Learning to Start Over
"Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go, but rather learning to start over."
~Nicole Sobon
When summer came to Quantico, Spencer Reid did not expect that the change of seasons would have such a great affect on him. The warmer weather seems to breathe even more life into the busy city. No longer are Spencer's coffee outings on his lunch break comfortable; there are too many people crowding into his favorite Starbucks to be able to find an empty seat. So, one day on his walk back to the office, Spencer decides to duck into a nearly empty used book store right down the street from Starbucks. He has plenty of time left on his break, and he was in need of a new book or two.
Spencer has to duck a little bit to get inside the front door of the establishment. He is met with the beautiful cool of an air conditioner, and the soft ding of the service bell above his head. The cashier jumps, and quickly sets the book that she has been reading down on the counter. "Good afternoon, sir."
Her accent immediately catches Spencer's attention: thick and Southern, something he rarely hears in a place like Quantico. "Good afternoon," he mumbles with the slightest amount of a smile possible.
Speaking to women has hurt Spencer ever since he lost Maeve. He doesn't completely understand why, but every time he tries to open his mouth to a woman -a barista, a stranger whose child is trying to wander off down the street, relatives of victims in the cases he works so hard to solve- he just tenses up. His voice comes out low and small, often to the point where he has to repeat himself more than once for the woman in question to understand.
"Do ya need any help navigating the shelves, sir?"
Spencer shakes his head. "No, thank you. You can go back to reading your book."
"Y're the first customer I've had all day, y'know. Very slow place."
Unable to come up with something to say, Spencer instead smiles a little more and heads into the shelves. He explores in silence, often lowering himself to his knees to check out the spines in the lower shelves. He can feel the eyes of the cashier following him, but stays quiet; the feeling of being watched is not oppressive, but rather curious. He reemerges with a few thick hardcover books on sociology, one of his favorite BAs he has achieved, and philosophy, the current BA he is working for. He lays the books on the counter and pulls out his wallet, now actually taking the time to look at the woman behind the counter.
Her long black hair is pulled back from her face in a ponytail that reaches just below her shoulderblades. She wears a plain white blouse and a soft brown skirt that reaches her knees. He can't help but eye her long legs and cowboy boots.
"Um, sir?"
Spencer is brought back to reality. "Yes?"
"$32.97 for the books."
"Oh, yes. So sorry." Spencer counts out the bills and hands them to her. She goes to hand the three cents back to him, but he instead closes her hand around them. "Keep it. You said that it's a slow place. You need all that you can get."
She smiles, and her voice is a wistful sigh. "If only everyone were like you."
Spencer blushes. "Well, thank you."
She shakes her head. "What's yer name?"
"Reid. I, um, I mean Spencer. Spencer Reid. Doctor Spencer Reid."
The cashier can't help but giggle at his nervousness. "Aren't ya a bit young to be a doctor?"
"I have three doctorate degrees, as well as two BAs, though I'm working on getting my third in philosophy."
"Ho-lee smokes! I've never been in the presence of such a genius!"
Spencer smiles. "Thank you, um... What's your name, ma'am?"
She grins, her hazel eyes shining. "Breeanna Rose Clemmins."
"It's nice to meet you, Breeanna."
"Ya can call me Bree, ya can call me Rose, ya can call me Anna. Ya can call me anythin' ya please, Doctor Reid, as long as ya don't call me late for supper."
He chuckles. "I have to get back to work now, Breeanna. Hotch will have my head if I'm late..."
Breeanna smiles. "Have a lovely rest of yer day, and come on back sometime real soon."
"Of course." With that, Spencer leaves and walks back to the FBI headquarters.