Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Grace.
The sound of the alarm clock woke Grace from a deep sleep.
"Ugh.. Spencer, could you get that?" she groaned.
When the alarm didn't stop, she rolled over and realized that he was gone.
Again? Really?
Grace got out of bed and began cleaning up the wreckage of the previous night. She swept up the broken liquor bottles in the kitchen and picked up the things she'd thrown around the apartment.
"Oh fuck." she sighed when she discovered that she'd ripped her favourite painting to pieces. Oh well, she'd have to find a way to fix it later, she was already late for work.
Grace quickly showered and got dressed. Instead of spending an hour on her hair, she tied it up while it was still wet. She wore a thin layer of mascara and some lip chap instead of her usual mask of black and red goo and powder.
She ran outside to her car, waving to her landlord, Mr. Jones who was working in his garden as she left. She switched the radio station from the pop station to a mellow reggae.
Today's going to be a good day. She told herself, pulling into the parking lot.
"Good morning beautiful!" Garcia greeted her friend. "What's with the sudden change in style?"
"Oh, I don't really know."
"So, how did it go last night?" Garcia asked.
Grace looked confused. "How did what go?"
"Reid went to your place last night, right?"
"Yeah." Grace replied. "Didn't he call you?"
Garcia shook her head.
Grace felt relieved. She had expected him to tell her what had happened.
"So, what happened? Are you two good again?" Garcia asked.
"Well, I guess so, he stayed the night. He left before I woke up again."
"He stayed the night again?"
"Yeah, we kind of... kissed."
"What? Those are the kind of details you're not supposed to leave out."
"Well, after we kissed I told him that I just want to be friends." Grace explained.
"You did what?" Garcia exclaimed. "I thought you wanted him."
Grace shook her head. "I did. I do. I just don't want to get hurt again. Plus he deserves so much better than me."
"How did he take it?" Garcia asked.
"He said he was OK with it, but he looked pretty hurt. He stayed when I asked him to though." Grace answered. "Where is he anyway?"
"He didn't tell you?"
Grace shook her head.
"He's in Vegas, visiting his mother. He'll be back on Monday."
"Oh." Grace said, surprised and disappointed. She had been hoping to spend the weekend with him.
She went to her desk and stared at the empty chair at the desk across from her. Today was Thursday, so that was four days that she would have to go without seeing him. Grace sighed and began on a stack of Reid's paperwork to keep her mind occupied.
"Grace Ashton?" she heard someone say her name.
She looked up to see a man holding a bouquet of roses. Her eyes widened in shock, until she noticed his uniform and realized that he was a delivery man from a florist's.
"That's me." she said.
He handed her the bouquet and told her to have a nice day.
Grace looked at the tag. There was no name on it, just a quote.
Change your thoughts and you change your world. - Norman Vincent Peale
"Wow, who sent you those?" JJ asked her.
"Um... there's no name on them." Grace replied. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth, she had a pretty good idea who they were from.
"I wish someone would send me flowers." Prentiss said.
Grace smiled and went back to the paperwork. When she was sure no one was looking, she took her cell phone out of her purse.
"You've succeeded in making all my female co-workers extremely jealous." she texted Reid.
"Did you like them?" he texted back.
"Yeah, thanks. Why didn't you tell me you were going away?"
"Sorry, I didn't think you'd care. I'll see you Monday, right?"
"Maybe. I might take off to Canada without telling you though, so don't get your hopes up."
"See you Monday."
The next day, the same delivery man showed up at Grace's desk with another bouquet.
"Thanks." Grace said.
She opened the tag on her new bouquet.
Beauty awakens the soul to act. -Dante Alighieri
Grace smiled. Was this why he'd been acting so different, so impulsive lately? He actually thought she was beautiful?
"Wow," Morgan said, passing Grace's desk. "When I told the kid to get some game, this isn't quite what I had in mind."
"How do you know they're from him?" Grace asked.
"Garcia tracked his credit card to the florist's shop."
"You guys are evil." Grace said. "Who else knows?"
"No one."
"Good, let's keep it that way."
"Why?"
"We're not together and we definitely do not need to get in trouble with Hotch or Strauss for this." Grace explained.
Morgan nodded. "Your secret's safe with me, Ash, but people who are 'just friends' don't send eachother roses."
Saturday morning, Grace was painting in her pyjamas when she heard the doorbell ring. That was odd, anyone who knew her would just come inside the garage and knock on the apartment door, not ring the doorbell at the garage door. She threw a sweater on and went down the stairs.
She opened the door and saw the same delivery man who had brought her flowers at work the last two days.
"Hello Bill." she greeted him by name.
"Hey Grace." he said, handing her a single rose this time. "Quite the man you've got yourself there."
Grace smiled. "He's just my friend, Bill."
"In all the years I've done this job, I've never seen any man send flowers to a girl who's just his friend." he said, shaking his head.
"Well, there's a first time for everything. Goodbye, Bill."
Grace wondered why she had only received one rose today. She looked at the tag for today's quote.
A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world. - Leo Buscaglia
Grace smile and went back upstairs to find a vase. When the flower was watered and put on her nightstand, she picked up the phone and dialled Reid's cell.
"Hello?" he answered.
God, it was good to hear his voice again.
"So I'm your world, am I?" Grace teased.
"If you want to be."
"Spencer..."
"I'm sorry." he apologized.
"I miss you." she choked, trying not to cry.
"I miss you too. I'll see you Monday though."
"Not soon enough." Grace whined.
Reid laughed. "I've got to go, Grace."
"No."
"I'm sorry, but I have to. Goodbye, Grace."
"Bye."
Grace hung up the phone. She looked around her room, wondering how to spend the rest of her day. After doing some laundry, she found an 80's movie marathon on TV and fell asleep on the couch, watching Footloose.
Grace woke the next day in the middle of the afternoon. As she got off the couch, she noticed that it was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining and the heat resembled that of summer, not April.
Thank God for global warming. Grace thought.
She showered quickly and threw on a pair of denim shorts and a green tank top. She grabbed her book of Coleridge poems and sat on her balcony, reading and attempting to turn her snow white skin the faintest shade of brown.
As the air began to cool and the sun sink into the horizon, Grace heard a knock at the door.
It's about time my flowers got here. She thought as she walked toward the door.
When she opened the door, her heart stopped. What she saw was better than any bouquet of flowers. She jumped up and threw her arms around Reid.
"What are you doing here?" she cried.
"You said Monday wasn't soon enough."
Grace smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Hey, don't cry."
"They're happy tears."
Reid kissed her forehead. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Grace said.
She noticed that Reid had his suitcase with him.
"Have you been home yet?"
"No, I wanted to see you."
Grace laughed. "Do you even remember what your own bed feels like?"
"No, I like yours better anyway."
"Are you asking to spend the night again?"
"Are you inviting me?"
Grace laughed again. "I guess so, but you have to promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Please don't leave before I wake up. You have no idea how much it hurts when I wake up and realize you're gone."
"Alright." Reid agreed.
Grace hugged him again. "Now come here, I want to show you something."
She took him by the hand and lead him to her balcony.
"Wow." he said, observing the view.
The sun was setting and the sky was a thousand different shades of pink, red and orange.
"Best view in town." Grace said.
The two of them sat on the balcony, wrapped in a blanket, watching the sun go down in silence.
Grace felt like this was the best moment of her life. She wondered if her and Reid were still "just friends" after these last few days. Maybe she could let her guard down a little. Maybe life could be this good. She was afraid to tell him she was ready to change her mind though. She did not want to sound like a hypocrite or some dumb bimbo who had no idea what she wanted.
She moved closer to him and he lifted her onto his lap and tightened his grip on her waist. He watched her watch the sunset. He may not be able to call her his, but at least he could have this. He kissed the top of her head. He really did have the best view in town.
A/N: Awwww. I told you guys it gets better.
So, I'm kind of disappointed that I haven't got any new feedback lately. If you guys want me to keep writing, I'd like to know.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this one. Next one will probably be up tomorrow.
