Playing with my Heart | A Spencer Reid story

M

The bell shrilled.

"Just a quick reminder. Assignments are due in on Friday. If you have any questions, I am available during my office hours between 4 and 6 this afternoon." Spencer ignored the exhaustive rustling as students hurriedly left. Well, most of them. There is always a persistent group of students that stick around at the end, watching Spencer's every move. He would often sit. Waiting for the room to empty. The silence that somehow found a way to echo even though there was nothing to project.

The stragglers would eventually disperse. They couldn't watch Spencer ploughing through books all day. As much as they wanted to.

It was in those moments of solitude that Spencer could take a breath. Finally take in the hollowness inside and fill it with the musky smell of the pages of the books that lined the circumference of auditorium.

The silence did mean that when a sound did break it, it would shudder the entire room.

The door at the top of the stairs yanked open. "I'll see you later." Sophia called out over her shoulder just as the door slammed behind her. She padded down the steps, a soft thud could be heard with every step.

Spencer looked up from his book, only to see Sophia searching around the seat that she always selected.

"Lost something."

Sophia jumped out of her skin, grabbing her chest instinctively with a small high-pitched yelp.

Spencer smirked at her reaction, snapping shut he book and circling around to the front of table, stepping down from the platform and up the steps towards Sophia.

"Shit, you scared me." She tucked her hair behind her hair and went back to scouring around her seat.

"Sorry." Spencer felt bad as he climbed up the steps two by two.

Sophia continued to search. "It's okay. I just didn't expect anyone to still be in here." Sophia didn't mean to be rude either. She was slightly panicked about her lost possession, and she accidently took it out on Spencer.

"Are you looking for something?" Spencer tried to find Sophia's eyes. He needed to know what she was feeling. Only her eyes would betray her thoughts.

"Yeah." She still didn't look up. "Umm, my necklace. Its gold. Umm. It has a little M in the middle." She was practically sprawling on the floor, shining her phone torch under the seat and tables. "I had suspected the clasp was weak for a while. I... I have been putting off repairing it. But now I can't find it. I was wearing it this morning. I'm not sure where it fell off." Her responses were short but manic.

"Hey, hey." Spencer knelt down beside Sophia. He placed his hand on her cheek, bring her to meet his eyes. "It's okay. Retrace your steps. It will be somewhere here. You'll find it."

Spencer didn't need to ask. He knew that this necklace was important to Sophia.

She smiled back at him, before going back to her search.

It wasn't long before an alarm went off on Sophia phone. "It's not here." Her disappointment was obvious. "I have to go," she sighed. She held her head she stood up. "Thanks for you help. I'm sorry again. I... its just that... it's important to me."

Spencer stopped her. "It's okay. I get it. You don't have to explain anything to me."

Sophia smiled with gratitude as she slowly backed away.

Spencer couldn't help but feel the hollowness return as Sophia once again walked away from him. His only solace was that as she reached the door. She looked back and gave him once last smile.

He shrunk down into the seat that Sophia usually occupied. He still couldn't figure out why she affected him so much. What was it about her?

As much as he desired it. He couldn't sit there and think about Sophia forever. As he was leaving, he caught sight of something shiny hanging off the hinge of the seat. He gently unhooked it and held it up to the light. There it was. The necklace. He ran his finger over the dainty chain, before pocketing it. He decided to forgo his jacket and instead slipped it into his shirt pocket so that it was closer to his chest.