puzzles of a heart | spencer reid ✓

six

Ignoring the obtrusive stares of the elderly couple as she unlaced the atrocity of a shoe, her feet were finally no longer in a throbbing ache as she tugged off those satin heels. Valeria's dark hair fell in a flurry around her shoulders as she leaned down to pick them up and carried them by the soles, throwing the duo a snappy glare as she exited onto her floor.

The dinner with Derek was as smooth and pleasant as one can be despite her uneasiness at the thought of Spencer alone in their room and the stiff shoes distracting her from his well-intended efforts. For the entire duration, she was listing the pros and cons of the two bachelors like a highschool girl who had developed a weird crush on a nerd and the star football player and couldn't choose between the two. Valeria returned Derek's enthusiasm, and the two bonded beyond her expectations.

It was always so effortless with him. So easy to comprehend what Derek was thinking or suggesting for he could understand her without pause, and matched her energy naturally. He was genuine, and it was that trait she was attracted to the most. Not the kind of harsh straightforwardness Spencer possessed, but a subtle yet critical approach.

The thick carpet was soft against her feet as she walked down the brightly lit hallway, her eyes focusing on the passing door numbers so as to not miss her own. The last time she had checked the time was before she stepped into the elevator, and it had been half-past nine. There was a great chance that Spencer was still asleep, and she could sneak in, change into her comfortable attire and wipe off her makeup without prying questions.

"Val?" Spencer's voice floated towards her as she unlocked the door with a swipe of her keycard, and she froze in place, cursing her bad luck.

She had to say something before he came and greeted her, maybe she'd have a chance to duck off into the bathroom to at least get out of the dress. "Hey, good nap?"

"Eh, it was decent." He rounded the corner where she was out of sight and they stared at each other for a second. Spencer conveyed his eyes across her overly-dressed-for-anything-other-than-a-date appearance. "Where were you?"

Valeria pushed past him into the bathroom but left the door open. "I went out for dinner."

"With who?" She could tell he was attempting to conceal his curiosity, and wiped her makeup with a hint of irritation as she contemplated an answer. She couldn't lie to him, even if it might hurt his feelings. Like Derek said, lying will get you nowhere in the BAU, and it was always better to tell the truth.

A voice in her subconscious laughed giddily at her distressed overthinking: you're acting like Spencer Reid was interested in you when he could care less about you and Derek! He probably didn't want to kiss you, and just didn't know how to say no out of kindness. You're foolish, thinking any guy would want you exclusively or more than the surface level of attraction.

"With your best pal, Derek." Her mascara and eyeshadow were smudged as she was wiping them off, creating an illusion that she had been bawling her eyes out in the rain or something in a cliche ending to an angst film.

"Oh," his monotoned reply came a few long seconds later then turned inexplicably cheerful. "Tell me about it!"

Valeria exited the bathroom and tied back her hair, making her way around the room to gather her clothes while avoiding his gaze. "It was dinner, there's like nothing to tell."

"Right." In her peripheral vision, she spotted him pursing his lips in a way she had only seen him do when a member of the BAU tells him off for being annoying or going off-topic.

"When did you wake up?"

"Half an hour ago... I thought I had slept through the night and had missed my alarms."