchen doors, wiping her hands on a towel.
"I've been in the kitchen for one second. Did your buddies seriously dine and dash?" she asked, looking at the suddenly empty table.
Dean laughed. "No. I got it."
"Okay. Hold on."
She printed the couple's bill, walked it over with a smile, collected their empty glasses, thanked them for coming in, and wished them a good night.
When she returned behind the bar, Dean was exactly where she'd left him.
"So," he said, "can I get one more beer?"
Allie glanced at the clock. "Well... technically we're closed."
"Perfect." He grinned. "Then make it two. If you want."
She hesitated.
She really shouldn't. She was exhausted, her feet ached, and for the last two hours all she'd wanted was to finish closing, get home, and collapse into bed.
But an ice-cold beer sounded pretty amazing.
And Dean was offering.
God… she'd missed him.
Ever since their fling ended, everything between them had felt... off.
Not bad, necessarily. Just different.
Like they were both pretending nothing had ever happened between them. No secret hookups. No stupid assignments. No Dean admitting i like you while she tells him she had slept with Hunter.
"Fuck it," she sighed. "Okay. Thanks."
She added two beers to his tab, printed the receipt, and set it in front of him before grabbing two bottles from the cooler. She popped both caps off and slid one across the bar.
Dean barely looked at the bill before tossing a few bills onto the counter.
"Cheers." He lifted his bottle with a small smirk.
"Cheers."
Their bottles clinked together.
Allie took a long sip before pressing the cold glass against her collarbone, closing her eyes for a second as the chill soothed the heat trapped beneath her skin.
"Long day?" Dean asked.
She didn't even have to open her eyes to know he was watching her.
Totally friendly behavior.
"Long shift," she finally replied, opening her eyes. She sighed, took another sip, then set the bottle down and started her closing routine.
"Fair enough."
They fell into silence while the couple gathered their things.
It wasn't awkward. At least not unbearably so.
Still, Allie couldn't help wondering why Dean had stayed.
He could've left with the rest of the team.
He didn't have to order another beer.
Once the couple left, Allie locked the front door behind them and flipped the sign to CLOSED.
She didn't ask whether Dean was staying. Locking the two of them inside probably should've felt a bit weirder than it did, but she was too tired to think about it.
Besides... She absolutely refused to think about what had happened the last time he'd stayed after closing.
Nope. Not going there.
He'd made it pretty clear they were done. He definitely wasn't here to hook up with her in the kitchen again.
She wandered back behind the bar, took another sip of her beer, and started closing the register.
"Garrett told me Sean's been bothering you." Dean's voice broke the silence.
Allie paused.
So that was why he'd stayed.
Hearing Sean's name come from Dean still made something twist inside her. When they'd been sleeping together, they'd both avoided talking about Sean. Mostly because she hated thinking about how quickly she'd ended up in Dean's bed after the breakup. And she'd always assumed Dean simply didn't care enough to ask.
Apparently she'd been wrong.
"Oh..." She shrugged. "It's nothing. He's just being annoying."
"You sure?" Dean asked. "What does he want?"
"I honestly don't know. I guess he's finally realized the breakup was actually final, and that I'm not crawling back this time. Apparently he has... opinions."
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"I've been ignoring him."
Which was true. Sean had been calling, texting. Asking to talk ever since their disastrous coffee date she agreed to, after he had caught her hooking up with someone else. She'd gone to apologize, to explain herself.
That lasted all of five minutes before he launched into a speech about how he forgave her, how he knew her better than anyone, and how she'd only done it to hurt him.
So She'd walked out on him.
Ever since then, he'd been messaging her.
Some apologetic. Some angry. Some downright nasty. Every single one left on read.
She simply didn't have the energy for more Sean drama. Especially when she didn't even know what she wanted anymore. She wasn't proud of it, but she'd even gone out of her way to avoid him on campus a few times.
"So he's just calling and texting?" Dean asked. "And you're not answering? That's all?"
Allie nodded.
She wasn't about to tell Dean about the times she'd spotted Sean outside the drama building, a place nowhere near any of his classes. Or how she'd started wondering if he was waiting for her. Or how she'd begun using the back exit just to be safe. Or that he'd already shown up at Malone's twice, insisting they talk while she was in the middle of the lunch rush.
Dean studied her. It felt like he didn't believe for a second that this was just a few texts. Allie hated how easily he could see through her.
"You sure?" he asked again when she didn't answer. "Garrett made it sound like the guy was harassing you."
"Garrett's dramatic." She rolled her eyes.
Talking to Dean about Sean felt strange. But he was also the only person who knew the whole story. Hannah knew bits and pieces, but she didn't know everything. Allie had to be careful now not to let it slip that the reason things with Sean were so messy was because he'd caught her hooking up with someone else.
"well..." she sighed. "I did get coffee with Sean a few weeks ago."
Dean frowned."That went well, I take it?"
She snorted."I wanted to clear the air. Explain myself. I left five minutes after he told me he forgave me for hooking up with someone else."
Dean blinked. "...Shit!... Wait! He knows about us?"
She pointed at him with her beer. For a second she wants to call him out on assuming it was a hook up with him Sean almost interrupted. But what would be the point? He was correct.
"Right. I guess you don't know."
He shook his head.
"The night of the fundraiser... after you left…"
"After you kicked me out," Dean corrected.
A smile tugged at her lips. "After I kicked you out. He showed up at my apartment completely out of nowhere."
Dean's expression hardened.
"After weeks of radio silence. After he'd accepted the breakup so calmly. After his last words to me were, You'll come back, out of nowhere there he is at my door.”
"And he saw me?"
"No. I don't think so. He doesn't know it was you" She rubbed the back of her neck before continuing. "But I thought it was you coming back for your jacket..."
Dean winced before she even finished.
"So I answered the door... still only in my underwear... holding your jacket."
Dean let out a slow breath."Shit."
"Yeah. He put two and two together, said a few pretty awful things, then left."
Dean's jaw tightened."What'd he say?"
She looked away."It doesn't matter."
"Allie."
"It doesn't." She sighed. "The next thing I know, we're having coffee because I wanted to smooth things over.I hated that I'd hurt him. But then he starts our conversation by saying he forgives me."
Dean actually laughed."...Seriously?"
Yeah…And for a second I almost felt relieved…And then he kept talking. About how he understood. About how I couldn't be alone. About how I'd only done it to hurt him.” She shook her head. "and then this tiny voice in my head pops up..."
She looked at him. "You didn't cheat. You were broken up. You were safe. You had fun. What gives him the right to accept an apology I didn't give?”
Dean smiled.
"So I got up and walked out."
"And since then?"
"Calls. Texts. More calls. I don't think he liked that I just... left. Like I refused to have the conversation he wanted. Since then I've ignored every single one of his attempts to talk to me... I just can't deal with him right now."
Dean took a thoughtful sip of his beer. "You want us to beat him up?" Allie stared at him.
"What?"
"Me and the guys." He shrugged. "Logan's got a pretty mean right hook."
She laughed.
"We could take him."
"You are unbelievable."
"I'm serious."
"No!"
"What?"
"No beating up my ex!"
Dean sighed dramatically. "We don't really have to beat him up. Just rough him up a little. Intimidate him into staying away. No punches necessary."
He grinned."Easy peasy."
Allie burst out laughing. "Dean, no."
She reached across the bar and rested her hand lightly over his. Such a small touch. Barely anything. But after weeks of carefully avoiding contact, it felt impossibly significant.
"I'm okay. Really. Sean's harmless."
Dean looked down at her hand before meeting her eyes. "You sure? Say the word and you've got the whole hockey team ready to fight on your behalf." A smile tugged at his lips. “Maybe even the football team if you ask Beau nicely."
"I'm sure." She smiled. "Thank you, though."
He nodded. "Okay."
She smiled again. "But Dean..."
"What?"
"Please never say 'easy peasy' again."
Dean grinned. "No? No 'easy peasy, lemon squeezy'? You don't like that?"
She groaned dramatically. "Oh my God. I can't unhear that!"
Then she laughed. For the first time that night, she felt lighter.
Sean was harmless. That was true. But knowing there were people looking out for her...
Knowing Dean was one of them...
Made everything feel a little less heavy. Maybe they really could be friends.
Maybe...
Everything would be okay.
Allie let Dean drive her home but insisted walking her to her door would be an overkill.
They were friends.
Or friendly, at least. On their way to becoming real friends. Two friendly faces you could say, destined to see each other often as long as their respective best friends kept dating.
So there was nothing weird about him driving her back to her dorm.
Just a friend being nice to a friend.
Garrett would do it.
Beau would do it.
Platonic friendly behaviour.
Allie must've been more tired than she thought.
Or maybe the unexpected beer with her friend Dean had left her distracted, because she almost missed the figure sitting on the steps outside the entrance to her building.
"...Sean?"
He stood up when he heard her voice.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, a little shocked to see him there. Outside her building.
At night.
"You've been ignoring me."
Allie blinked. She felt so tired. Too tired to fully comprehend why it was suddenly so difficult to simply say, “No, thank you, I don't want to talk to you”, walk inside, and close the door behind her. She wasn't even sure she was taking in everything Sean was saying.
"We need to talk.... I deserve an explanation... You owe me"
The words blurred together while she tried to think of the quickest way to get rid of him. She really couldn't do this tonight.
Her phone buzzed in her bag and she took it out to have a look at it.
Maverick: u good?
She glanced toward the parking lot. Dean's car was still there. He saw what was happening. He'd waited until she got inside. Even after she'd insisted she didn't need him to walk her to the door.
Respectful but protective.
Something she and Hannah had noticed about the hockey guys. They always had plenty of closed drinks to offer girls at parties. There was always a designated sober driver. They always waited until everyone got safely inside before pulling away.
A wave of relief washed over her. Dean was still here. He saw what was happening. She had someone in her corner.
He'd respected her when she'd said “I can handle him” and wasn't storming over to rescue her. He was simply making sure she knew he was there if she needed him.
She wasn't scared of Sean. She knew Sean. She'd dated him for two years. He was harmless...
...Wasn't he?
She looked back at him and couldn’t help but feel uneasy. How was the man standing in front of her, the one insisting they go inside and talk at eleven at night after she'd ignored weeks of messages, the same person she'd been in love with only a few months ago?
He wasn't getting the hint. He was pushing her into a conversation she clearly didn't want to have. He was making her uncomfortable, and he didn't even seem to realize it. It was like a completely different person was standing in front of her.
Embarrassment settled heavily in her stomach. She'd downplayed everything to Dean earlier. This wasn't Sean sending the occasional text. This was Sean waiting outside her dorm, not letting her go inside.
At midnight. After weeks of being ignored.
And Dean was seeing it all.
Her embarrassment didn't stop her though. She might not be able to tell Sean to fuck off at the moment. She might not be able to make her feet move. But she could send one text.
Help pls
Just two words. Simple. She knew it was a little pathetic, but somewhere deep down...she trusted Dean to help.
She heard a car door slam in the background... Then footsteps.
Sean didn't even notice she wasn’t responding. Or maybe he simply didn't care. He just kept talking.
"...mistake... ruin us... explanation... can't be alone..."
She caught only fragments. She tried one last time to stop him. "I know..." She forced a polite smile. "I'm just really tired…"
"Oh, hi, Allie!"
Dean's voice cut through the night so casually it almost made her laugh.
"Have you seen Garrett? Coach's been trying to reach him all night. Something urgent about next week's game, I think. He's been completely MIA." He acted as though he was simply passing by. Looking for Garrett. Not rescuing her from her increasingly unsettling ex.
Allie's heartbeat finally began slowing down. She was safe. Dean was playing it perfectly.
No confrontation.
He didn't even acknowledge Sean, his attention stayed on Allie. His expression was calm but expectant, silently asking her to play along.
"Hi..." she said, taking a second to catch up. "No. I haven't seen him tonight."
"You think he could be upstairs with Hannah?" he asked, his tone still light, keeping his eyes on her.
Sean, clearly thrown by the interruption, found his voice and spoke up. "Hannah's not home, I knocked earlier. No one answered"
Dean turned toward him as though he'd only just realized someone else was standing there. "Oh." He smiled politely. "Hey, man." he held out his hand. "Dean.” he introduced himself. "Garrett's friend."
Sean shook it automatically.
"You sure, though?" Dean asked. "You know young love. I doubt they were answering the door."He kept his voice light, although Allie could sense he wasn't as calm as he pretended to be. She only hoped Sean wouldn't pick up on it.
He turned back to Allie, subtly shifting until he stood just slightly between her and Sean. Not enough to make a scene. Just enough to help her start moving again. To remind her she could leave. To get her legs moving. "Would you mind if we went upstairs and checked?"
"Yeah." Allie nodded immediately. She took a step toward the entrance.
"We were in the middle of something," Sean said, trying to stop them.
Dean shifted just enough to block him a little more. "Sorry, man..."His voice stayed easy. Almost amused. “…But can it wait? If Garrett isn't upstairs, we're probably going to have to file a missing person report. The whole team's freaking out."
He opened the front door for Allie. His hand never quite touched the small of her back.
It hovered there instead. She glanced back."Sorry, Sean. I'll call you later, okay?"
Dean mumbled a quiet, "Yeah, sorry." Then stepped inside after her and pulled the door shut behind them.
This time...
Sean didn't get another chance to speak.
————————————————————————
"Fuck, what has my life become?" Allie muttered as she stepped into her dorm apartment, Dean following her inside.
She hadn't asked him to come in, but she hadn't stopped him either.
It made sense. He'd probably stay for a few minutes in case Sean was still outside, just long enough for their cover story to hold up. With a sigh, she threw herself onto the couch. If Dean wasn't there, she'd already be reaching for the emergency Cheetos and finishing the half-open bottle of wine in the fridge.
Instead, she sat there pretending her life wasn't a complete disaster.
Now that the adrenaline from seeing Sean was wearing off, embarrassment fully settled in its place. She'd needed Dean to save her. Like some helpless damsel in distress who couldn't fight her own battles.
"So..." Dean's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up. He was leaning casually against the kitchen counter, watching her. "Just a few messages here and there?"
Allie groaned and looked back down.
This was exactly what she'd wanted to avoid.
Sean wasn't harassing her. Was he? She wasn't downplaying what he'd been doing. She was just… being fair. She wasn't even one hundred percent sure it had been him outside the drama building. And he was allowed to go to Malone's. It was a public place with a great lunch menu.
"Allie..."
She looked up when he spoke again, once it became obvious she wasn't going to answer.
"This isn't the first time he's shown up somewhere uninvited, is it?"
"No... no, it's not." She sighed. "But it's not like he's stalking me or anything. Whatever Hannah told Garrett, she probably made it sound worse than it is. He just wants to talk."
She sank further into the couch and rubbed her forehead.
"It's my fault, really.” She continued.
“I should just put my big-girl pants on and talk to him like an adult and not…."
"Allie." He interrupted her gently. She stopped talking and looked him in the eyes. "Can I be brutally honest with you?" She stayed silent, simply looking at him. Dean took it as permission to continue. "This isn't your fault."
His voice remained calm. "His behavior isn't okay. You guys broke up. It's okay for it to be over for good." He paused. "There's no reason to keep dragging it out with phone calls, texts, or even coffee if you're really done with him."
"I am." She answered immediately. This part she was certain about. There wasn't a single part of her that wanted Sean back. Not anymore. But it's complicated." she continued.
Dean shook his head. "I don't think it is."
He paused again, choosing his words carefully. "His feelings got hurt. I get that. But talking in circles isn't going to fix anything. You broke up. So what's left to say? If he needs closure, you're not obligated to give it to him."
He held her gaze. "His feelings aren't your responsibility. It's not your job to make him feel better. If he keeps ignoring what you're telling him, that's his choice. Not yours."
Allie simply stared at him.
He was still leaning against her kitchen counter, saying it all as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Simple. Logical.
She knew he was right. Again.
She knew what he was saying made perfect sense. But that didn't stop the guilt. It was still there, sitting heavily in her chest, refusing to listen to logic.
"Speaking from experience?" she asked with a small laugh, needing to lighten the mood a little. It was funny to her. How could a guy who'd never had a serious relationship sound more mature than she and Sean combined?
But Dean's expression changed almost instantly. From patient to hurt. She saw it the moment the words left her mouth and regretted them instantly.
They both remembered.
The assignment.
Hunter.
I like you. I like us.
The bar fight.
"Fuck. I'm sorry." She sat up a little straighter on the couch. "I didn't mean..,"
"No, it's alright." Dean waved a dismissive hand as if it was nothing. "Yeah, I got my feelings hurt." He shrugged. "But I don't expect you to cater to them or make me feel better about it. That's on me. I'd never hunt you down demanding an apology for doing something you told me you were going to do.”
Allie looked at him for a long moment. "How are you always so level-headed and rational?" She couldn't help asking.
He'd been angry. He'd been hurt. He'd ignored her. He'd even taken back what he'd said at the bar when she'd tried to talk to him afterwards.
Still when he'd ended things, he'd simply told her they needed to stop before they made an even bigger mess of everything. He'd never demanded an apology. He'd never made her feel guiltier than she already did.
It was the complete opposite of Sean.
Then again... what she and Dean had wasn't the same. A few months of secretly hooking up couldn't really be compared to a three-year relationship. She didn't want to defend Sean's behavior. But it wasn't exactly the same.
Dean laughed quietly. "You forgot I punched Hunter in front of all our friends?"
A reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
"I also took it out on Beau for convincing me to tell you how I felt." He shook his head. "So no, I wasn't exactly cool and collected." He paused before smiling faintly.
"But..." He pointed at her. "We're getting away from the point. My point is…” He held her gaze. "You're not responsible for how I feel…" He paused, before correcting himself. “…How I felt, I mean. The same way you're not responsible for Sean's feelings."
Silence settled between them.
"Okay." Allie nodded slowly. "So what do you think I should do now?"
Dean hesitated. "I don't really want to tell you what to do."
"I know that." She smiled. "But I'm asking you for advice. As a friend. You're the only person who knows the whole story."
He thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Then I think you tell him one last time that it's over. No “I'll call you later.” No “we'll talk another time.”Just one message. “We're done. Please let it go.” And then..." He shrugged. "And then you let it end."
"Okay." Allie reached into her purse for her phone. She didn't look at Dean as she unlocked it and began typing.
Sean, waiting outside my building like that isn't okay. I'm sorry for how everything happened, but we're done, and there's nothing left to talk about. Please don't call or text me anymore.
She hit send before she could change her mind.
"Done." She stood and headed for the kitchen.
Dean didn't ask what she'd written. He didn't ask to see the text. She set her phone down on the counter anyway.
"How's that?" she asked as she reached into the fridge for the half-open bottle of wine.
She needed a drink.
Dean glanced at the screen before giving a single nod. "Good."
Allie set the bottle on the counter and looked back at her phone. Three little dots appeared almost immediately. Sean was already typing back.
"Oh shit... he's texting back” she said and Dean looked back down again. Neither of them reached for the phone. They simply stood there, waiting for his reply.
After a few seconds, the message appeared.
Sean: Is Dean the one you're sleeping with?
Fuck. That wasn't the response she'd been expecting. She looked up at Dean, a flicker of panic crossing her face.
How could he tell? Had she been that obvious? She had never mentioned Dean to him before. And she was sure he didn't see him leaving that night of the fundraiser.
They hadn't been obvious tonight... had they? She thought they'd played it off well. Dean had just been a concerned friend looking for Garrett.
But maybe they hadn't been subtle at all.
"Don't answer." Dean's voice stayed calm. Matter-of-fact. As if seeing his own name in the message didn't faze him in the slightest.
"But..." Allie started to protest.
Dean cut her off. "No." He shook his head. "This is exactly the back-and-forth you need to stop. There's no point in answering. Whether you lie or tell the truth, it doesn't change anything. It just keeps the conversation going." He nodded toward the phone. "You said you were done. So be done. It's none of his business who you're sleeping with. Leave him on read. Or block him if you need to."
"Block him?" Allie stared at him. "That seems... harsh."
He shrugged. "Why? If it stops you from responding, it'll stop him from texting. It might not be the nicest thing to do, but sometimes that's what needs to happen."
He looked at her. "If you're really done with him... then be done."
"Yes." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I am."
A small part of her bristled every time he asked, as though he didn't believe her.
Dean held out his hand. "Want me to do it for you?"
"No." She picked up her phone. "I've got it."
She opened Sean's contact, hesitated for only a second, then pressed 'Block Contact.'
"Done."
"Good."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply looked at each other across the kitchen.
Finally, Dean broke the silence. "Well... I should probably head out."
He pushed himself away from the counter and started walking towards the door.
There was a small part of Allie that wanted him to stay. To offer him a glass of wine. To delay being alone with her thoughts for just a little bit.
But that was a terrible idea. She knew that. The night had already been emotional enough. Dean staying over would only blur the lines again. And she wasn't ready to deal with that.
"You sure?" she asked anyway as she followed him to the door.
"Yeah." He smiled.
She stopped beside him and rested a hand lightly on his shoulder. The contact again tiny. Friendly. But just like the touch earlier that night, it made her feel things.
"Well..." She smiled. "Thanks for tonight. You've been my knight in shining armor."
Dean laughed.
"No, seriously," she continued, her smile softening. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't still been outside."
The grin on Dean's face faltered for just a moment. "Anytime." Then it returned. "Want me to take your phone with me so you're not tempted to unblock him?"
She laughed. "No."
She let her hand fall back to her side. "Knowing he can't suddenly text me anymore..." She smiled to herself. "...feels strangely freeing."
"Good."
Dean reached for the doorknob.
"Now go drink your wine, eat your Hot Cheetos, and get some sleep."
They both laughed.
"Shut up." She nudged his arm with hers. It was ridiculous how well he knew her after only a few months.
Dean opened the door.
"And if you are tempted to unblock him..." He looked back at her. "...call me first."
She smiled. "Okay."
A beat.
"Thank you. And now go. Goodnight, Dean."
"Goodnight, Allie."
Neither of them moved at first.
Then he stepped into the hallway, gently pulling the door shut behind him.