[✓] 𝐶𝐼𝑁𝐷𝐸𝑅 | 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝟏𝟗 | 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

— 𝒞 —

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐔𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃 at the hem of her jean skirt as she examined her reflection in the mirror.

The jean skirt that ended mid-thigh had a floral blouse tucked into it, which, honestly, she wasn't too used to. Usually, her work outfits consisted of button-ups and jeans, and ninety percent of her time was spent at work.

Her hands moved up to fix her hair, which she had gently curled. The heavier makeup was something she wasn't too used to either; she had put a bolder shade of red for her lips and added a shimmery brown eyeshadow to her usual foundation, eyeliner, and mascara.

As she slid a gold ring onto her left index finger, she glanced at the clock that hung just next to the bathroom door. She only had a few minutes left until she had to leave for her date.

She could feel the butterflies in her stomach increasing by the moment, and the constant fixing of her hair and clothes only reinforced the proof of her nerves. Sure, she and Spencer had spent a lot of time together, even alone, in the past year, but not like this.

What if she messed up? What if it turned out that they were better as friends? If this date's outcome was anything worse than 'good,' that would only make both their friendly and professional relationship awkward.

Another glance at the clock told her that it was time to go. With one deep breath and another fix to her blouse, she nodded and shut the lights off.

The past week didn't really allow them to ponder too much on their date; the original plan was to go the very next day—it was a Saturday, after all—but, of course, they were called in during at three in the morning for a triple homicide in Wisconsin. And then, after that, they had been far too busy with both cases and catching up on the sleep they missed because of those cases.

So, when they realized that the weekend gave them the free time they needed, Spencer suggested that they go to a chess park. And, as much as she hated playing chess against the man who won every single time, any idea was a good one at that point.

She quickly drove over to the chess park he had informed her of the night before, dragging her hand away from the steering wheel every now and then to tug at her skirt or swipe away a stray strand of hair.

The park had a fair amount of visitors when she parked; a few of the tables were taken, though there were plenty free.

She spotted Spencer as she closed her car door, and it seemed that he was as nervous as she when he cracked a smile that didn't seem too comfortable on his lips.

"Hey," he greeted as she walked up to him.

She smiled, hoping that her choice of lipstick wasn't too much. "Hi."

Spencer's smile became more natural as his gaze roamed over her. "You look . . . beautiful."

"Thanks." She felt her cheeks heating, and she quickly distracted herself with his outfit, which was quite usual for him: a plaid button-up, which was mostly hidden by a light coat, and jeans. "You look quite handsome yourself."

"Oh, uh, thanks," he replied nervously, his grin matching his tone. He nodded towards the nearest open table. "Wanna . . . ?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

They took their seats across from each other at the square stone table. In the middle, was a chessboard that was able to be rotated and a timer that sat on the side.

Charlie sighed as she rested her cheek against her hand and her lips curved into a lazy smile. "I can't believe we're finally free."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "it kinda felt like the universe was working against us."