A/n hey there all. Here is the next chapter. I hope you'll tell me what you think. Thanks to all who continue to review and follow the story.
Disclaimer: see the first chapter.
"Come on… let's get something to eat and you can tell me. It will help, I promise." He pulled on my arm and I let him lead me into the mall.
The shops were a blur to me as we walked down the large hallways to the food court. There were many people in the halls, but all of the noise was dull as though I was hearing it through cotton batting over my ears. I couldn't pull it together for some reason and insanely I wondered what Stanford would say if he could see me now.
The food court was a blur as well. Reid made me sit at a table that was set up next to a large planter with greenery that kind of looked like ferns, but I wasn't sure. He pushed me down in the chair next to the table.
"I'm going to go get something to eat for us. What do you want?" He asked me.
"I'm not hungry…"
"You better pick something, or I'll pick it for you." Reid insisted.
"Fine… just a sandwich, or something." I requested.
He left me there to stare at the fake marble tile on the floor. I think it was supposed to be white but all the scuff marks and other damage made it an ugly cream color instead. I begin to shiver. The tile is familiar somehow, but I can't think. Perhaps I don't want to know or remember!
I decided to look at the table instead. It's an ugly brown plastic and the chairs are metal and uncomfortable.
I told you to stop your whining and crying you little bitch. There's no food because of you. Go to bed this instant or…
"Hey Amy…" I look up to find Dr. Reid standing there with a tray in his hands. "You look sick…" He blurted out and then blushed.
"Sorry if I don't meet with your approval." I snarled at him, and then felt like a total bitch at the expression of misery that came over his face.
"I'm so sorry Spencer. It's been a hell of a day." I tried my best to smile.
He put the red plastic tray on the table and sat down across from me. He didn't smile back at me and his eyes remained clouded with unhappiness. "I didn't mean to just blurt that out. I have a really bad habit of saying whatever comes to mind when I'm nervous." He said.
He's nervous! I make him nervous. Is that a good or a bad thing? God… I never should have been picked for this assignment. I have very little experience with men and…
(Stop it…. I'll be good… I won't ever tell anyone! Please don't… I don't like that… Please…)
"Amy…"
His kind voice pulled me back to the present again. He was staring at me like something had just slipped into place in his head. "Amy… Please tell me what's wrong. You promised to tell me about your nightmares, remember?"
I nodded and smelled the food for the first time. He must have seen me staring at the tray because he began to chuckle.
"I got some soup from "Soup of the Day," for you. They have really good chicken noodle and I thought -"
"That it would be just what the doctor ordered, Dr. Reid." I raised my eyebrows and he went pink in the cheeks. God… he was so cute!
"Yeah… don't you like chicken noodle soup."
"Come on… who doesn't like chicken noodle soup. It's yummy!" I declared trying to force some brightness into my voice.
He looked much happier and I decided that no matter what it took, I wasn't going to let anything keep me from doing my duty. It would be better for him. He would be safer at the agency. The Director promised me that he would be protected.
"Amy…"
"Hm…"
"You faded away again. Are you sure that you're okay."
I picked up the black plastic spoon that was enclosed in more plastic and concentrated on freeing the utensil from its packaging. "I'm just tired."
"Will you tell me about the dreams?" Reid persisted.
I heard the sigh leaving me before I could stop it. "I'll tell you, if you tell me how you knew that I was having nightmares."
He was cutting into the soft shell taco he'd ordered for himself. The inside of the Mexican food looked good. I think it was a beef taco with black beans, onions and cheese.
"I know because you have the same look on your face that I see in the mirror sometimes late at night." He said simply. "Your hands are shaking and there are dark circles under your eyes. You show all the signs of someone that's not sleeping well. You're too young and healthy to have serious back problems, so I assume it isn't pain that's keeping you up."
"Do you always do that," I asked after spooning up some of the soup, which was delicious by the way.
"Do what," He asked, dipping a forkful of taco into some sour cream.
"Answer a question with a lecture." I answered.
"Oh… yeah… It's a hazard you have to be aware of it we're going to date." He said very fast.
"Are we dating, Agent Reid?" He went red and ducked his head. He was suddenly very interested in his lunch. I tried not to laugh.
"Yeah… is that ok… I mean I really like you… Um… do you like me?"
His sudden shyness was very endearing. It made me smile and feel even worse at the same time. "Yeah… I'd like that a lot. I think your very cute Dr. Reid."
He reached for his soda and knocked my bag off the table. Luckily it was closed, but he started spluttering about how sorry he was and other people around us were staring. I said to the guy closest to us that was smirking at Spencer "What are you looking at?"
He narrowed his eyes at me and went back to his meal. "I'm really sorry…" Reid was saying looking purple in the face.
"No harm… no foul…" I told him. "You didn't break anything. It's not the end of the world."
His hands were fluttering nervously around the collar of the blue grey dress shirt he was wearing and tugging on it. He started eating again and wouldn't look at me for the longest time. I decided not to say anything and after the first few minutes, the silence wasn't awkward anymore.
"I didn't forget that you didn't answer my question," He said after finishing half of his taco.
My soup was half gone and I choked on the spoonful I had just taken. "What question is that?"
"You know what I mean." He insisted.
"You have guacamole on your chin." I informed him.
He wiped at it impatiently. "I thought we were going to be friends." He said sounding very sad again.
"We are… I'm bad at talking to guys." I said and he looked like I'd just told him that the world was flat.
"Oh right… that's why you approached me in a train station and asked me out."
"You have a trustworthy face."
He snorted out a laugh and I started to giggle when he choked on the taco. "I'm serious… You're this beautiful girl and you want to go out with me. Why is that," He demanded?
"I told you… I saw your face and decided that I could trust you. Do you know how hard it is to find a good man anywhere?" I asked him pointing my spoon at his face.
"No… I never looked for one." He quipped and I almost choked again on my soup.
"Dr Reid… Did you make a joke?"
He looked very surprised at this question "Garcia says I don't know how to make jokes." He said frowning down at the last bite of his taco.
"Who is Garcia," I asked as innocently as I could.
"She's our computer tech. She's my best friend."
In spite of what I knew about the team, my heart sank a little at what he said. "Oh… is she your girlfriend?"
He began to laugh. "No… She's got a thing for another computer tech. They go on for hours at a time about programming and hacking. It gives me a headache."
"Oh… well good, I don't want to share you." I declared and found my face was getting very hot.
"Did I make you blush…?"
"No… it's the soup. It's very hot."
"Alright… now… tell me about your dreams."
Now he was the one that had avoided talking about his dreams, but I decided I didn't need to know. "Okay…" I took a deep breath and told him everything I could remember about the nightmares that had resurfaced since I had arrived in DC.
He didn't interrupt me, but listened intently. He didn't judge me for anything that I said. It was the first time I had told anyone anything about what had happened to me as a kid. I don't even know why I did it. It was more than I ever thought I would have to reveal about myself to get what I wanted.
"I think we should go for a walk and I can tell you about something that happened to me not too long ago."
I realized my soup was gone. He gathered up the debris from the meal and took the tray to the trash cans that were placed around the food court. He came back and I stood to meet him. I reached out for his hand and after a tiny hesitation he took mine and we left the mall together.