Prentiss waved goodbye to the driver. He had been sweet, chatting with her and Reid for the ride home. They talked about movies, music, celebrities, politics. It was a very casual conversation, but Prentiss enjoyed the genuineness. After an exhausting high society evening, she was thrilled be able to have a down-to-earth conversation with a normal human being. Her father could be normal, but not when he was, well, drunk. And she could only handle her mother in small quantities. Too much and she would explode. Not unlike this evening.
Reid enjoyed the conversation as well. But he was enjoying Prentiss' company more. In the limo, their legs had been touching, and every once in a while, Prentiss would look at him and smile. And he, surely, would smile back.
Reid offered his hand, and Prentiss took it. Together they walked up to her apartment building. Prentiss stopped for a minute in front of the door and turned around.
"It's a beautiful night," she whispered. She leaned her head onto Reid's shoulder. "Absolutely beautiful."
"So are you," Reid thought. He considered saying it out loud, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. He was content enough to think it to himself.
After a few minutes of sparkling silence, Prentiss asked, "Should we head upstairs?"
Reid nodded and turned to follow Prentiss.
"I think I mentioned it before," Prentiss said, "but I had a really great time tonight."
"So did I, Emily. So did I."
Prentiss smiled. "But let me tell you, it feels so great to come home after an event like that." Prentiss opened the door to her apartment building. "It's so exhausting, having to converse with all those people, and having to smile and say 'How are you doing, darling? It's been so long since I've seen you!' Between parties like this, and our jobs, it's nice to just spend an evening at home, with a drink in one hand and the remote in the other."
Reid smiled and nodded. He was impressed with how busy Prentiss always was, but how easily she kept her calm. "How often are these parties?"
Prentiss sighed as she opened the door to the stairwell. "I'm usually supposed to go to one every weekend. But if we're working a case, or we've just come back, I can usually get out of them. There are some crazy weekends, especially around the holidays, and before elections and things, that I'm constantly out at parties. And believe me, these aren't the fun kind of parties. They're stuffy and boring. And if you're lucky, the food is good. Otherwise the night is a total drag."
"Well," Reid said, "now if you're ever in need of a date for one of these things, you know where to go."
Prentiss laughed. "Yeah, you're absolutely right about that. But be careful what you wish for… I might be dragging you out more than you bargained for."
"I'm willing to take the risk," he winked.
Prentiss blushed and reached for her keys. "Well, this is my place. It's nothing fancy, but it's enough for me."
"Great," Reid said and smiled.
Prentiss fit her key into the doorknob, unlocked the door, and together they went inside.