Say It Again

Chapter 8: Friends

"You remembered my order?" the soft smile on the brunette's face makes my heart soar. 

"Of course I did," I feel my face redden as her dark eyes meet mine.

I break our stare first, leading the way back into the living room, ignoring the pounding of my heart. I sit down and pat the space next to me on the couch, picking up the TV remote as I shift slightly.

"What are we watching?" she asks, sitting next to me.

"I was kind of feeling some trashy reality TV. That cool with you?" I press the button and watch the screen in front of us come to life.

"That is exactly what I was thinking, Miss Jareau."

...

I feel like I'm floating for the rest of the day. Being around Emily is as natural as breathing, even though I'm nervous pretty much the entire time as well. The way her hand lingered on mine when she grabbed it during a jump-scare in a movie we watched after lunch made my heart pound.

Around 6, we start getting ready. Tonight is casual, so I grab a shirt and jeans. I pull the shirt on and admire the way it cuts off and shows a little skin. I run a brush through my blonde hair and put on a little bit of makeup.

When I walk out of my bathroom and into the living room, Emily turns and smiles up at me.

"I like that top! It looks perfect on you," she says, standing and looking me up and down.

I feel my face redden, and I bite my lip without thinking. I notice her glance at my lips, and she cocks her eyebrow at me.

I break eye contact and look at her outfit instead. She's wearing a tight top, and it shows off her curves perfectly. It's low cut, so I can't help but notice her cleavage. Her jeans hug her hips, and I find myself blushing again.

"I think you look great! It's going to be a wonderful night. I feel like we never get to hang out when we aren't on a case. Getting to laugh and drink instead of trying to catch yet another murderer is going to be amazing," I walk around and plop down onto the couch.

"I'm glad I was able to join the team. I already love you all so much," Emily sits back down next to me and leans her head on my shoulder for a second.

My phone rings, and we both jump a little bit. I look at the name and smile.

"Hey, Pen! Are you heading to the bar now?" I ask my friend.

"Yes! Reid said he's been there for ten minutes already, so I figured I should head there too," Garcia laughs as she speaks.

"Okay! I will be there shortly, and I have a feeling that Emily will too," I wink at the brunette sitting next to me.

"Okay, sweet thing! Toodles!"

I end the call and stand up. "You ready?"

...

Two hours later, we're all around a table laughing, talking, and drinking. I'm on my third beer, and I'm starting to feel pretty good. I look at each person sitting around the table and smile to myself. I love these people.

My sentimental daydreams are interrupted by Derek Morgan's voice.

"Oh, absolutely not. There is no way that you, Emily Prentiss, could possibly beat me in arm wrestling. Do you see these?" Derek flexes his muscles and wiggles his eyebrows at Emily.

"I'll bet you $20 that I can beat you," Emily holds out her hand to Derek.

"Easiest $20 I will ever make," Derek smirks as he shakes her hand. The whole team is watching them now. We clear a little space around them on the table and get ready to watch the show.

"You ready to lose?" Morgan's voice is playful as he grips Emily's hand tightly.

"I'm ready to win," Emily looks up and winks at me before turning her attention back to the man in front of her.

"Alright, my dear ones. On the count of three, okay?" Garcia smiles at them both and puts her hand on top of theirs. "One...two...THREE!" she pulls her hand away as she says three, and the battle begins.

Emily is holding out longer than most of the team expected, and I have a feeling that she's going to be the one taking home that $20.

Morgan smiles as he starts to push Emily's hand down. Emily cocks her head for just a second before reaching for Morgan's ribs with her other hand. She tickles him for a second. Morgan loses his focus and jerks involuntarily. Emily immediately pushes his hand down, but she jumps up a moment later.

"Cheater!" Derek yells with a laugh.

"Morgan, you spilled JJ's beer all over my shirt!" Emily is holding the fabric away from her body. Spence and Garcia can't stop laughing, but Hotch and his wife are already cleaning up the beer that spilled when Emily tickled Derek.

"I guess I'm going to the bathroom to see what I can do about this," Emily gestures at her shirt with a laugh.

I turn my attention to Hotch and help him finish cleaning up the mess.

"And with that, my friends, I'm going to dance. You coming, pretty boy?" Derek winks at Spence, and the younger man blushes deeply.

"No, you go ahead. Dancing isn't really my thing," Spencer smiles a little and walks away quickly. Garcia glances at me, and I shrug. He doesn't blush very often...

A few minutes later, I decide to go check on Emily. I maneuver my way through the crowded bar, doing my best to avoid the annoying men gawking at me. The bathroom is on the other side of the bar, so it takes me a minute to get there.

When I open the door, I stop immediately. Emily is standing in front of the mirror, pulling off her shirt. I've changed in front of girls plenty of times since I played sports for the first 22 years of my life, but this feels different for some reason. My stomach doesn't usually tighten, and my heart definitely doesn't usually start beating faster. But right now, both of those things are occurring, and I don't want to think about why.

I almost back out the door, but I make eye contact with the brunette just before I step back. I close the door behind me and walk toward her. She turns toward me, putting her shirt down on the counter.

"Hey Jen," her voice is soft.

"Hi, Em," I whisper back.

My heart is pounding as I look at her. I catch myself reaching for her, and I touch her waist softly. She smiles at me, and I feel her fingers skim the skin just below my shirt.

I let my fingers roam her body a little bit more. Her skin is soft, but I can see the muscles in her arms, and her abs show slightly.

I feel her arms wrap around me, and I let her pull me closer. I swallow my nerves and look up at her. She leans her head toward me, looking at my lips. I look at hers and lean forward the smallest bit. 

Author's Note: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Feel free to follow my author insta tris_the_gray for updates and such!