intertwine (aaron hotchner x reader)

IV

"Since we're going to be seeing more of each other, you can call me Aaron. At the office, I'd stick to Hotch, just so we're not scrutinized by the rest of the team. But when it's just me and you, Aaron is fine."

"Okay, Aaron." it felt weird coming out of your mouth, but weird in a good way. "So what else do you have planned for your Saturday?"

"Um, not much. I have to do a little bit of grocery shopping since Jack is coming over tomorrow."

Grocery shopping was on your to do list for today too, "I actually have a few things I need to get from the store, would you mind if I tagged along?" you blurted out, barely giving yourself time to think about it. 

He shot you a look, you couldn't decide if he was mad, shocked, or excited. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. Shopping by myself gets pretty boring."

You let out a sigh of relief.

He pulled into the grocery store shortly after and you both hopped out of the car. Walking in you were nervous for some reason, you thought he might judge you for the things you buy but that was just a stupid thought, you needed to get out of your head and enjoy getting groceries with someone else instead of just yourself. 

You decided one cart would suffice since you both shopped so minimally. 

As you made your way up and down each aisle, both grabbing random things you needed, you relaxed a bit. And you could tell Hotch did too. You were telling him a funny story about Morgan when an elderly woman approached you. 

She looked at Hotch then looked at you and said, "if I had someone that looked at me like this man looked at you, I would never let them go. You guys are just the sweetest couple I have ever seen." 

You began to explain that you weren't a couple when Hotch cut you off. "How could I not look at her like that? She's the most beautiful woman to ever walk this earth. You're the second, though." he said, winking at her. 

You just laughed but your brain was going a million miles an hour. Hotch was not one to lie. He wouldn't just say something if he didn't mean it. Not at work at least, you've seen him scold people for that. You guessed you didn't know about outside of work, maybe he was different. He could have just been playing into this woman to not hurt her feelings. 

He told her to have a good rest of her day, then put his hand on the small of your back and began walking next to you as you pushed the cart. Once the woman was out of sight, his hand stayed there until he found something else he needed to get off a shelf. You weren't going to ask if he meant it or not. You just wanted to believe it was true. 

Once you got to the checkout, you helped Hotch put his groceries down then placed a divider between and set yours on there too. When you were getting your phone out of the waist band of your leggings where you kept your card, Hotch moved the divider without you noticing. He was already at the end of the counter inserting his card, he paid for all of your groceries. 

You walked to the end and stood next to him, "Aaron, you did not have to do that." you said, looking at him with surprised eyes. 

"Please, Y/N, I know how much you make. It's the least I could do." he said as his hand brushed up against yours. You both grabbed your bags and walked back to his car. The drive to your house was short and he pulled into your driveway. If he was any other guy, you would have found it odd how easily he found your house but he was Aaron. 

"Thank you for the company... and the ride. and the groceries... Thanks for everything, Aaron." you smiled and went to get out of the car. He grabbed your arm, pulling you back into the seat. 

"I don't have to get Jack until 1. How about I run here tomorrow morning, and we can head to the park together to train." he said while still holding your arm.

"That sounds great. How about 8:30?" you asked. 

"8:30 is perfect. It's a date." and he let go. You got out of the car, and walked to your door. He waited in the driveway until he made sure you got in safely, you turned around and waved at him. He waved back, and that's when you saw the look. The same one the lady recognized in the store. Sure, he might have been checking you out, it might have been lustful at times. But the way he looked at you... it was like he liked you, and not just as a coworker or a friend, but in a romantic way. 

You shut the door behind you as he pulled out of your driveway and put your stuff away in the kitchen. You finally got a nice hot shower, did a few loads of laundry, and repacked your go-bag with clean clothes for when a new case came through. 

You decided to relax on the couch for a little bit, and watch a movie. All of the sudden your phone vibrated. 

Hotch (7:22 p.m.): Really looking forward to our run tomorrow.

Y/N (7:24 p.m.): Me too! Better get some rest if you wanna keep up with me. 

Hotch (7:24 p.m.): Goodnight, Y/N. 

Y/N (7:24 p.m.): Goodnight, Aaron.

You went to his contact, and pressed edit. You erased Hotch and replaced it with Aaron. You couldn't help but smile, the fact that he reached out and the events that transpired over the past couple days were making you think there was no way he didn't have a crush on you (at the very least.) And the feelings were mutual. The way you felt about him was just about to cross the line of pure physical attraction. You liked being around him, even when he was hard headed and bossy. And you especially liked being around him when it was just the two of you. You saw a different side of him.

God, you could not wait to see him again tomorrow, like you didn't see him almost everyday anyway. You eagerly jumped up off the couch to go pick out your outfit. Your wardrobe consisted of active wear, business clothes, a handful of big tshirts and shorts, that were usually just pajamas, and a very limited amount of casual clothing. You opted for a pair of light blue leggings, a white sports bra, an old cropped crew neck sweatshirt from some random university, and white running shoes. You laid them out neatly on the chair in the corner of your room. 

You decided to relax in bed for awhile and read a book, to distract yourself from the butterflies in your stomach. You made sure to set an alarm and plug in your phone first,  ensuring that you woke up on time. You couldn't wait to see Aaron tomorrow morning.