I've never been the jealous type. I'm usually the one who makes someone jealous, actually. I had seldom felt the bubbling in my stomach and the burning of my throat and eyes as I did in that moment. It was all consuming. In a split second, I began to understand why it sometimes made men and women go crazy. It was like I had been punched in the gut while simultaneously being set on fire. Of course, I am a rational woman so I knew in the back of my mind that what I was feeling was probably completely stupid. But oh, this had made all of my insecurities float to the surface. I mean, I had good reason for these insecurities. The man I was starting to fall in love with was quite possibly the most gorgeous man on Earth. In fact, I had reason to doubt he was even a man, but instead some superior being who had come to study us lowly Earthlings. Derek Morgan is tall, wrapped in pure muscle, and oh-so-very desirable. The man oozes sex appeal. Then, there's me.
I am the definition of "average woman." I am the U.S. average women's size fourteen in pants, 5'4 in height, with a freckled face and a boat load of student loans waiting to be paid off. Derek could have pretty much any woman he wanted, which is why I frequently question why exactly this God-like hunk of a man would want me. To be honest, when he first asked me out on a date, I thought it was a joke. After my initial stunned silence and likely uncomfortable staring, he had asked again with this breathtaking grin on his face and I just couldn't say no, even if I was to be laughed at and humiliated like I expected to happen a few second later. Fortunately, this was not the case. He proceeded to give me details of when and where we would be going on our date and the rest was history.
Despite his constant leaving for work and my nearly crippling fear of any type of commitment, we had managed to stay together for nearly four months. While we had been officially together for that length of time, he had only been in the same area code as me for maybe two months of it due to his fast paced and somewhat gruesome job that required frequent travel. In these months, I had only met two of his friends; his boss, Aaron Hotchner, and Spencer Reid. These meetings were by complete accident, of course. I have the sinking feeling that if we didn't stumble upon these individuals, I still would not have met them. It made me wonder if he is embarrassed of me. The thought hurt, but I was usually able to push it aside and not think about it. That was, until that night.
His phone had gone off while he was in the shower, so of course I answered it. Now, I'm not the type of girlfriend who goes snooping through her boyfriend's phone or something. By then, this had become a normal practice for the both of us, the ripple working both ways. When I answered the phone, it was usually just a call from Hotchner or JJ asking me to relay a message to Derek that "wheels were up in an hour." As a side note, while his constant coming and going wasn't ideal for our relationship, I didn't mind as much as most probably would. I enjoyed the alone time, plus I was used to the constant coming and going from my parents' jobs when I was growing up. When I answered the phone this time, the voice was cheerful and most definitely female.
Before I could put in a word, she spoke.
"Hello my delectable chocolate god," she said, "your delicious Baby Girl has a night to herself, a bottle of wine, and several movies with your name on it. You game?" I coughed and took a sharp intake of breath.
"Um," I stuttered, "this is not the 'chocolate god' but this is his girlfriend. May I ask who this is?"
"Oh my gosh, you must be Molly! I've heard so much about you, oh my goodness! I'm Penelope Garcia, Derek's friend? I'm so sorry. I feel like you might have some stuff to discuss with Derek do I'll let you hop to it." Before I could get in a word edgewise, she hung up the phone, leaving me dumbfounded. I had known that Derek and Garcia flirted, but that was over the top. Thankfully, knowing it was Garcia, the jealousy floated away and I was overcome with slow building laughter. I was in a full giggle fit when Derek walked in on me laughing like a madman, clutching his phone.
"Mind telling me why you're on our bed acting like my team's next unsub, baby?" he said with a quirked eyebrow and a towel sprung his waist. I managed to stop myself from my hysterical laughter and wiped at my eyes.
"I just talked to Garcia for the first time. Let me tell you, that girl is a whirlwind."