Queen of Swords {Spencer Reid Love Story}

VIII

~Orion Montgomery~

Girls night wasn't a regular thing. With long work hours for most of the group, it was hard to find a time when they could all meet up together. Juliette Pennrose was hosting the event this time. Rather than using polish to paint nails, the small group of girls would be using oils to paint canvases. This had become the expectation whenever they went to the painter's home.

They did painting with Julliette, games nights with Livia Ridge, karaoke or just something out on the town with Annamarie, and Orion did either cooking a new a forien food together or a book/poetry night.

It had been a few days since Orion's second date with Spencer. Evening calls had become a normal thing for them. Although, he would not be calling that night as he was aware she was with her friends. Orion found herself with a small smile everytime she thought of the gentle hearted young doctor. For once it seemed she wasn't scaring off a decent guy who was interested in her.

Orion had been asked out by a number of guys in years past and none of them had ever gotten past the first date, never mind the second.

A small part of her had wanted to invite Spencer to meet her friends, but it would have been awkward as it was a girls night and he would be the only guy.

"Orion, you're spacing out again." Juliette called in her bell-like voice. Snapping Orion from her wandering thoughts.

"My thoughts just seem to be running away on me today." Orion sighed, focussing back on the canvas before her. An outline of a portrait with only a few blocked in colors on a rich olive green background stared back at her. As if to ask why she wasn't giving it her attention.

"Who are you painting? Is it that Doctor guy you're dating?" Livia piped up from Orion's left. Leaning over to look at her friend's work with squinting eyes.

"Spencer, yes." Orion nodded with a shrug. Applying some paint to her brush and carefully bringing it to the canvas. Keeping her hand perfectly steady.

"Wow, you must be really taken with this guy." Livia hummed as she turned back to her own painting of a forest with golden beams of sunlight piercing through the deep and vibrant greens.

Anna snorted. "Taken? Liv, they went on a second date; Orion's still smiling about him and he's still apparently smitten with her. It's an actual miracle!" Orion rolled her eyes with a fond smile at her best friend's dramatics.

"Ah, love. The desire of every heart." Juliette sighed heavily, joining in on the light teasing. "But seriously, I'm so jealous you've found what is apparently the perfect guy."

Orion raised her eyebrow at the ginger with a cloud of springy curls around her head. "Aren't you still pinning after Leo?"

Juliette's freckle smattered cheeks began glowing with a brilliant red blush. "...No..." She lied unconvincingly, chewing on her bottom lip.

"You do realize he's too thick for his own good sometimes and he won't notice you fluttering your eyelashes if you don't spell it out for him?" Orion groaned. It was horribly obvious, from the moment Juliette had met her older brother at a Blade Competition a few years ago, that she was head over heels for Leonardo Montgomery.

"I'm sorry! It's just, he's just so intimidating! All you Montgomery's are!" Juliette sagged in her seat. Staring at her half finished painting of a couple walking through a beautiful garden together wistfully.

"He's a huge dork once you get past his serious face." Orion muttered. Wondering how many times she'd told her that before. Juliette was a hopeless romantic and being a painter as a career probably just magnified that.

"I know, I just get so nervous around him." Juliette sighed.

"I could just tell him to ask you out." Orion offered, but she shrieked in horror.

"No!! Please don't do that!" Juliette begged as Orion shook her head sadly. She just wanted her friend to be happy, her brother too, and honestly Orion thought the two would be perfect together.

"Okay round up the mega emotions over there. We don't need another cry fest like last time." Livia huffed, though not uncaringly. But none of them really wanted a repeat of Juliette sobbing uncontrollably for three hours because she'd convinced herself no one would ever love her.

"How's the table for the McGilvery's going, Liv?" Anna asked after a few beats of silence and painting.

"The Macassar Ebony one? It's kicking me in the backside." Livia grumbled in annoyance. "People don't think about how hard a wood is and how difficult it might be to work with. They just think, 'ohh that's pretty, I like that one.' and then they ask to have it all elaborately carved and all fancy!"

"Try working with metal." Orion challenged jokingly.

"Orion, I am not above slathering this oily paint all over your face!" Livia threatened, holding up her green covered paintbrush. Orion smirked and held up her own paintbrush with a freshly mixed flesh tone on the bristles.

"But I'm the one who knows how to battle." She countered.

"Children, no fighting with the paintbrushes!" Juliette scolded disapprovingly. Drawing laughter from everyone.

"What about fingers?" Anna noted with a grin.

"Absolutely not!" Juliette protested. "That is my livelihood you are intending to waste!"

"Is it really a waste if we make a masterpiece out of it?" Livia pointed out with a smirk of her own.

"How about Chinese? Anyone want Chinese? Let's order some Chinese!" Juliette burst out, quickly changing the subject to avoid a paint war.

The girls left their unfinished paintings and moved into the kitchen to find one of the many take out menu's Juliette had hidden away in a drawer. Food was ordered quickly after that with only a few minutes to wait before it arrived.

"So, are there plans for a third date yet?" Anna asked Orion, pausing from shoveling noodles and cooked vegetables into her mouth with her chopsticks.

"Not yet."

"Are you letting him plan the next one, or are you planning it?" Livia jumped in. "He planned the first two, right?"

"It works better if Spencer plans them, I think. His job could call him away at any time. Whereas I work essentially the same hours everyday, and can even move them around if I need to. If I were to make plans and then he gets pulled away because of a case, well I wouldn't really mind, it's his job, but I get the feeling he would feel bad about it." Orion frowned slightly.

"Okay, I get that, but you're an independent woman. Do you really want him to feel like he's the only one putting effort into the relationship? Surely you can plan a date that can be done at any time?" Juliette suggested carefully.

Orion's brow furrowed as she thought for a moment. Her chopsticks held a bite of beef and broccoli halfway to her mouth. "What about Weathered Thoughts?"

"That old library full of even older books?" Livia frowned.

"And do what, look at dusty books?" Anna asked.

"Suggest books for each other?" Orion offered. "There's a tiny cafe next door now too."

"Oh! Oh! You could read to each other!" Juliette gasped excitedly.

"I don't know if he'd like that, but I'll ask." Orion hummed thoughtfully with a smile.

"There you go, date number three is planned. Now let's eat and get back to painting! I want to see this portrait of Dr. Spencer Reid with far too many extra letters in his name!" Anna declared.