Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 20

About ten minutes later the buzzer rings for the third time tonight. I get up from the couch slowly. Maybe it's just the delivery guy.

I open the door a few moments later. It's not the delivery guy.

She's looking down at her watch. "Hey, sorry I'm–" she interrupts herself as she sees what I'm wearing. "–late," she says slowly. Her eyes travel up my bare legs, stopping at my chest. 

Shit. I'm still not wearing a bra.

"Traffic?" I ask lightly.

Her eyes finally flicker up to my face. "Uh, yeah. Accident on 395."

She doesn't move to enter my apartment and I don't move to let her in. We're frozen, looking at each other from either side of the door.

"Elle!" Morgan's voice comes from behind me. "Come on in," he says with a smile. "We're just waiting on the takeout."

She returns the smile with one of her own and it instantly pulls me back to the moment. "Chinese?"

Morgan looks confused. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

I look at him sideways. "Morgan, you're holding the menu."

"Oh, yeah," he laughs and turns into my apartment, Elle following. I close the door behind her and join everyone in my living room. "I'll be right back," I say as I turn to the stairs.

When I reach the top I move as far back against the wall as I can and strip my sweatshirt off. Sometimes I wish I had curtains.

I return back downstairs seconds later, now wearing a bra. No one notices but Elle.

I sit in the far corner of my couch, leaning back into the cushions as conversation ensues around me.

I'm stuck in my own head. It's been two weeks since our case in Florida, since the bomb, since the car. Two weeks since I felt her body against mine, her arms around me. The fear of losing her.

I've been trying to keep our relationship professional. I only talk to her about cases or work, only see her at the office. Until now, that is. I don't dare touch her. I'm afraid if I do I'll lose control of my emotions. Or my hands.

I'm pulled back as I feel someone poking me in the shoulder. "Earth to Carli. You still with us, C?"

I turn my head and look at Morgan, sitting to my right. "Yeah, yeah what's up?" I say as I try to recover.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Morgan asks as he flicks my forehead.

I push his hand away and roll my eyes. "Nothing of your concern."

Garcia comes over from her seat at the counter, sitting right next to me. She smiles at me like she knows something.

"What?"

"Does Carli have a boyfriend?" Her smile widens as she fails to hide her excitement.

I laugh softly and shake my head. "No, PG."

"Girlfriend?" Reid asks from the opposite end of the couch.

"No!"

"Someone?" JJ comes around from the counter as well now, sitting in front of me on the coffee table.

I look at each of them in disbelief. "I did not invite you all here to interrogate me about my love life," I say sternly.

"Technically, you didn't invite us." Elle sits between Reid and Morgan in the other corner of the couch. She meets my eyes as I shake my head.

"Damnit, Greenaway."

I'm saved from answering any more questions (or, more accurately, avoiding them) as the buzzer rings again.

"I got it," Morgan says as he gets up to get the food.

Garcia looks like she doesn't believe a word I've said. 

"I'm warning you, PG, if you cyber-stalk me again–"

"There you go with that word again! It's not stalking, per se, more, uh, finding information. For valuable purposes."

"Uh huh, right," I say sarcastically. 

Morgan carries the takeout to my kitchen island and I get up to help him, pulling silverware from the drawers and plates from the cabinets.

He leans close to me as we work, whispering in my ear. "Seriously, are you seeing anyone?"

I push him away, annoyed we're back to this. "Why do you care? Still holding out hope for us, hot shot?"

He rolls his eyes. "No, C. I'm serious. Just thought, I don't know, maybe, you and her–" His eyes flicker back to our friends sitting on the couch. To Elle.

I cut him off before he has a chance to finish. "No, Derek. We're just friends. Nothing more." I don't know if I'm trying to convince him or myself.

"Okay. I believe you." He looks at me gently and I remember why he's one of my closest friends.

"Thank you," I say quietly as the others come over to get their food.