February Night

Chapter 8

The days passed and Lucy started to like her job at Starbucks. Yes, it wasn't her dream job, but it was better than nothing. She could spend time with other people, she had coffee for free and she got out of the apartment to do something. But the best that came with this job was, that Spencer appeared almost every day to buy a coffee and have a quick chat with her. Whenever the little bell over the door rang and Lucy spotted him in the door, a smile appeared on her face automatically. And when he saw her smiling, he always smiled back. He then ordered a tall Americano and while Lucy prepared his coffee, they chatted, mostly about books.

Sometimes, Spencer even came here in the evenings, right before they closed and then Lucy and he sat down at one of the tables, having a coffee and talking to each other. Lucy loved those moments, although she would have never admitted it to anyone.

"What book are you currently reading?", Spencer asked one evening, when he had come here after work to have a coffee and talk to Lucy. The Starbucks was closed already and there was nobody in here anymore, except for Lucy and Spencer. Only one light was still on, right next to their table so they wouldn't have to drink their coffees in darkness.

"One of the Percy Jackson books", she said before she took a sip of her Latte Macchiato. Spencer's eyes widened.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why?" Lucy now frowned at him, wondering what was going on in his genius mind. "I like Greek mythology and the books are fun", she explained. But Spencer's face told her he wasn't convinced at all.

"I've read the first book within not even ten minutes once and I think it's only loosely based on the real Greek mythology, as it is", he shrugged. Lucy groaned and leaned back in her chair.

"There's a lot of Greek mythology in those books and they're fun. Who cares if it's based on the actual facts? It's fiction." She folded her arms in front of her chest and examined Spencer in a challenging way. The agent now leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. A smirk had appeared on his full lips and Lucy swallowed. Damn, why was he so handsome? And so incredibly nice? Why did she feel so good when she was with him? He confused her sometimes and she wasn't sure if she hated that or not.

"But they're not much of a help when it comes to inform yourself about Greek mythology", Spencer said.

"Well, I don't want to inform myself about Greek mythology, genius, I want to be entertained", Lucy replied and now leaned forwards as well. For a moment, they just looked at each other, not saying anything. Then, Spencer's lips parted into a smile again and Lucy smiled as well. It was not possible to not smile when he did. He just looked awesome. And Lucy wished she wouldn't find him attractive. Feelings would make this all much more complicated and her life was already complicated enough in her opinion.

"Someday, I will show you some books I read and like, okay?", he then suggested out of nowhere and Lucy just nodded.

"I would love that." And she really did. She loved books and she knew that Spencer read lots of them. She was curious, what kind of books he would have at home, except for the Harry Potter series, of course. When she glanced at the huge, round clock hanging in the coffee shop, she slightly winced. It was almost midnight. "Oh dear, I should go home now. It's not like I have to be here again in about uhm...eight hours", she said as she got up from her chair, grabbing her cup to put it away into the dishwasher. She couldn't believe how time had flown again while she and Spencer had been talking. Spencer had followed her to bring his cup to the dishwasher as well. Then he put his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I'll walk you home", he offered and Lucy just couldn't say no to that. Although she wasn't afraid to go home alone, she enjoyed Spencer's company. So, she nodded and grabbed her purse.

"Alright, let's go."

While they walked home, they continued talking about whatever just came to their minds. And Lucy was grateful for all the funny stories Spencer had to tell about the BAU team. They took her mind off the thoughts she had been having all day long. The thoughts about New York City and what had forced her to leave the place she had been growing up. Whenever she was alone and didn't do anything, the guilt, the fear and all these thoughts returned. That was why Lucy tried to keep herself busy for as long as she could.

"Thanks for walking me home", Lucy said and turned around to face Spencer as soon as they had arrived at hers and Luke's apartment.

"No problem. It was a pleasure", he said and the smile that once again appeared on his face let Lucy's heart beat a bit faster.

"Will you come by again tomorrow?", she asked and hoped, it wouldn't sound needy or anything like that. When the smile on Spencer's face grew, she felt a bit relieved.

"Sure, I'll come. If there comes no case in between, of course. Maybe I'll manage it even after you've finished your shift so we can have a talk again", he said and before she knew it, he had pulled her into a tight hug. Lucy was more than surprised. She knew he wasn't much of a hugger and him being the one hugging someone first, never happened. That was something Luke had told her. But now here they were, hugging each other. When they pulled away again, Lucy could see that Spencer was surprised by himself. His eyes had widened and his cheeks had turned a slight red. He was wringing his hands.

"I...uhm...good night, Lucy", he stammered.

"Good night, Spencer", she smirked and then turned around to enter the apartment building. Her heart was still beating fast in her chest and she took some deep breaths as soon as she had closed the door behind her.

"You're pretty late", a voice came from the couch as soon as Lucy had stepped into the living room. Luke was sitting there, patting Roxy and watching something on TV.

"And you're still up", she simply said while she went to the kitchen to grab the leftovers from Luke's dinner. He always cooked more than enough, so Lucy could eat when she came home late from her shift. And in return, she would do the same when Luke was out on a case and no one knew when he would be back again.

With a bowl filled with pasta, Lucy settled herself next to Luke. "What are you watching?"

"Hey, don't change the topic!", Luke exclaimed. Lucy raised her eyebrows at him as she shoveled pasta into her mouth. She only realized now that she had only eaten an apple and some crackers this morning and then nothing anymore all day long. She was starving.

"I didn't know we have a topic", she replied. Luke sat up straight and examined his sister.

"Come on, you're only this late because you and Spencer kept sitting in an empty Starbucks chatting away about books and all that stuff." The huge grin on his face made Lucy sigh. Damn profiler, she thought.

"Well, yeah. But we're friends. Just friends, okay? There's no reason to grin like that", she said and pointed at Luke's face. Then, she turned back to her pasta and hurried to finish her food. She was tired and would have to get up way too early again the next morning. Maybe she'd regret that long talk with Spencer the next morning when she'd wake up with a lack of sleep. After she had put the empty bowl back into the kitchen, she pressed a kiss on Luke's cheek. "Good night, dear brother", she smiled before disappearing in the bathroom. Luke just watched her go and slightly shook his head. It was obvious that his sister liked Spencer. And Spencer liked her too. But he swore to himself, not to intervene here. They both were old enough to handle their friendship and feelings.

Sighing, he patted Roxy, who had come again and placed her head on his leg. "Let's see where all of this will lead."