Blindsided

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! Laptop crashed earlier this year and I don't have a reliable one to use at the moment so updates on this and my rumbelle story are behind. I am currently writing on paper and typing-p updates whenever I get a chance. However, I can guarantee that updates are on their way! Happy reading! xo

Chapter One

A Blind Meet Cute

Reid sat mulling over the taste of his appetizer, trying to process its taste, and in doing so pinpoint each and every ingredient that had been used in its conception. He was trying to calm his nerves. He had never been on a blind date before, and he could feel an unfamiliar flutter in his stomach as he waited for this evening's dining partner to join him. Scratching at the blindfold knot at the nape of his neck, he sighed. He knew that Penelope hadn't meant to catch any of his shoulder length hair in the knot, but of course it was unavoidable.

He was already beginning to regret his decision to attend. The university's GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) had decided to begin a new monthly event last fall; a blind dining mixer of sorts. It was meant to demonstrate that many singles were compatible and that everyone deserved a "fair shot" on the dating scene, without the disadvantage of being judged based on their appearance.

Usually, Reid tended to avoid such social spectacles. However, after four months of avoidance, he had finally run out of excuses to shield himself against his best friend Penelope, who also happened to be one of the GSA's senior student reps.

Reid felt the flimsy table where he was sitting jostle slightly, as another poor, unfortunate, blindfolded soul was seated at the place across from him. He was about to greet his companion when a deep, masculine voice said, "Hello? Is anyone sitting here?"

Reid let out a breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding, and meekly responded, "I am."

"Oh, hello," There was a soft laugh from the other side of the table, "You sound nervous. I promise that I won't bite."

Reid felt a little heat rise to his face. He had told Penelope that he was open to sitting with men or women... he didn't really have a preference. But to be honest, he had never been with a man before. This man's flirting was making him blush something terrible, and they had barely begun talking!

"Hi," was the best he could manage. There was a brief moment of silence, and Reid realized that the other man was waiting expectantly for him to continue. "Is this your first time? I-I mean, eating blindfolded? I mean, uh..."

Again there was a soft laugh, and the other man answered, "I think I know what you mean. And yes. I'm not usually very active in the, er, dating scene... if that's what they even still call it. A friend of mine and I decided to check it out while we were downtown. He's from out of town and I wanted to show him the sights."

Reid hesitantly tried to make a joke, despite the fact that making jokes tended to be a rather difficult sport for him, "And how's that going for you so far?"

The other man laughed again, "It's a bit dark. How about you? Do you regularly dine out at venues that blindfold you so that you have no idea what you're eating?"

Actually, Reid said, glad now that his prior efforts hadn't been a waste, "I believe that we're being served potato gnocchi tonight. Although no... I don't, actually. This is my first time. My friends say that I'm likely to remain forever alone."

Realizing too late that he had probably said too much too soon, he promptly stuffed his foot into his mouth and mentally slapped himself. He waited for the stranger's response. When it came, Reid felt a little more relief.

"Mine seems to think the same... I don't get out much. Lately even less."

Reid frowned in concern. The other man sounded tired. He was about to inquire further, when their conversation was interrupted by a server. The waiter placed the other man's entree in front of him and asked if there was anything else that they needed, before quietly retreating again. The other man waited until they were alone again to lean in and whisper conspiratorially, "It does taste an awful lot like potato gnocchi."

Reid smiled to himself and continued eating. Over the next half hour, Reid launched into an animated description of the history of potato gnocchi's evolution as a staple of cuisine, only pausing once when he accidentally sent his own glass of water tumbling to the floor. It was only after the waiter arrived with their desserts that he realized just how long he had been rambling.

"I'm sorry..." he said, awkwardly tugging at the knot behind his head again. "I do that sometimes. You probably stopped listening long before I sent that water flying..."

"It's alright," the other man said, amusement in his voice. "What do you do?"

"Well... I ramble on, I suppose," said Reid.

"Your rambling sounds intelligent. Are you a professor at the university?" The stranger sounded genuinely intrigued, and Reid was flattered. He was a grad student, but he didn't consider himself to be that intelligent, at least not yet.

"Heh, what? Me? No..." Reid laughed off the compliment awkwardly. He had never been very good at taking compliments. "Although I wouldn't be opposed to teaching... No, I'm afraid that students might find me less engaging than they're used to... and awkward. I enjoy my research."

"Ah, well," the other man said, "I suppose that teaching isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

Reid noted the sadness in his companion's tone, but knew that this was probably not the best time to practice his skills in psychology. They continued the rest of their dinner in amiable conversation, and Reid felt himself growing more and more comfortable as the evening progressed.

As they began to hear some of the other blindfolded diners being escorted from the dining room, the Reid felt the other man's hand slide across the table and take hold of his own hand. The other man's hand was large and calloused... it entirely engulfed his own. Reid shivered. The stranger's voice reached out across the distance in between them hesitantly, "Can I see you again?"

Reid couldn't help himself, and his lips quirked into a smile, "Am I seeing you now?"

He felt the other man lean in closer to him, and whisper, "Stop avoiding the question."

Reid swallowed down the heat that was drying out his throat, and that heat plummeted to his groin as the other man continued, "Your hands are so smooth..."

The other man began to pull away, having taken Reid's hesitance for a kind rejection, and said, "Either way, I really enjoyed our conversation."

"No, wait!" Reid said, taking hold of the other man's hand again and gripping it more tightly. "I'm, uh, relatively good at conversation. Perhaps I could give you a call?"

Another soft laugh; Reid could hear the other man's smile in his voice. Then he felt his hand being lifted, and a pair of parted lips brush against the heel of his hand. There was stubble too. All at once his pants felt very tight. "I'll leave my number with the waiter."

Later that evening, after most of the other guests had left for home, Reid approached Penelope. She was standing at the front of the room, congratulating the waiters (who were all students of the GSA) on the success of yet another Blind Mixer.

"Hey Penelope," Reid said, approaching the group.

Garcia turned to give him a hug, with the biggest smile on her face. "My darling! Did you not have the most amazing time? The guy sitting across from you was a total dreamboat!"

Reid felt his stomach flutter, and the drop a little as he processed that fact. In his frumpy sweater vest and unruly hair, he couldn't help but feel a little insecure next to someone that his best friend described as a "dreamboat." Sure, their comparability in conversation had been more than... amazing... but once the guy saw him? Reid grimaced. He didn't stand a chance.

Garcia must have noticed Reid's demeanor change as he began to hold himself more self-consciously, and tusked at him in a very maternal way. "And you are the dreamiest dreamboat of them all, Spence. Don't you dare forget it! So dreamy, in fact, that Prentice happened to take down a number that he left for you!"

Reid felt some of the weight lift from his chest, but not before he could stop himself from saying, "Well yeah, but he was still blindfolded when he left the room, right?"

Penelope rolled her eyes, "That is entirely, one hundred percent beside the point."

Prentice approached them then, and handed Reid a napkin with a phone number written in cramped handwriting and black pen ink. Reid slipped the napkin into his wallet, a quiet smile playing across his features. "Oh, okay. Thank you..."

Garcia smiled at him affectionately, "Go get him, lover boy!"