Sweeter Than Honey

Chapter 1:Coffee Spills and Woollen Sweaters

Cassia's P.O.V:

"Oh shit! I'm gonna be so late!" I huffed frustratedly, swerving onto the freeway. Not only had I gotten up late, but my landlord had not fixed the heating system yet, so guess who had to take a freezing cold shower in the middle of January in, you guessed it, Virginia. That's right- me! It's already freaking cold here, but no, my landlord just had to be a douche cheapass. Anyways, after my shitty shower, I went to get something to eat, only to see that all my food had gone bad because someone decided to turn off the electricity during repairs and not tell me! 'Stupidass landlord, I swear one of these days I'm gonna be the one behind bars for murder! Murdering him!' I screamed internally. So now, not only am I freezing, but I'm also hungry and late for my first day on the job, so you understand why I'm having a bad morning, right?

Once I finally got out of the horrible traffic on the freeway, I quickly made my way to the parking lot, sliding my car into the parking spot before dashing the elevator, only to be stopped by what seemed to be a brick wall in a sweater-. I braced myself for impact, but nothing came; that's when I realised that said brick wall had caught me, and let me tell you... he was stunning. But sadly, his hotness did not make up for his clumsiness because as soon as he had caught me, he lost balance and split what I could only assume was an Americano all over my new white top. I froze, panic and anger clouding my mind. I looked up, tears clouding my vision, only to be met by that god-damn sexy face, the face of the man who owed me a new top. "Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and- oh, god! I am really sorry I ramble when I'm nervous and-" I didn't know whether I wanted to cry or laugh, a little bit of both actually.

I slowly stood up, ignoring the searing pain from the coffee spill that had landed right on my chest, and grabbed my bag. "It's um... okay, I just- I", and that's when I broke down, sobbing in front of a stranger, cold, hungry, stained with coffee, and probably late for my interview; but at that moment in time, I didn't care, I was too emotionally drained to care. "Oh, god, you're crying. Was it something I said? Oh god, please, I'm so sorry!" he spoke quickly, hesitantly reaching out for you. "It's not you, well, not entirely" you sobbed.

"I have an interview today, and so far, it's been a pretty crappy day! I woke up late, but my horrible landlord didn't fix the heating, so I had to take a freezing cold shower. My fridge wasn't working so all my food had spoiled and I didn't have time to pick up something to eat, and now my favourite top is stained, and my chest is most likely burned right before the most important interview of my life! So I'm sorry for being emotional!" I sniffled, slowly going back to sobbing. The tall man looked down at me before scooping me in his arms. I stood, frozen in shock; why on earth was this gorgeous stranger hugging me?

"I've had my share of bad days, trust me, but don't let it crush your spirit, I'm sure you're going to ace your interview, and when you do, I'll take you for coffee to celebrate. And about your shirt, here," he spoke, smiling before peeling off his sweater, which was like a sage green sweater, practically engulfing my curvy, small frame. "I-I couldn't possibly-" "shush, just take my sweater, it's the least I could do after how horrible of a day you've had, and how I just added to all your problems," he smiled, handing it over to me. I grabbed the soft, cotton material; smiling. The sweater was a beige v-neck that looked professional and, at the same time, really cosy.

I placed it in my arms, finally feeling some sort of hope that this day might just end up being good. "Now about that coffee thing, if you want, we can grab some coffee after you ace that interview, and then I can continue to apologise about my stupidity," he chuckled, nudging my shoulder playfully. I smiled warmly, a light blush coating my plump cheeks as I giggled lightly. "Sure, I'd like that..." I trialled off, not exactly knowing this kind man's name. "Spencer Reid, but you can call me Spence, Ms...?", he asked, smiling back at me. "Cassia, Cassia Alorez," I spoke back, giggling as he shook my hand strongly, a confident smile gracing his adorably handsome face.

"Sorry about the whole crying and yelling at you Spencer, I guess I was just emotional," I spoke, a deep blush settling on my already rosy cheeks. He laughed, slightly amused at my embarrassment and just shook it off. "Don't worry about it. If anything, I should be the one to tell you I'm sorry." He replied, smiling sweetly at me. "Well, Ms Alorez, I will hopefully see you after your interview", he grinned, earning another giggle from me. I nodded, quickly gathering myself before bolting for the elevator, not before giving Spencer one last look, waving goodbye, only to be greeted by him giving me a thumbs up.

As I waited for the elevator to stop, I quickly slipped off my stained top and put on Spencer's cosy, beige sweater, smiling as his scent engulfed me with a warm, welcoming hug. I sighed, savouring his scent of cinnamon and damp earth; fresh, clean and cosy, just like him. I quickly blushed, shaking the thought out of my head, and cleaned myself up a bit before finally making it to my floor.

I stepped out, my heels clicking against the shiny marble floors as I walked down towards my interview; thankfully, I wasn't late. I took a deep breath, collected my thoughts and knocked on the door. "Hello! I'm guessing you're Cassia Alorez?" A stern voice spoke. Looking up, a man stood in front of me, his face riddled with worry lines and his brows furrowed. He nodded softly, sticking his hand out for me to shake. I took her hand in my, shaking it softly but strongly, smiling at her shyly. "Yes, sir, that's me", I smiled, breathing deeply. "Well, come on in, and we can get started with the interview," He smiled lightly, stepping to the side as I walked in, my heart hammering rapidly against my ribs. 'Oh boy, let's hope this doesn't end up a total mess,' I sighed once more before smiling, taking a seat and preparing for what was to come.