Unspoken - S.R

Ripples

A few months had passed, and Adeline and Elliot had been officially together for two months. For most people, that might seem like the blossoming of a new romance, but for Spencer, it felt like a lifetime. He couldn't shake the gnawing unease that grew every time he saw them together. Much to his dismay, this relationship seemed to be going strong—stronger than he wanted to admit, even to himself.

The day had started off in typical fashion, but Spencer was in a more irritable mood than usual. He had just returned from Penelope's office, still brooding over the latest case they were working on, when the sight of Elliot stepping out of the elevator brought his thoughts to a screeching halt. In Elliot's hand was a large bouquet of bright, cheerful flowers—exactly the kind Adeline loved. Spencer's heart sank at the sight.

He lingered near the doors, trying to mind his own business and read the paperwork in his hands, but his eyes betrayed him. He couldn't look away as Elliot walked confidently across the bullpen, every step making Spencer's gut churn. Elliot's arrival didn't go unnoticed. As soon as Adeline caught sight of him, her entire demeanour changed. Her eyes sparkled, her smile widened, and she looked as though her entire day had just been made.

Spencer felt a pang of envy so strong it nearly took his breath away. He wished that smile, that light in her eyes, was meant for him. He wished it were him walking in with flowers, making her day just by showing up. But it wasn't. It was Elliot.

Adeline stood up from her desk, her excitement palpable. She practically floated toward Elliot, who handed her the bouquet with a warm smile that made Spencer grit his teeth. He watched as they embraced, feeling more like an outsider than ever. It wasn't that Elliot was a bad guy—on the contrary, he seemed perfectly nice. But that only made it worse. It meant that Spencer had no real reason to dislike him, no justifiable reason to be upset. Yet, the feelings were there, simmering just beneath the surface, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.

As the two of them chatted and laughed, oblivious to the world around them, Spencer returned to his desk and tried to refocus on his work. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore the bitter taste of jealousy that lingered in his mouth. The bullpen, usually a place where he felt in control, now felt like a cage, trapping him with emotions he didn't know how to handle.

He wanted to be happy for Adeline, he really did. But seeing her so happy with someone else—someone who wasn't him—was a kind of torture he hadn't anticipated. Every smile, every laugh she shared with Elliot felt like another nail in the coffin of his unspoken hopes.

The final nail in the coffin was watching Adeline throw her arms around Elliot's neck, pulling him down into a kiss. It wasn't just any kiss; it was full of warmth and genuine affection. Spencer could see her smiling into the kiss, her happiness radiating off her in waves that seemed to wash over the entire bullpen. For Spencer, it felt like a punch to the gut, a final, cruel confirmation of what he had been trying to deny.

In his frustration and desperation to turn away from the scene, Spencer's hand fumbled, and his cup of coffee went crashing to the floor. The ceramic shattered with a loud, sharp crack, spilling dark liquid across the floor. The sound seemed to echo through the bullpen, drawing everyone's attention to the mess. Spencer's face flushed with embarrassment as he quickly bent down, trying to collect the pieces of his shattered cup. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but the only gaze that mattered to him was Adeline's.

Adeline pulled away from Elliot, her concern evident as she walked over to help him. "Spence, are you okay?" she asked softly, crouching down beside him to pick up the larger chunks of the broken cup. Her voice was filled with genuine care, and as she reached out to help, her fingers brushed against his. Spencer's heart ached at the simple contact, a reminder of what could never be.