Closer - A Spencer Reid story (2)

3

Yn sat on the edge of her brother's couch, watching the sunlight filter through the living room windows, casting soft patterns on the wooden floors. The faint cries of the newborn baby, muffled through the closed door of the nursery, served as a gentle reminder of why she was here in D.C. and not in her sleek apartment in Hong Kong. She had come back to help her brother and his wife, Naomi, with their baby, but that was all. A short visit—nothing more.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, interrupting her thoughts. She picked it up and smiled at the name flashing across the screen. Faye.

Without hesitation, Yn swiped to answer. "Hey, Faye," she greeted warmly.

"Yn! I've been waiting for your call. You said you'd call me as soon as you were settled in, but it's been days," Faye's voice rang out on the other end, a playful hint of accusation in her tone.

Yn leaned back, allowing herself a moment of comfort. "I've been busy helping with the baby. You know how it is. My brother and Naomi are... overwhelmed, to say the least."

"Still doesn't excuse you from catching up with your favorite neighbor," Faye teased, but then her tone shifted, curiosity lacing her words. "So, spill. How's D.C. been treating you? And don't leave out any details."

Yn paused for a moment, unsure of how much to say. "It's... fine," she began slowly, trying to keep her voice neutral. "The city hasn't changed much since I left."

Faye picked up on the hesitation immediately. "You're avoiding something. Come on, Yn, you know you can't hide anything from me."

Yn bit her lip, her mind drifting back to the coffee shop encounter with Spencer. His face, his nervous energy, the way he had stumbled over his words. She had tried to push the memory aside, but it lingered at the edges of her thoughts, refusing to be ignored.

"I ran into someone," Yn finally admitted, her voice casual but her stomach twisting at the admission.

Faye gasped dramatically. "Oh my God, who? An old flame? A secret lover? Come on, you have to tell me everything now."

Yn rolled her eyes, despite the fact that Faye couldn't see her. "It's nothing like that."

"Well, who was it?"

She hesitated again, the weight of the name still unfamiliar on her tongue after all these years. "Spencer."

There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line, as if Faye were processing the name, the implications, the history.

"No," Faye finally said, her voice low with surprise. "Spencer Reid? As in... the Spencer?"

"The one and only," Yn replied with a sigh, leaning her head against the couch cushion.

"Holy shit," Faye said, her tone somewhere between disbelief and concern. "I didn't even think he was still on your radar. I mean, you've been in Hong Kong for years now."

"Yeah, I didn't think I'd see him either," Yn said softly, her fingers brushing over the fabric of the couch absentmindedly. "It was just a coincidence. I went to get coffee, and there he was."

"And how was it?" Faye's voice sharpened with interest. "Did you talk? What did he say?"

Yn considered her answer carefully. "We talked, yes. He was... flustered. A little awkward, like always. But it was fine. We just caught up."

"Caught up?" Faye repeated, sounding skeptical. "Are you telling me that after everything that happened between you two, you just casually caught up like old pals?"