Coffee, Tea // Spencer Reid

Chapter 31 - Key To My Heart

"So how did you guys meet?" A cousin of Lilith asked.

Oh no. This was the last lunch the family would have together, and Lilith thought that her and Spencer would be able to get away without detailing their relationship. Well, that plan was certainly failing.

"Oh, I don't think you guys really wanna kno-" She mumbled.

"Actually, do tell us! I'd love to hear it!" The woman's aunt said.

The whole table was now eager to know. The two doctors were trapped. Seeing his friend was alarmed, Spencer started talking.

"Well actually, it's quite funny. We first saw each other on a train, but we actually met a few hours after that, at her workplace. I was working on a case involving a few murders around Washington, and she was the medical examiner assigned to us. She was actually really helpful, and was a key element that helped us crack the case. We went out for dinner after, and it just evolved after that."

"The most romantic part is that he gave me his number in a fortune cookie. In phonetic code." Lilith grinned confidently.

"That's oddly romantic." Takeshi smiled.

"And what was your first thought of our Lilith? You can be honest." Isabelle giggled, a wine glass in hand.

"I thought she was the oddest woman. I'd ever seen. But to be more honest, I thought she was simply beautiful." The table awed at the man's words.

Lilith raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

~

"I really don't understand why you feel the need to pack like, three different toothpastes, Spencer."

"Emergencies. You never know what might happen." He replied with a straight face.

"God, you're weird." She smiled.

"Hey, I could say the same about you... why would you randomly bring this stuffed toy?" He pointed at a squid-shaped cushion.

She pretended to be shocked, and grabbed the plushie to hold it to her chest defensively.

"Stop! You're offending Edward!" She paused for a moment. "This is why we're friends, isn't it?" The two friends laughed. They had been packing to leave for an hour, but kept distracting themselves by the contents of the other's bag.

"I'm actually gonna miss this place, you know." Spencer said, his three toothpastes still in hand.

"You're welcome to come back, you know." She replied, smiling as she stuffed her squid toy in her luggage. He smiled back at the young woman.

"Okay, Doc, are we ready to go?" She said, closing up the suitcase.

"Yup, I think so." The doctor quickly glanced around the room.

"Okay, let's go downstairs and say goodbye to everyone." Lilith walked out of the room carrying her bag, followed by Spencer, and proceeded to go down the stairs.

"Be careful..." Spencer said, seeing she was a little hurried to go down.

"Thank you, but dont worry too mu-"

The young woman slipped on a step as she talked.

The doctor quickly grabbed her arm with his free hand, and stuck out his leg in front of hers to prevent her from falling further. This had left the two of them in a weird position, as Spencer was practically pinning her to the wall. Lilith was confused, and her mouth was slightly opened. The proximity between them reminded her of the day they first met... she couldn't help but blush, her breathing becoming slightly uneven. Spencer let go of her, realising they'd stayed in that position for longer than needed.

"I'm sorry...I-I didn't mean to startle you..." He looked away as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, no, it's okay. Thank you for catching me." She replied.

"We should go downstairs..."

"Yeah, you're right."

His touch lingered on her wrist.

~

"Goodbye, mom and dad,I love you!"

"Goodbye, Lilith. Come visit us soon, and bring Spencer with you!" Her mother smiled. The two friends waved to the parents, standing on the porch of the house, as they made their way to the car. As Lilith closed the door of the passenger seat, she sighed deeply.

"God I'm glad you came... I don't know what I would have done if they kept asking me questions about boyfriends."

"I feel a bit bad for lying, though." Spencer said, as he inserted his key in the ignition.

"If you think about it, we didn't really lie. All we did was say that you were my boyfriend. And that's true, considering you're a male and you're my friend."

"Yeah you're right, actually. I don't think I said a single lie, to be honest."

"Wait, so you meant it when you said you thought I looked like the oddest girl you'd seen?"

"I still think that. I also said the truth when I said you're simply beautiful."

"Th-thanks."

Spencer felt a little bold, but Lilith's friendship made him feel at ease. He trusted her. He turned the key in the ignition, and the motor of the machine started.

After a few hours of car riding, the two arrived in front of Lilith's apartment, standing.

"Wanna come in for some tea?" She asked.

"God, I'd love to, but I can't. I have to go to work tomorrow. I just wanted to thank you for taking me to an important place to you. Also, I know we said we wouldn't get each other gifts for Christmas, but this doesn't really count as a gift... see it more as a favor."

The man dangled a single key in front of her face.

"What is that... wait- is it your apartment key?" She said as she took the metallic object between her fingers.

Spencer nodded. "I thought you might like having it, and I trust you enough. I realised that when you pushed me to take the trip to go see my mom. Now you can take books from my library even when I'm on a case!"

Seeing that she wasn't responding, Spencer started rambling.

"Oh, I knew this was a stupid thing to do... I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinkin-"

"No, no, don't apologise. I love it." She hugged him tightly, clenching on the key. "Thank you, Doc."