Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. I only own Amelia.

Amelia was sitting on the couch, the magazine spread out in front of her on the coffee table. Her vision was blurred with tears, and she couldn't even read what the article was saying. All she could focus on was the picture of Spencer Reid and Lila Archer. She normally didn't indulge herself in celebrity magazines, but this one caught her eye as she was standing in line at the grocery store. She thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but when she picked it up and inspected it, there was no mistaking his face.

'A Mystery Man in Lila's Life?' The title alone made her laugh bitterly, and she checked her phone once more. She was so tempted to text Spencer. He hadn't messaged her for days, and even though she was upset with him, she was worried. She couldn't even count how many times she had typed up text messages to send to him and then deleted them. Some of the messages were angry, some were sad.

Her doorbell rang, making her jump. Looking at her alarm clock, she furrowed her brows. Who would be at her door at 8:30 at night? She wiped the angry tears away from her eyes and grabbed her robe, slipping it on over her pajamas. Amelia peeped through the hole in the door, and when she saw Spencer, she took a deep breath. She unlocked the door and opened it slightly, leaning against the doorframe. "Hey." She said, trying to keep her voice level.

"Uh, h-hey, Amelia. I wanted to talk to you." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was obviously nervous. Amelia stared at him for a minute before opening the door all the way. She stepped aside and let him in, locking the door behind him. Spencer wasn't sure what to do. Should he sit on the couch? Should he stay standing up? His eyes flickered to the coffee table, landing on the magazine. He internally cursed, knowing that she was probably furious.

Amelia sat on the couch, pulling her legs up underneath her and covering up with the blanket that was lying on the back. "Talk." She told him, and he sat down awkwardly on the edge of the couch.

"I know that you're mad at me. And you have every right to be." He started, and she sighed, rubbing her hand over her forehead.

"I'm not even really mad. I'm just hurt." She said, and he winced. That made him feel even worse. He could deal with her rage. He was prepared for yelling and harsh words. But he wasn't sure how to fix her broken heart. She didn't say anything else, so he continued.

"Lila Archer was being stalked, so we obviously all spent time with her. But, for some reason, we spent more time together than the rest. I was with her when she was taping her show, and I stayed at her house one evening. She was comfortable around me. But, that night, it was just me and her, alone at her house. She wanted to swim, and she pulled me in the pool, and then she, well, uh-." Spencer looked up at Amelia nervously, not wanting to say it.

"She kissed me." He said, and Amelia took a deep breath. She had a feeling that that had happened, but it still hurt to hear him say it. The tears pricked her eyes again, and she grabbed the magazine that was on the coffee table and stared down at the cover.

"And then this happened." She said, her voice quiet.

"Amelia, she didn't mean anything to me. She kissed me. I told her that I couldn't do it. That I had you, waiting for me at home. We came to an understanding. That picture is just blown out of proportion, we're friends and that's all." A tear slipped down Amelia's cheek.

"She got to kiss you before I did." The bitterness in her voice was obvious, and Spencer felt his cheeks flush.

"I've regretted not kissing you that night after our date, but I didn't want to rush things. That's not how I am." He said, feeling embarrassed.

"How long have you been home?" Amelia changed the subject quickly, wiping the tear off her cheek. He ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Three days." He admitted, and she scoffed.

"Three days. I've been worrying about you, day and night, for three days now. You could've at least told me that you were home." She said, the anger brewing in her gut. She wanted to yell and scream at Spencer, but she just couldn't do it. Amelia was practically shaking due to her emotions, and Spencer felt the guilt continue to gnaw at his insides.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. I really am." He told her, looking up at her through his eyelashes.

"I know. I believe you. But, I can't just forget it. You really hurt me Spence, and I need a little bit of time, okay?" She told him, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he placed a hand on his stomach to relieve the pain. "Spencer, I'm not saying that we're done. We aren't even together, so we can't break up. Just give me a day or two, and I'll call you." He stood up and she walked him to the door.

"If it makes any difference, I would've much rather kissed you instead of Lila." Spencer told Amelia. He moved his hand up to her face. He wasn't sure what to do with it. Brush a piece of hair away, rub his thumb over her cheek, anything really. But, he let his arm drop.

"Goodnight, Spencer. I'll talk to you soon." She said, shutting the door behind him. He heard the lock click into place and he sighed, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He was tired and didn't want to make the drive home, but there was no way that he would ask Amelia if he could stay. He would just have to suck it up and go home.

Amelia didn't sleep well that night, so when she got up for work the next morning, she knew that she looked like a mess. Her eyes were slightly puffy due to a small breakdown that she had after Spencer had left, and her hair was knotted beyond belief. She washed her face and let the warm rag lay over her eyes for a few minutes, trying to will the puffiness to go away. She ran a brush through her hair before throwing the red locks up into a messy bun. She finished her routine and left the apartment, not wanting to leave the sanctuary of her own home.

After the breakfast rush at the coffee shop, Amelia retreated to her small office in the back of the building. She usually only came into the office to count money or fill out paperwork, but she needed a minute to collect her thoughts. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her apps mindlessly, not focusing on what she was reading. After a few minutes of scrolling, she pulled up Spencer's contact information. She was tempted to text him or give him a call, but she didn't want to give in so easily to the urge. Like she had told him the day before, they weren't together. They never made it official. At this point, they were just friends with a very close relationship. But even though they weren't together, her heart was breaking at the thought of him with another woman.

Lila Archer wasn't just any other woman. She was a beautiful, young, blonde actress that Amelia could never compare to. She clicked out of Spencer's information and pulled up her internet search browser. She quickly typed in the name 'Lila Archer,' scrolling through recent pictures and articles of the young woman. She was beautiful, Amelia couldn't deny that. When she scrolled past the picture of Lila and Spencer, her stomach turned. She closed the browser and sat her phone down, holding her head in her hands.

Heather knocked on the door frame, peeking her head in to check on her boss. "Amelia? Are you okay?" She asked. This was unusual for Amelia. She loved her job and her customers, and Heather was concerned.

"Men are stupid." She retorted, making Heather laugh.

"You don't have to tell me, I already know." She nodded her head to the front. "Come hang out with me and Jess. We'll take your mind off him." Heather offered. Amelia hesitated for a minute, but then smiled. Her employees were sweet. They were also very close in age, and it made it easier to work with friends. "Sure." She said, tucking her phone into her back pocket and following the girl to the front.

Spencer Reid sat at his desk, sipping on a cup of coffee and flipping through some paperwork that he had yet to finish. Even with his eidetic memory and impeccable reading skills, paperwork bored him to tears. He would put it off until it absolutely had to be done. He held back a groan as Morgan sauntered over to his desk, giving him a grin. His white teeth shone brightly under the florescent lights.

"Did you talk to your girl last night?" He asked, his voice hushed. Derek knew that if brought too much attention to the topic, Spencer would clam up and not tell him anything.

Spencer sighed, placing his pen down on the desk. "I did." He didn't provide any details and Derek rolled his eyes.

"And?" He said, raising an eyebrow at the young genius.

"And, she wasn't really angry. She said that she was hurt. Which I completely understand. But then she told me that needed a day or two to collect her thoughts and then she would call me." Spencer said, holding his head in his hands. He really liked Amelia, and he had already messed everything up. He was so irritated with himself that he could scream.

"That's not bad news, Spencer. Don't beat yourself up over it. You've already been honest with her, that's the most important step. She just needs time." Derek said reassuringly. "Don't give up on her."

Spencer didn't say anything. He didn't play on giving up on Amelia. She understood him in a way that no one else has before, and he wasn't going to give that up so easily.

When Amelia got home from work that evening, she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was take a bath and go to bed. She plopped down on the couch and pulled out her phone, scrolling through her social media accounts. She kicked off her shoes and leaned back, giving herself a few minutes to relax.

For the second time that day, she pulled up Spencer's contact information. The urge to text him was strong, and she couldn't resist.

'Hey.'

She sent the message and groaned, hoping that she wasn't making a mistake by texting him. Her phone buzzed almost immediately after the message delivered.

'Hey.'

The simple message had her heart thudding in her chest.

'I think we need to talk.' She typed out, sending the message and closing her eyes.

'Now?' Amelia debated calling him, or having him drive all the way to her house, but she decided against it.

'Tomorrow night. After work?'

'Sure. I'm sorry. I miss you.' His reply made her smile slightly. She knew that his apology was sincere. He wasn't the type to intentionally hurt someone. He was too kind.

'Miss you. Xoxo.'

She put her phone on the coffee table and decided to go run herself a bath. On her way to the bathroom, the magazine that she had moved to the dining room table had caught her eye. She grabbed it and looked over the cover for a minute before throwing it in the trash can with a small smile on her face.