Golden | S.Reid

Paranoia

"We should have a code." Spencer suddenly spoke from behind me. We finally had a day off, and we were laying in bed together, his arms wrapped around my waist and his head buried in my neck. When he spoke, I felt his breath against my skin.

"What?" I asked in confusion with a small laugh

"A code, for if one of us gets in trouble." Spencer said

"Okay, what do you have in mind?" I asked him with a small smile

"I don't know. It has to be something subtle. Something you can say without bringing up suspicion." Spencer said

"Hmm. 42." I said with a smile

"42?" He asked, confusion lacing his voice

"The answer to everything." I said

"Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy." Spencer said in understanding

"You can bring it up casually by asking for someone's age." I suggested

"Okay. 42 it is." Spencer said with a laugh

I reached out and picked up my phone, checking the time. It was almost the afternoon, 11:45 am. We had definitely slept in, which was strange considering how strict Spencer is about keeping his cardiac rhythm in order.

"I should get up. I have things to do." I said as I attempted to sit up.

I hardly made it an inch off the mattress before I was pulled back into Spencer's chest. He groaned into my shoulder in protest. "No. Stay." 

"Spence, it's almost 12." I said

"I don't care." He mumbled against my skin as he began to press gentle kisses to my neck.

"Stop. If you keep that up I won't get anything done." I chastised him half heartedly, not really wanting him to stop

"Then I won't stop." He said fondly, only increasing his ministrations

"Spence." I groaned, a small sigh of satisfaction slipping my mouth.

My phone on the bedside table lit up and I reached forward to pick it up. A message had come through from my friend Bobby, asking when I would be ready to meet her. Shit. I forgot.

"Okay, I really have to get up now. I'm supposed to meet Bobby in an hour for lunch." I said

Spencer groaned lowly against my skin as he reluctantly let go of me. I swung my legs over the bed before picking up my phone and quickly replying to her, letting her know when I would be ready.

I stood up and grabbed my leggings from the floor, pulling them up and over my hips. I glanced around for my shirt, and when I couldn't see it anywhere, I sighed and looked over to his wardrobe. It was open slightly and I spotted a small collection of hoodies at the back.

I walked over and opened the wardrobe further, my fingers skimming over the soft fabrics. I pulled out a dark blue crew neck from the wardrobe and turned around to face Spencer. He was already staring at me with his soft brown eyes.

"Can I borrow this?" I asked him with a smile

"Absolutely." He nodded

I pulled the jumper over my head, gently tugging my hair from under the material. I walked back over to the bed and perched on the side, leaning over to plant a kiss on his lips before I had to leave.

"Will you come over tonight?" He asked as he ran his hands through my hair

"Of course." I said with a gentle smile as I gave him another lingering kiss. I was reluctant to leave him, but I did make plans with Bobby, and I wasn't the type of friend to not show up because of a guy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As my hand fell onto the door handle of the cafe we had agreed to meet at, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I felt like someone was watching me. I turned my head, trying to see if someone was looking at me, but there were so many people out on the street.

I thought I must have been imagining it, until I saw an unsettlingly familiar face. My heart plummeted in my chest as I got a glimpse at someone who looked frighteningly similar to Adrian Matisse. The criminal who had escaped prison in France. The one who I had put behind bars after pretending to be in love with him for 8 months.

I blinked and suddenly it wasn't him. Same clothes, different man. I could almost see the resemblance to Adrian. But it wasn't him. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, maybe I was just seeing things. I mean, I kept thinking that I was seeing Jo, who is very much not alive. Even as I tried to tell myself that, I still couldn't shake the bad feeling that was twisting at my gut.

I opened the door to the cafe and stepped in, immediately recognising the curly hair of my close friend. I made my way across the room and took a seat in front of her. She glanced up, her eyes running up and down my form with a raised brow.

"So, who's the guy?" She asked immediately

"What? No, hi Nat, how are you, Nat?" I asked sarcastically, amused by her straightforward mannerisms.

"Who is the guy?" She asked again, waiting eagerly for me to tell her

"You remember how I mentioned my smart coworker?" I asked her

"The one who you thought was cute. Spencer, wasn't it?" She asked eagerly

"Yeah. Spencer. But no one at work knows, it's a secret." I said with a smile

"It's not that secretive if you're wearing his clothes and are sporting hickies." She said with a laugh

My hand shot up to my neck, rubbing at the skin where he had been kissing. "Well, I don't dress like this at work."

"Good. Because even someone who was terrible at reading people would be able to guess it. Never mind a team of profilers." She said with a laugh.

The two of us spent the afternoon together. After we had finished our lunch we went shopping, spending some quality time together before she would have to fly off on another case. Once the sun started setting, we decided it was time to call it a night.

I couldn't help but feel happy as I walked down the empty street towards where I had parked my car. The thought of seeing Spencer again was causing my heart to flutter in anticipation. The sun was setting lower and lower but the sky still had a little light left. The street lights flickered on like clockwork, lighting up the darker parts of the road.

I pulled out my phone, going to text Spencer that I would be on my way to him, when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned my head, but didn't see anything. I sighed heavily, my guard rising by the second. I felt a horrible pressure in my chest. Something was wrong.

I turned back around and my heart stopped in my chest. Standing right in front of me was him. Adrian Matisse. I gasped, my eyes widening as I stared into his piercing blue eyes. He looked exactly as I remembered him, even with a hood pulled up over his head. For a moment, I acknowledged the fact that he was wearing what I had seen him in earlier, when I had persuaded myself that I was seeing things.

My phone was still open on my messaged with Spencer. Without looking away I typed a number into the message box. 42. I hit send and a sharp pain shot through the back of my head. It was quick, I hardly realized what was happening when my vision turned black and I fell to the ground.