Normal People - Strange Encounters Book Two

Chapter 39

The next month passed in a comfortable haze. Spencer and Amelia fell into a steady routine, at least, steady for them. They'd quickly adjusted to Spencer getting called back into the field, something that still tied Amelia's stomach in knots every time his work cell rang. But she'd found ways to occupy herself.

Throwing herself head first into her new job certainly helped. Penelope hadn't been kidding, the center was severely underfunded, so she was never without a case to look into or file. She hadn't started meeting clients yet as she was still going through training and getting the proper certifications, but she'd already felt at home with her new coworkers. It was simple to find ease among people who shared the same passions, Amelia realized.

Therapy was another thing that Amelia had started looking forward to. One morning before Spencer left for the office, he glanced at their shared calendar in the kitchen to double check on when their next dinner at Rossi's was. He'd done a double take when he noticed a small 'T' circled, 5:30 written next to it, every Monday.

He felt relieved, glad to see Amelia embracing this. He'd noticed the impact it'd had on her, too. She woke up less frequently throughout the night, occasionally there would even be nights where she'd sleep through. She jumped less when there was a sudden loud nose, just a faint clench of her jaw, or a quick jolt of her shoulders. Small motions probably no one but Spencer would even think twice about.

For her birthday, Spencer had arranged a trip to Philadelphia. Instead of staying in the guest room at her abuela's, he'd booked a room at a swanky hotel Amelia always showed him pictures of on Instagram. He'd made reservations at one of her favorite restaurants, and when he presented it to her she'd immediately emailed her manage to ask for the time off.

Spring was blooming in the heart of DC, the cherry blossoms proof of the shift. All around, people seemed to be taking their first collective breath in months. The sun stayed up a little later, the air just a touch warmer. As Spencer walked down the street to meet Amelia on her lunch break, he slung his jacket over his arm, finding it too much with the sweater he wore.

Shoving the cafe door open with his shoulder, Spencer glanced around until his eyes landed on her. As always, her headphones were in. She was completely oblivious to the loud bustling in the cafe, instead her eyes trained on the book that laid on the table in front of her. Spencer made his way over, pausing momentarily before he sat as to not startle her. When she glanced up, her smile seemed to cause the hustle and bustle around them to fade into background noise.

"Hi, baby" she said, shutting her book and sliding it over.

"Hey sweetheart. How's your day goin?" He asked, absentmindedly running his hand through his hair before hanging his coat on the chair.

"Not bad, kinda crazy. I have my last of the training today, then I start meeting clients next week." She bit her lip, nervously fiddling with the book's cover. Spencer glanced down at it.

"Is that a.. new copy of The Narrative of John Smith?" He saw Amelia blush.

"Maybe.." She drew out. Spencer laughed.

"Why not just borrow mine?"

"I dunno, if you love it so much I thought it would be worth owning myself," she responded with a shrug. A server came over then, and they placed their orders of coffees and sandwiches.

"Anyway, clients. Are you excited?" Spencer asked once they were alone again. She gave a small nod.

"Nervous, though. I mean, what if I'm not helpful? What if I can't make a difference for them? For christ's sake, if it wasn't for young the BAU, this could've been something I would've needed when going through all of that shit last year."