All I've Ever Dreamed

Chapter 102

A/N: We back! (I'm so sorry for the wait, guys. I hope you enjoy!)

Dean fidgeted in his seat, holding in a sigh. Waiting to receive his diploma was probably the most boring forty-five minutes of his life.

And, as much as he loved Sasha, listening to her salutatory speech was nothing short of torture. He thought there were less people in the world than the ones Sasha had named with her gratitude.

Finally, she wrapped it up. "And one more huge thank you to our principal for this beautiful ceremony. Here he is now." She began clapping, the rest of the audience joining in. She waved and stepped off the podium, joining Dean and the rest of their classmates in their chairs.

The principal stepped up. "Thank you, Sasha, for that wonderful speech. Now, I'll keep it brief. I'd love to be able to personally tell each of you how amazing you are." he said, looking at the senior class. "As it is, I will say this. You all have so much potential. Whether you choose a college education, or choose to begin your career now, I know you will all do great things. Those people out there, in the crowd, they're proud of you, I'm proud of you. So, without further ado, let's get started."

Dean smiled to himself, looking out in the audience. His eyes found Roman, then Patricia, who beamed at him and waved. His gaze flickered to a disturbance beside her, and when he saw who it was his mouth went dry.

Seth was scooting past people, mouthing 'sorry' as he went. He took a seat beside Patricia and looked up, catching Dean's eye. He gave an unsure wave.

Dean was so distracted it took him a moment to hear the principal speaking. "Dean Ambrose." he said into the microphone.

Dean tore his gaze away from Seth and stood, slowly walking over to the principal. The man held out his diploma, which he took with his right hand, shaking the principal's hand with his left.

"Congratulations." he murmured.

Dean was smiling. "Thank you, sir." he said quietly. He reached up to the tassel on his hat and moved it over to the left side, the traditional sign of a graduated alumnus. He returned to his seat, touching the edges of his diploma gently.

As the principal continued to call names, Dean's gaze wandered back to the crowd, where he met Seth's eyes once more. Seth gave him a small smile. 

How? Dean mouthed.

Seth just winked.

After the rest of the ceremony, with the now graduated mingling throughout the audience, Dean found his way to Roman and Patricia, smiling broadly.

Patricia immediately wrapped him in a bone crushing hug, knocking the wind out of him. "Congratulations, honey!" she said, pulling back and smiling up at him.

Dean took a couple gulps of air, grinning. "Thanks, Patricia-"

He turned to Roman. His friend spread his arms wide, smiling. "You did it. How does it feel?"

Dean laughed and hugged him tightly. "Amazing..." he said softly.

He felt Roman press a light kiss to the top of his head. He ruffled his hair. "Proud of you, Ambrose."

Dean smiled up at him. Then he looked to his left. Seth was standing there silently, his hands in his pockets. Waiting for Dean to notice him.

Dean approached him. "How?" he asked in disbelief. Seth gave a small smile and glanced at Roman. Dean rounded on him. "Ro?"

Roman shrugged. "I told myself, depending on how things went at the funeral, I'd try and plan something between you two." He rubbed the back of his neck apologetically. "You leave your phone at home when you go to the gym." He admitted. "So... I gave him a call. He'd been looking for an excuse to come see you. We planned it out. I was unsure about how you'd react, until I asked you last night. I was sure then." he smiled. "Surprise."

Dean's eyes were bright, his expression grateful.

"We'll see you in a bit, if that's okay. I wanna say hey to some friends." Roman said. He led Patricia off, leaving Dean and Seth by themselves.

"Surprise?" Seth said, echoing Roman.

Dean just gave him another disbelieving look. "I-I can't believe you're here, honestly. I can't believe you wanted to be."

Seth smiled sheepishly. "Of course I wanted to. I want to be around you, Dean, even if... if you don't want to be that anymore."

Dean hesitated. "Seth, I've been thinking." he began.

Seth's eyes met his, unsure. "Yeah?" 

"I said I wanted to take it slow. I mean that. But... I do still want to be with you."

Seth's eyes brightened slightly. "You do?"

"Yeah. I want to be... together, or whatever we were before." Dean smiled "If you're open to that."

"Are you kidding?" Seth asked.

Dean chuckled. "Seth Rollins, wanting to date the likes of me."

Seth's expression turned more serious, and he reached down, taking Dean's hand. Dean's cheeks reddened, just like they used to.

"Don't say that. Okay? You are amazing. You're... perfect." Seth murmured.

Dean's heart skipped a beat as he looked up at Seth.

"Oh my god. You're Seth Rollins." Dean closed his eyes and willed himself not to smack the girl.

They broke apart as Sasha Banks bounced up to them, her pink hair curly and bouncing. "Seth!" she gushed. "Do you remember me? You gave me your autograph at WrestleMania 2015. You said I was the most attractive person there."

Seth raised an eyebrow, glancing at Dean. "Ah, yes. The girl who interrupted me while I was on the phone."

Dean turned away to hide his grin as Sasha's expression slid right off her face. "W-Well, I didn't mean... I mean, I was just.. um-"

"Yeah, Sasha, right? It's almost ironic. Here we are, over a year later, and you interrupted me talking to someone again!" He was smiling pleasantly at her; he could've been talking about the weather.

Sasha, for perhaps the first time in her life, had been rendered speechless. She turned and hurried off.

Dean burst out laughing once she was gone. "Okay, that's the funniest thing I've ever seen."

Seth grinned. "I hope I didn't hurt her feelings too much."

Dean shook his head. "Trust me, it's Sasha. She bounces back from everything."

Seth chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. "Feel like lunch?" he asked.

"Pizza?" Dean asked hopefully.

"You're paying." Seth warned.

Dean grinned, nodding, and together they walked out of the room.