Criminal Minds x Reader

Sand [A.H]

You sat in the living room, the familiar hum of silence filling the space between you two. Aaron was sitting across from you, his eyes distant, lost in thought. The glow from the table lamp cast long shadows, emphasising the coldness that seemed to permeate every corner of your apartment. It hadn't always been like that, but lately, it felt as though your love no longer warmed your home.

"Aaron" you whispered, your voice barely more than a whisper.

He looked up, his eyes meeting yours with a flicker of something — regret, maybe. "I miss you" he said softly, his words hanging in the air like an unspoken promise.

A bitter smile tugged at your lips. "You know," you said, trying to keep your voice steady, "I found this dress in the back of my wardrobe, under the heels I wore that day". You glanced down at the dress you had worn that day at the beach, now clinging to you like a relic of the past. "There still was sand in my shoes. In my pockets". You looked at him, hoping he would recall the memory.

Aaron, still in his work suit, stared at you, his face etched with an apology that words could never convey. That day at the beach had been a rare moment of happiness, a brief escape from the demanding world you both inhabited as FBI agents. For a few hours, you had been just Aaron and Y/N, not Agent Hotchner and his subordinate. The echo of the waves crashing against the shore, the salty breeze in your hair, and your laughter mingling with the sound of the ocean was almost painful then, a stark contrast to the present.

"I remember," he said finally, his voice barely audible. He reached out as if to bridge the gap between the two of you, but his hand fell back to his side.

You took a deep breath, the words you needed to say burning in your throat. "That sand... It's the only thing left of us" you whispered, more to yourself than to him. The beach, that fleeting moment of joy, your laughter — it all felt like a lifetime ago. You knew, as did he, that your paths no longer aligned, that your demanding job and the endless cases had driven an insurmountable wedge between you two.

Aaron's shoulders sagged, and for a moment, he looked like a man who had lost everything. "I'm sorry" he murmured, his voice breaking. "I wish things were different"

"So do I" you replied, the ache in your chest growing. You wanted to get closer, to touch him, to tell him that you two could fix this. But deep down, you knew it was too late. Your love had been consumed by the very thing that had brought you together. The reality of your lives had smothered the spark that once made your relationship special.

Silence enveloped the room again, and the distance between you two felt insurmountable. The apartment, once filled with warmth and laughter, was now just a cold, empty space — a reflection of what you had become.

As you looked at Aaron, you realized that letting go was the only option left. The sea, with its happy memory frozen in time, was a place you could never return to. It was time to face the truth and move forward, even if it meant doing so apart.

"I think," you began, your voice trembling, "It's time we accept that"

Aaron nodded slowly, his eyes filled with a sadness that mirrored your own. "I know" he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

So you sat there, the weight of your unspoken words settling around you two, and for the first time in a long while, you were truly honest with each other. Your love, once vibrant and full of life, was then a bittersweet memory, a chapter that had come to an end.