Secret Valentine

Castiel found himself staring up at the brick façade of a large apartment building. He stood on the sidewalk in front of the building’s front steps and held the note out glancing at it then up at the bronze plaque beside the building’s doors.

134576 East Avenue

He had found it. Lydia’s apartment building.

He knew what he should be feeling. Relieved, happy, even. He would finally get the answers he so desperately wanted. But now that he had found the building, he found that he was at a loss as to what to do next.

He looked down the street, once to the left, and once to the right. Seeing no one, he turned his attention back to the doors. He squinted at them, his brow furrowing as he considered what action to take next.

Should I simply go in and find her apartment? No. Perhaps that would be too shocking for her. Cas sighed. Humans were so complicated. You never could predict what their reactions would be.

A small, light laugh cut through the silence of Cas’ revelry. He turned his head quickly to the left, the direction the laugh had originated from, and came face to face with a smiling young woman. She laughed again, and then stepped forward, opening her arms wide and embracing Castiel in a large, warm hug.

Castiel felt his body stiffen at the woman’s surprisingly friendly touch. He felt himself lean back reflexively. He wriggled his right arm free from her grasp, then his left. He placed a hand on each of her shoulders and pushed her back gently. He studied her face with confusion. Her grey eyes sparkled with merriment as they stared back at him. Cas cleared his throat.

“Do I know you?” His voice betrayed his intense confusion.

The woman shook her head good-naturedly, causing her short, dark hair to bounce in a lively fashion. She laughed again, causing Cas to feel still more confused.

“No, but I know you.” She smiled broadly and poked her index finger into the center of his chest.

Cas frowned and brushed her finger away gently. He did not mean to be rude, but this strange woman was not making any sense.

“You’re Castiel. I’ve been wanting to meet you for such a long time.” She reached out and took his hand. She smiled up at him before giving his hand a small tug and walking off in the direction of the building’s doors. “Well come on! We’ve got so much to discuss!”

Castiel barely had time to think. Stunned, he followed this oddly happy woman up the steps. Without letting go of his hand, she retrieved a key from the left-hand pocket of her jeans and slid it into the lock beneath the door’s metal pull bar. With great skill, she twisted the key in the lock and pushed the door with her hip, guiding the door open and stepping through, pulling Castiel behind her.

The bright, white walls of the building’s lobby passed Cas in a blur. His mind was spinning, a jumbled mass of confusion and wonder. The woman clung to his hand, walking quickly ahead of him and glancing over her shoulder every so often to give him a happy smile. She guided him to a set of large, metal doors and pushed a button that was attached to the wall. Cas watched as the button lit up with a ding. He stood next to the woman, who was rocking back and forth on her heels and looking up at the bright lights mounted above the doors. Cas’ eyes widened as he observed her and he took a small step to the right, attempting to wriggle his hand free from the woman’s grip as he did.

She turned and winked at him, squeezing his hand tighter. As Cas opened his mouth to speak, the doors dinged loudly, and the smooth metal slid open. She walked swiftly through the open doors, pulling Castiel reluctantly behind her. Once inside, she pressed one of the many buttons beside the door. As the doors slid closed, she finally released his hand. She turned to look at him, still smiling happily. Castiel took a step backward.

“I must seem really crazy to you, huh?” She leaned back against the wall as the room began to rumble quietly.

Cas thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.

“Yes. You seem very…” He cleared his throat. “… Crazy.”

Her mouth formed a small “o” as she looked up at him. Cas looked down at the grey, carpeted floor, unsure of how she would react.

A snort broke the awkward silence between them, followed by a stream of small giggles. Cas looked up, surprised. The woman’s face was a deep red, and her right hand was pulled over her mouth. Startled, Cas moved toward her, extending his hand and reaching out to touch her forehead. Her eyes widened and she removed her hand from her mouth, holding it up to stop him. He stopped and peered at her, worriedly.

“I’m n-n-not hurt.” She gasped between breaths. “I-I-I’m t-trying n-n-n-not to la-a-a-a-augh.”

Just as she finished her sentence, a ding resonated throughout the room. Castiel looked up at the ceiling. She grabbed Cas’ and once more, and pulled him through the doors as they slid open.

As he stepped out into the narrow hallway after her, Cas yanked his hand away quickly and stopped in the middle of the hall. The woman turned to face him, a puzzled look on her face. Cas squinted and furrowed his brow.

“I am not going any further with you until you explain to me who you are and where you are taking me.” He glared at her, his confusion finally giving way to frustration.

She cocked her head, and gave a small sigh.

“I guess all of this is really sudden and crazy.” She turned and took a step down the hallway as she spoke. “But you have to understand. I’ve wanted to meet you for months. Ever since you first started popping up in my dreams. Ever since I started sending you the valentines…”

Cas felt his face soften, understanding flooding in and engulfing his mind. Lydia. He hadn’t found her at all. She had found him.

“… And then, there you were. Right in front of my building. And I was just so excited, and I didn’t want you to leave, because you looked like maybe you were thinking about leaving, and…”

“Lydia.”

She turned on her heel and her eyes met his. She took a step closer, nodding her head eagerly.

“You are Lydia.” Cas repeated slowly, trying each word on his tongue.

A wide, toothy smile caused her entire face to light up.

“Yes I’m Lydia!” She threw her arms around him again, her voice full of joy. Cas stood still and let her embrace him. “You have no idea how happy I am that you found me.”

Cas was quiet for a moment. He looked up at the ceiling in the hallway, studying a large crack that ran lengthwise along it.

“I would like to know how you know about me. What these dreams are. Why you and how you have been sending me letters.” He spoke quietly, hoping that his words would not be misunderstood.

Lydia released him and stepped back, still smiling as she looked up at him. She reached out and took his hand once more. Cas thought for a moment. Then let his fingers twine into hers. He actually enjoyed the feeling, much to his surprise.

“C’mon, Cas.” Lydia chuckled and turned around, leading him down the hallway. “I’ll tell you everything.”