SPENCER - spencer reid

E I G H T

CHAPTER 8: CROSSING THE WRONG PATH

Dr. Spencer Reid's POV

[January 23rd, 2010]

I walk along the sidewalk briskly, yearning to shield myself from the cold wind. I am walking towards the bookstore to see Rosemary, but - due to the time of day - I had to park three blocks away because the street was lined with cars.

I adjust the strap of the satchel hanging across my chest, moving it over so it would no longer rest on the button of my cardigan. With it being a Saturday afternoon, the storefronts are crowded by people milling about, moving quickly from store to store to avoid the cold.

As I round a corner, I feel myself colliding with a hard body, both of us staggering backwards. After I regain my balance, I look up at the man who I had bumped into. He is around my height and glasses rest upon the bridge of his nose. He looks to be a few years older than I, and I watch as his eyes flare in annoyance before looking up to my face and immediately calming. The rapid change of expression on his face disconcerts me.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going-" I begin to apologize, but he cuts me off.

"Oh please," he waves his hand dismissively. "If I wasn't in such a hurry, this wouldn't have happened. So I'm sorry."

With that, he begins to walk around me, and I briefly nod before proceeding down the path, the whole encounter having accelerated my heart rate. I duck into the doorway of the bookstore, spying Rose standing on her tiptoes as she reaches up to place some books onto a high-up shelf in one of the aisles. I quietly approach her, stopping behind her and placing one hand onto her waist and grabbing the book with the other, placing it onto the top shelf with ease. She jumps at my touch, turning around and relaxing when she sees me.

"Spencer!" She scolds. "Don't scare me like that!"

I bite back a smile as a powdered blush appears on her cheeks, tainting the pale skin sweetly. I run the pad of my thumb across her heated cheekbone, stooping quickly to press a kiss to her forehead.

"It keeps you on your toes," I murmur, stepping back and laughing at her wary expression. "So what do you have for me today?"

She holds up her finger, removing herself from my grasp and disappearing around the corner of the shelf into the next row. Lately we've picked up a routine of me coming in and her giving me a book that she thinks that I would like to read. So far, she hasn't picked a single one that I haven't absolutely adored, so I trust her with this task completely.

She reappears with a large book in her hands, cover-up so that I can see it.

"11/22/63," she announces the title. "Written by Stephen King. You'll love it."

"I know that I will." I say with a smile, following her to the front desk.

She scans the barcode and enters my name into the system before handing to me.

"It's due back on February 6th even though I know you'll read it within the afternoon." She smirks, knowing my tendency to quickly devour the novels that she selects for me.

"You know me so well." I tease with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah."

꧁꧁꧂꧂

After about 10 minutes more of talking with his girlfriend and forming plans with her for the evening, Dr. Spencer Reid exits the bookstore, walking back towards where his car is parked. With his hands in his pockets, his bag weighed down by the new book, and his head in the clouds, his feet carry him along the sidewalk as if they are on autopilot.

He is completely unaware of the presence of the man following him from a safe distance.

The man who had waited patiently for him to emerge from the bookstore.

The man whose attention he had captured unintentionally.

The man who follows him all the way home.

The man that would change his life.