cute
adjective
attractive in a pretty or endearing way
Friday Afternoon
Reid contemplates the words of his therapist as he returns to the office from his "lunch break."
"You have the weekend off right? No case?"
"I mean as of right now, no, just paperwork that I should be done with by this evening, but you never know..." Spencer says, uncomfortable.
"I want you to have a normal conversation with someone that has nothing to do with work."
That should be easy, right?
~*~
2am, "Saturday"
"IM SERIOUS, IT WAS A REAL TEXAS RANGER" Michelle screams.
They were rounding the corner on to the hall of Max's apartment, and they were more than tipsy.
"SHHHH" Max yelled, laughing and using the wall as support to keep from falling over.
Michelle is not so nimble, and falls face first in front of Max's door.
Max slid down the wall, trying, and failing, to stifle her laughter.
The door across from them opens and Spencer pokes his head through. The concern in his face turns to amusement as he analyzes the scene.
"You girls good?" He says, coming out of his apartment the rest of the way. He was barefoot, and dressed in a black v neck tee, and jeans.
"It's him! Agent-Doctor Reid!" Max yells, smiling stupidly.
Michelle, still face down, raises her arms and yells, "you got nothing on us officer... Legally we are intoxicated on private property, and we took an Uber here, and I got his number." She rambles, her voice is muffled by the floor.
Max laughs and rolls to lay beside her saying "He's not a cop he's a special agent, doctor thing."
Everything was funny to Max. And spinning.
Spencer laughs this time and says, "well, lucky for you ladies I am off duty."
The girls laugh some more, causing another door to open in the hall.
A lady and her chihuahua look at the scene in disgust, but the girls on the floor pay her no mind.
When it was clear to Spencer they wouldn't be getting up on their own, he waves to the woman saying "I got it Miss Herrington," and crosses the hall to pull Max up by her shoulders.
She leans in to him, and he's the only thing keeping her upright.
"You smell nice" Max says, her face close to his.
"Where's your keys?" He asks, noting the click of the door telling him Miss. Herrington had left.
Max shrugs, not blinking as she looks at him.
He looks especially good to her tonight, "like an angel, or a Greek god" she thought.
He leans over, still steadying Max, and hooks an arm around Michelle's (who still hadn't moved) and pulls her up as well.
"In her bag" Michelle says when she gets her footing.
She shrugs off Spencer's arm, and takes Max's bag from her, finds the keys, and unlocks the door.
Michelle teeters into the apartment, leaving Spencer holding Max up in the hallway.
"Alright, come on," Spencer says walking her through the doorway.
Michelle curses as she falls on the couch and her purse flies to the floor.
"Ugh, I just cut my damn toe on your coffee table!" Michelle yells.
Spencer walks Max to an over stuffed chair, and looks over to Michelle, who has her foot out stretched with a red line pooling on her pinky toe.
"Oh I need to get her a bandaid" Max says and attempts to get up.
"No, no, both of you sit. Where are they?" Spencer responds motioning for them to sit.
"In one of those drawers" Max waves to the kitchen, curling her legs up in the chair, and dropping her head in her propped up hand.
Spencer finds one after opening a few drawers, and walks it over to Michelle who snatches it from him with a look of disgust.
"I had this client once who had a foot fetish." Michelle looks at him with suspicion before opening the wrapper. "He would take photos of the people in his office's feet when they were in the bathroom."
"About 3 to 5 percent of the population could be considered to have a paraphilia, and a little over half are foot fetishes. Some are harmless, but obviously you run into trouble when they begin doing things without consent." Reid spouts.
Michelle busied herself with wrapping her toe, and Max lifts her head to look at Reid.
He looks at her too and smiles, but the moment was broken when Michelle asks "what about you doctor?"
She puts her foot down and leans back on the couch, closing her eyes.
"You got any weird fetishes?" She continues, "Or better yet, in general, what do you like?"
"Michelle..." Max giggles.
Reid makes an amusing scoff and eyes the door.
Michelle's eyes pop open "Me? I'm really into lip rings."
"Here we go" Max rolls her eyes and leans back into her chair.
"It's probably from my want-to-be "scene" days, but I really appreciate a guy with jet black hair, a lip ring, and a couple of tattoos. Does that count as a fetish Doctor Reid?"
He laughs. "I'd say it speaks more to a desire to break out of an otherwise hyper controlled life."
Max leans forward again, listening.
"How so?" Michelle asked, her eyes narrowing.
"I couldn't help but notice your work ID peaking out of your bag there on the floor."
They all look in the bag's direction.
"You're a defense attorney? And a pretty good one to work for J.R Piper & Co., and be trusted with unsavory clients like foot fetish guy..." the girls gaze at him as Spencer continues, not taking a breath.
"You're in your mid-to late 30's I'm guessing?...and have accomplished that much. Your fashion choices are just out of the norm to turn heads, but also to communicate a not so conventional price tag," he nods to her bag.
"You have obviously seen a lot of success at a young age, which makes me think you must have represented some pretty serious clients to get such notoriety and trust from your firm." Michelle's eye dart to Max, then back to him.
Max's jaw starts to drop, but Spencer notices none of it and keeps going, making his hand curl like an ostrich foot as he figures her out.
"You have a dominant personality, so part of you likes the idea of being with someone kind of "edgy," but statistically speaking, many of the "emo scene" guys of the early 2000's were pretty 'sensitive', so it tracts that you would want one, because you know subconsciously it would all work out. Despite the illusion of danger their outward appearance gives—- they're safe, which works for you because you're not into playing games & you aren't used to failure."
Max's eyes widen along with her mouth, fully agape now.
The girls were silent for a minute until Michelle breaks it, finally saying,
"Did you just... profile me?" Michelle laughs and throws her head back.
Spencer's face flushes.
"We totally googled you and know all about your job." says Max, the liquor not allowing her any shyness.
"Kinda— sorry. I obviously work too much." The man says, embarrassed.
"Now do Max" Michelle says, leaning forward and putting her head between her legs with a groan.
"I... uhhh" Spencer says as he and Max make eye contact, again.
Suddenly, Michelle lunges forward, running to the bathroom. They watch her slam the door behind her, and hear her retching as liquid hits water.
Spencer winces and looks at Max, who puts two fingers over her lips and one on her stomach.
"Not you too" he says fear in his voice.
"Maybe. I actually have a super sensitive gag reflex." She moves her fingers and sticks her tongue out, laughing at her own inappropriate joke.
Spencer lets out a chuckle and scratches the back of his head, scanning the area for a trash can.
He finds one on the other side of the couch and brings it to her. As she takes it from him, she hangs her head in it and starts to cry.
Her voice is muffled by the can "I did not mean to get this messed up, I'm sorry we came blundering through the hall like that."
"Hey, uh... it's ok. I literally was just in my living room reading. It's not a problem." Spencer says.
She looks back up, tears streaming down her face. "But what if I pass out and throw up in my sleep and drown in it like a college frat boy." She sobs, and puts her head back in the waste basket.
"Hey, hey, look" he sits on the couch across from her. "I'll sit right here and make sure that doesn't happen, ok?"
"You're the best neighbor ever." She says into the basket, which continues to muffle her voice.
She pops her head up again as if a sudden epiphany just occurred. She yells, "Michelle! Are you dead?"
A moan came from the bathroom.
"I'll check on her, and I'll be right back" Spencer says, putting a hand up to stop her from getting up, and walks down the hall.
He knew the way because they pathway was identical to his unit across the hall, just flipped.
He found the bathroom and knocked on the door.
"You ok?" He asks.
"Do not come in here, officer." Michelle moans. It sounds as if she is leaning against the door.
"Ok, uh—- just yell if you need anything." Spencer says.
He was about to turn back to the living room when he hears Michelle croak...
"hey"
"Uh, yeah?" He says.
"She thinks you're cute." Michelle whispers.
~*~
"Souls that resemble, attract inevitably." -unknown