Gentle Epiphany // Criminal Minds

Chapter Four - So High School

🪐 Daphne 🪐

I stand outside the coffee shop Spencer picked for our first book club meeting. My heart was racing, my palms sweating, and a touch of nausea. I should have studied and planned out exactly what I was going to say. Cue cards so I don't say anything embarrassing. He looked so cute sitting in one of the leather chairs sipping on his coffee.

Warm honey brown eyes flick over to me, shit he sees me. There's no running away now. Just breathe Daphne, your only just meeting the man you've had a crush on for a year outside of work for the first time. No big deal. This is totally normal for you. Oh god I might actually vomit or shit myself. Obviously gaslighting myself is not working. He does a little wave towards me through the window. I smile before taking a deep breath and stepping inside.

Here goes nothing.

He stands up with a dimpled smile, "H-hello....hey...hi...." he stammers adorably so as a blush creeps up his face. He quickly leans down to grab a iced drink from the table. "I got you a chai tea latte with honey." His nervous smile turing proud.

"Thank you." I say looking away from his gaze. The nausea in my belly turning into butterflies.

He clears his throat, "So...the book..." He trails off both of us taking our seats across from each other. Why was I worried that he was going to hate it? For some reason I wanted to impress him but my books aren't exactly Spencer Reid's style. It's almost impossible to impress a man like him when he reads medical journals for fun.

His type is probably another genius with at least one P.H.D. if not more. Someone who could keep up with his banter better than I could. Or maybe he likes the opposite, someone who is bolder and exciting. Nothing about me screams P.H.D's or bold and exciting. My self esteem starts to deflate.

"You probably hated it..." My voice was low, almost drowned out by the chatter around us.

"The opposite actually. That was my first fantasy book, it was an engrossing read. I thought the work had great originality to it. I liked Dart."

Dart was the young orphan girl who was mocked, tormented, and bullied by her peers during training. Her storyline was by far my favorite in the book.

"She was my favorite, she was the strongest character despite her youth, and her story was compelling." His eyes light up when I agree.

He sits up a bit his arms coming to lean on his thighs. "Yes! I found Tylar to be a bit weak....passive throughout the book. Which is a shame he had potential."

"I felt bad for him, his ex-wife was the one to testify against him during his trial when he got cast out of the order. I can't imagine someone I used to love doing that to me."

Spencer's eyes soften when he looks at me. We spend the next hour talking about the book and our plans for the next one, I let him choose feeling it was only fair that we switch off. His choice, The Fisher King by Leonore Fleischer surprisingly it was actually on my list to read. We've been talking for awhile about random things.

"I graduated high school at 12, and started college as a prepubescent boy. I never really got a chance to be on a team until the BAU. I'm still trying to understand the dynamics of it all." He does his tight lipped smile, his cheeks turning red again.

"Teams are usually all the same, even in sports. You have your leaders, communicators, listeners, strategist, achievers, and individualist."

"Does that mean you played sports?" His brows raise curiously.

I nod my head yes, "soccer"

"I have a hard time picturing you as a jock." He says bluntly, making me chuckle quietly.