Breaking Barriers - S.R.

11

The utterly disappointed look in Olivia's eyes when I had to leave was nothing in comparison to my own. I had never been so distracted by a woman that it actually caused me to consider not answering my phone, but tonight I had. Maybe it was for the best though. Everything she was doing was killing me, and I'm not sure I would've stopped her if my phone hadn't. Even over an hour later though, after being briefed on the case and currently situating myself on the jet as we headed to Oklahoma, I don't think I would've regretted not stopping her. Which slightly terrified me.

I had my face buried in my phone instead of a book, texting Liv while I had the chance, when Morgan sat down across from me. "What were you up to tonight, Pretty Boy?"

I looked up at him. "Just my usual Friday night plans."

"Nah, I know that look. I've had that look." His eyes narrowed in on me as my phone vibrated, signaling a new message. "When do we get to meet her?"

I was honestly surprised that I had been able to keep her a secret from the team for this long. We had been dating for three months and twenty-two days at this point, and were friends getting together weekly for five months and eighteen days before that, and I somehow managed to keep everything to myself.

It's not that I didn't want to share with everyone about my relationship with Olivia, but for the first few weeks of our friendship and the first few weeks into dating her, I feared that she would get bored and move on. So I opted to keep it a secret. I suppose I wasn't currently doing a very good job at that.

"Meet who?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. How long have you been seeing her?" He pressed.

"Seeing who?" JJ asked, sitting in the empty seat beside me.

"Reid's girlfriend." Morgan replied.

"You have a girlfriend and you didn't tell me?" JJ's eyes widened, flitting back and forth from me to Morgan.

"I don't have a girlfriend...technically." I stated, glancing at the phone in my hand again. As much as I wanted to open her message, I couldn't give them the satisfaction of being so obvious.

"But you're dating someone?" JJ asked. "Who?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes at the smirk on Derek's face. "She lives in my building. We've been spending a lot of time together."

"I'm guessing you were with her when you got the call tonight, huh?" Morgan teased.

"Yes." I muttered. "She was a little disappointed that I had to leave, but she understood. It wasn't the first time this has happened."

"I'd say she's more than a little disappointed. You've gotten three messages in the last 8 minutes." He chuckled. "They all from her?"

I looked at my phone screen and nodded.

"How long have you been seeing her?" JJ asked.

"Three months and twenty-two days." I deadpanned.

"Wow, and you didn't tell us anything! I'm hurt, Pretty Boy." Morgan placed a hand on his chest, a smile stretched across his lips. "But if she's special to you, I'm sure she's pretty damn great."

I couldn't help the grin stretching across my lips as I glanced down at the phone sitting on my lap. "She is."

"So why isn't she your girlfriend yet?" He questioned.

"I-I don't know." I said softly, my eyes meeting his.

"Well, have you asked her to be?" JJ chimed in.