Next Door Neighbor

CHAPTER 8: HE WHAT?!

SPENCER'S POV:

I have now been on sixteen dates with Stephanie. We have known each other for four months, twelve days, ten hours, thirty-four minutes, and twenty-two seconds. And I have to admit, I am absolutely smitten. It was clear on the first date that we were perfect for eachother. It wasn't awkward like other dates I've been on. We talked for hours, laughing at jokes, sharing interests and hobbies. It felt right, like it was meant to be. I haven't told the team we're dating yet, since they'll make a big deal out of it. Plus, we share everything, so I want a bit of privacy.

The team really likes Stephanie though. She's gone out for drinks with us a few other times and she sometimes stops by the office with cookies and other goodies. Penelope and Stephanie have been getting along great, texting all the time. JJ, Emily, and Garcia have even been inviting her to their girl nights. She fits in perfectly with the team.

I'm trying to focus on a case file when I hear someone come in. The team looks up to see a very smiley Stephanie dressed in a bright orange shirt and her normal denim jeans. They all greet her, standing up. "Hi guys. I'm just stopping by with some lunch. I went to that thai place you all like." She says, dropping meals on their desks as she walks by. They thank her and dig in. "Reid, how did you end up with such a nice neighbor?" Morgan asks, talking through a mouthful of food. "I don't know. Luck, I guess." I reply, smiling at Stephanie. She comes and sits on the edge of my desk, looking at the file I'm working on.

"I brought you your favorite." She says, handing me the to-go container of food. The smell makes my stomach rumble. I put the case file to the side and start to eat the food, which is as delicious as ever. "So, how's work?" Hotch asks her. She just shrugs. "Slow. How was the case last week? Spencer told me all about it. It sounds insane." The team chimes in to tell her all about the case. Then Emily gets to the part where I almost got shot. "The bullet just missed him!" she finishes.

"He almost got shot?" Stephanie shouts, turning to face me. "You didn't tell me you almost got shot, Spencer!" I was hoping she wouldn't find out. "I didn't want to worry you. I'm fine, it wasn't a big deal." I tell her. "Not a big deal? You could have died!" She yells. "That's part of the job, Steph." I remind her, smiling. She rolls her eyes. "I'm going to wrap you in bubble wrap one of these days, make sure you can't get hurt." She jokes. The team laughs at this. "I'm glad you're okay, Spence." she whispers to me. "Me too." I whisper back.

"I should probably get going, let you guys get back to your work." Stephanie says. "Remember, it's movie night tonight. I'm making pasta." she tells me. "Sounds good. See you tonight, hun." As soon as the word 'hun' leaves my mouth, I know I've massively messed up. "Hold up. Hun?" Emily says, a smirk on her face. Stephanie turns to look at me, biting her lip. "Hah! Rossi, you owe me twenty bucks! I told you they were dating!" Morgan yells out. "You made a bet on us?" Stephanie asks, chuckling. "Yup. It was pretty obvious you two had something going on." Rossi explains.

"How did you guys know? We were so careful about it!" Stephanie questions. "We're profilers. We used the art of profiling to figure it out." Emily answers. "No, actually, we saw you kiss him goodbye when you were leaving. We saw it through the window." Garcia explains. "We just wanted to see when you would tell us." Hotch says, smiling slightly. "Well, guess the cats out of the bag then." I sigh. "So. Tell me. How long have you two been a thing?" Morgan asks. "Three months, two days, twelve hours, sixteen minutes, and forty-seven seconds." I tell him.

"You two are seriously the cutest couple!" Garcia squeals. "At least we don't have to hide it anymore." I say. I then kiss Stephanie straight on the lips, and just like the first time we kissed, I feel butterflies in my stomach and see fireworks in my eyes.