I met Spencer at a little cafe a few blocks from the Bureau around noon. It was a really warm day out, so I put on a royal blue sundress and some flip flops. I also put my hair into a fishtail braid. Another hairstyle that Spence loved. I don't know why I was bothering to make myself all pretty for him, he doesn't want me back.
Spence was sitting at a table outside, doing a crossword with sunglasses on. I walked around the fencing and up to the table.
"Hey," I say with a cheery smile, trying to lighten my own mood.
"Hey Mandy," he says and stands up, giving me a really quick hug. My heart sinks at the quickness of the hug. "Sit," he says, motioning towards the empty chair across from his.
"Thanks," I say and sit down, feeling suddenly awkward. What now? "So um... you wanted to catch up?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah I did, I mean do. It's been awhile, a long while," he says, his voice trailing off.
"Just over a year," I clarify quietly.
"393 days to be exact," he says and I smile. I missed his quirky fact giving more than I realized. "What?" He asks, wondering why I am smiling.
"Nothing, it's just, well, I've missed you," I say blushing, looking down at the menu.
"Me too," he says and the waitress walks up and takes our orders. We sit in silence for a minute, neither knowing where to go with the conversation.
"So how is the team coping now that Prentiss has left?" I ask and that gets Spencer talking. We forget about our admissions and launch into easy conversations with each other, just like we used to. When the check comes, Spencer refuses to let me pay anything at all. He won't even let me cover the tip, like he used to. Right now I don't understand why I left him. We get up from the table and walk to the sidewalk and towards my car.
"If um, well, if I had been around more or made contact with you more often when gone, would you have um... left me?" He says, mumbling most of the sentence, but I was still able to understand his words. He is looking at the ground as we walk.
"No," I say honestly. I felt like we had a long distance relationship, which was killing me. We walk in silence to my car. I stop by the driver's door and pull out my keys.
"Um, let's get lunch again sometime soon," he says to me, making eye contact very briefly before looking away.
"Yeah, bye Spence," I say and lean in to hug him. He willingly hugs me back, but a little tighter than the previous two hugs. I inhale deeply, taking his scent back into my memory. He smells just like he used to, light scent of dial soap and Irish Spring deodorant. He smells heavenly. Spencer pulls away slowly.
"Bye," he says and walks off with his hands in his pocket. I exhale the breath I didn't realize I was holding and climb into my car once he is out of sight.
I sat in my apartment for the rest of the day thinking about Spencer. Once night came, I was still thinking about him. I couldn't get his question out of my mind. Why would he ask me about if things were different? Does he still have feelings for me too? I was drinking a glass of wine when there was a knock on the door. It's just after midnight, who could it be? I'm not expecting company. I set my glass down on the kitchen counter and go to the door, looking through the peephole. It's Spence! I check my appearance in the mirror by my front door, take a deep breath, and open the door. Spence is standing there, clothes slightly damp from the rainstorm that was going on outside. His hair is wet and messy on his head, his clothes looking wrinkled and rain soaked.
"Hey, um, come in," I say and let him walk past me and into the apartment. "You're soaked," I say to him and he nods. I shut the door and turn to him. "Everything okay?" I am so confused. Why is he here?
"Yeah," he says, looking me directly in the eyes. He looks as if he's debating something. All of a sudden Spencer cups my face and kisses me hard. At first I am shocked by the kiss, but then I begin kissing back, grasping his wet shirt and pulling him closer to me. His hands go up into my hair, deepening the kiss. After a minute he pulls away, breathing heavily and rests his forehead against mine with his eyes closed. "I've missed you so much," he whispers, unmoving.
"Me too," I whisper back and he captures my lips again.