A•void
Verb
keep away from or stop oneself from doing (something).
Lunch time, Thursday
Max's phone screen lights up. A text, from Spencer.
Shit.
"Hey." it read.
She was sitting at a cafe near her office, too jumpy this morning to eat breakfast or to pack her own lunch, so now that it was lunch time, she was starving.
"Hi" she typed, not knowing what else to say.
Spencer: How's your day going?
Max: it's good! Taking a break for lunch currently, what about you?
Spencer: yeah me too!
Max receives an image of Spencer making a silly face and holding up a box of takeout Chinese food.
Spencer: And it's good—just a paperwork day.
Max: haha cute. This is what I've got..
Max snaps a picture of her lunch, a chicken salad croissant and a latte.
Spencer: nice! Mine's got nothing on that ramen from last night, though. Did you know ramen originated in China, but made its way to Japan in 1859? They originally made it with broth and roast pork!
Max: really? I always thought it as a Japanese thing! ...so you're a foodie too?
Spencer: you could say that ️
Max puts her phone down and looks ahead.
She is trying to think of how to respond when her phone buzzes with another text.
Spencer: I had a really great time last night.
As she stares at the message, another comes in.
Spencer: I'd like to do it again sometime.
Shit
She finally replies with…
Max: I'll have to let you know, next couple of days are going to be crazy.
No they weren't Max. You're trying to avoid him because you have issues. She thinks to herself.
Spencer: yeah I know how that is 😜
She "hearts" the message and asks the waitress for the check.
Sunday
It has been 4 days since Max kissed Spencer Reid.
He had texted her a few times since, but her responses were short.
They somehow hadn't run into each other again, partly thanks to Max peeking out of her front door's peephole and scanning the hall before she left each time.
That came to an end on Sunday when she, walking up to her apartment, saw Spencer hop out of the passenger seat of a pink mustang, hands full of shopping bags.
The driver, a colorfully dressed blonde with red rimmed glasses called after him saying, "alright Spence, send me a picture of the one you decide on! I'm so excited for you!"
He looks back and gives the woman a frazzled smiled, he catches the sight of Max from the corner of his eye.
"Hey" Max says reaching the door to the front entrance first, she holds it open for him.
He smiles back awkwardly as he walks through the opened door, and they began their assent to their floor together.
"What's all that?" She asks.
"Outfits" he says rolling his eyes. "Normally I'm against the over consumption of material goods, specifically clothing, as it's one of the biggest producers of pollution at the moment, but García insisted."
They made it to their floor.
"I'm being presented an award at this event, and my friend made me go on a shopping spree." He lifts the bags in a shrug as they round the hall to their doors, and stop in front of their respective units.
"Looks like she wanted you to be all set." Max says eying the words 'Ralph Lauren,' and others, amongst the bags.
"I don't see what's wrong with what I already have, but she said 'you're finally getting some recognition for once, and you're not walking in there looking like a profiler and scaring everyone'" he smirks at the memory then adds— "she and I work together."
"Smart lady," Max says, fingering her keys and taking a not so subtle step behind her to her door.
Spencer notices and shifts his bags.
"Hey, um- I'm never this forward, but I can't help but think you're avoiding me after the other day."
"Ummm" Max makes to ramble out an excuse, but Spencer continues shifting his bags again.
"Sorry, it's just if I did something thing wrong, I want to apologize. All of your nonverbal signals were telling me you wanted me to kiss you that night… so I did, I mean your pupils were literally the size of—"
"Spencer." Max says, lifting her hands and cutting him off.
"Believe me, you did nothing wrong." She continues, "I just..." she pauses, "I just really don't know what I'm doing" she says, finally, dropping her arms to her sides.
He gives her a sympathetic look and shakes his head before saying, "Neither do I."
They both bite back shy smiles.
"All I know" Spencer says, attempting to take a step forward, but tangling himself up in the bags.
"All I know," he says again, "is I can't stop thinking about you."
Max blushes and looks to her feet.
After a few beats she lifts her head, laughs, and says, "Well how about I help you with your haul, and you show me what you got."
He lets out a relieved breath saying, "Maybe you can help me. I left with three options, and I don't know which one to pick."
✈️
"With avoidance of pain, we lose healing too." -Unknown
