Title: A New Feeling
Author: Calie
Summary: Something has changed in Reid and Breanna's relationship. Sequel to "Secrets of a Cat and Mouse".
Notes: Takes place eight months after "Secrets of a Cat and Mouse" and everyone has gone on from Spencer and is now in college. This is a oner parter.
"What's wrong?"
Even though Reid had been sitting in the dark and watching TV for hours the sound of her voice didn't surprise him. In fact he'd expected her to notice his absence eventually and come searching for him. "Hey."
Breanna yawned and sat on the sofa next to Reid. After pulling her legs up and resting her head on his bare chest she resumed her questioning. "When have you not been able to sleep? You can sleep anywhere."
"So." Reid said and rested a hand on her exposed thigh.
"Well it would be nice if you would come back to bed with me. My parents are passing by my dorm in the morning so I have to leave early. You know, come spend time with me." He still hadn't looked at her. Instead he stared at the TV. After watching him for a few moments she suddenly realized that every time the channel changed he blinked. "Stop it now." He blinked one more time and looked down at her.
"I can't find the remote." Reid said in his defense. The frown on her face told him that it wasn't good enough of an excuse so he decided to change the subject. "We're together right now, what does it matter?"
"Because I want to sleep." As if to emphasize her point she yawned again. "And more importantly, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"I like how you're concerned and angry at me at the same time." He was hoping he could deter her from inquiring any further about what was wrong.
"I'm glad you like that." Breanna lifted her head off of his chest and looked up at him. "So what's wrong?"
How could he tell her what was wrong. For a couple of months now the feeling had gotten stronger and he hadn't been to sure how to tell her. She'd want to know. In fact she would probably be upset with him for not telling her as soon as he realized it.
Still he said nothing and for the first time Breanna started to become concerned. "Reid?"
He sighed and finally looked at her. "Can't we just drop it for right now? I really don't want to talk."
"No we can't drop it." Breanna moved away from his body and sat up so that she was facing him. "You can't admit something is wrong then not talk about it. Like I said, not being able to sleep isn't like you. So just tell me."
As usual she never let up on anything. She drove him absolutely crazy. "I said drop it."
"Fine." Breanna said evenly and stood up. For a moment she considered leaving but she wasn't quite prepared for that argument. Instead she left him by himself on the sofa and headed back to his bedroom.
Reid sighed angrily. Getting her to leave him alone wasn't supposed to make him angrier. Instead the emotional turmoil he was going through only increased by her anger. Sitting there contemplating his situation wasn't going to help so he resolved just to be done with it and go in his bedroom and tell her. As he headed towards his bedroom he turned off the TV with a small use of power and entered the bedroom. "Breanna." She didn't say anything but he knew she wasn't asleep. "I know you're awake."
The lamp flashed on and Breanna sat up in anger. "Stop using!" Since he was still standing in the doorway there was no way he could have turned it on physically.
"I thought that would get your attention." He walked over to her side of the bed and sat down. When he'd first moved into the condo she had picked her side of the bed. He hadn't even gotten a say in the matter. The thought almost made him smile but he decided against it.
"Are you talking to me now?" Breanna asked and looked at him with a guarded look. For almost the whole week she hadn't seen Reid because of midterms. They'd decided Friday night she'd come over and sleep at his place and they'd just stay in. It sounded like a nice idea but he had seemed preoccupied all night. She had asked him once but he had told her nothing was wrong so she had dropped it. Now she was convinced something was going on with him and she was starting to get concerned.
"Yes." Reid looked away from her and stared at the green curtains covering his window. When he had moved in she had been thrilled and had taken advantage of the money his parents had allotted him for furniture and went about decorating his condo as if it were her own. She'd pretty much taken over his life in the past eight months. She'd decorated his condo single handily and forced him to buy more adult clothing. She hardly ever let him use and when he did she yelled at him. It was like being with his mother sometimes. In fact his mother loved Breanna. Breanna had managed to make him do all the things his mother never could.
"So you tell me yes then sit there in silence. You are so infuriating!" Breanna hit the bed with her hands and glared at his blond head.
"Do you always have to yell!?" Reid countered and narrowed his eyes at her. She was the one that was making him crazy.
"Yes! Now what the hell is wrong?!" Breanna countered. "If you don't tell me then I'll swear I'll leave and you can wallow in your own misery."
Reid shook his head at her calling what he was feeling misery. Perhaps she was half right. Once he had realized what he had been feeling it had made him feel nothing but miserable.
Breanna frowned. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Reid stood up, leaned over and placed both of his hands on either side of her. "You!" She seemed slightly taken aback by his comment but he didn't bother trying to put a reign on his emotions. "You are driving me crazy!"
"What do you mean?" She asked softly. Throughout the night she had feared more and more that something was wrong with him and now that he revealed that it had to do with her she wasn't to sure what to think. The last thing she needed to hear was that he didn't want to be with her anymore.
Before answering, Reid sighed one more time. "I love you." Then there was silence. She didn't say that she didn't know how she felt; she didn't say that she loved him too. Instead she just sat there in silence. His chest tightened and he began to fear that he had been wrong in telling her how he felt.
It had taken her a moment to comprehend what he had said. That couldn't be why he'd been so preoccupied and upset. Then once she thought it through it did make sense. This was Reid after all. It must have been a shock for him to realize he loved someone. The prospect of commitment had been foreign to him eight months ago; love must have been a word and emotion he had never heard of. Finally she smiled softly. "I love you too." It hadn't been so difficult for Breanna to realize her feelings for Reid. In fact she'd known for a while but knew there was no point in revealing them to Reid until he was ready to deal with his own.
"You do." It was more of a statement than a question. Reid needed to tell himself that she loved him to believe it.
"Yes." Her smile widened and she slid her arms around his neck. Slowly, she laid back and pulled him down wither her. "So that's what this was all about?"
"Yea." Using his arms to support his weight he looked down at her. "Is that so unbelievable?"
"No, but you really didn't have to make it so difficult on your self." She kissed his lips then pulled back. "Say it again."
For a moment he paused, the words were so foreign to him that he almost had trouble repeating himself. "I love you."
Breanna kissed him again. "One more time."
"I love you." That time it had been easier. It was hard not to say it when she was smiling up at him.
"One more-." She didn't get a chance to finish her request. His lips were on hers and this time kissing her with the enthusiasm that she had missed earlier that night. She'd wondered why he hadn't put the moves on her, considering he always did when she stayed over, now she knew why. Although she could have continued to kiss him and allow him to continue trailing his hand under her shirt without another word, she pulled away. "I love you too."
When Reid had considered someone loving he had expected it. He hadn't expected to actually love someone. She'd come into his life because of his own obsession with her and had turned everything around. His relationship with Breanna had never been normal and he wouldn't have had it any other way. How would a normal girl compare to the one that had come into his life with secrets, a power to save their lives, and known who and what he was. On top of that she loved him back. There was no way he couldn't love a girl like that.