maniac. | spencer reid

| eighteen |

"my bad." he murmured. "just stating the obvious."

"thanks for boosting my ego everyday, though." gracen replied.

"as if you need it." spencer said back smugly.

"gosh, you're so two faced!"

"am not! i was kidding!"

"snake." she muttered at him, crossing her arms like a twelve year old throwing a tantrum.

"fine." he placed his hand on top of hers that was laying freely on the table. spencer looked into her eyes with such intensity that gracen thought he was only playing around. "you're the most beautiful, gorgeous, and sweetest person i have ever met in my entire life. and i'm so glad i met you." the corner of his lips did that thing where they turned upwards—and gracen's heart soared.

"and you," gracen mocked his actions, placing her free hand on top of his. her heart was beating so fast at his words that she didn't want spencer to know how she was feeling at that moment. "are the hottest, sexiest, nerd i have ever seen." she smirked at him, jokingly biting down her lip seductively.

"gracen!" spencer scolded, narrowing his eyes at her. "you had the power to keep it romantic or make it sexual!"

"my bad, spencer." she purred. "you're just so irresistible, how could i not?"

"flattered." the man stayed plainly, only a little disappointed she didn't return or sense his genuine emotions from before. but two could play at this game. "but really, you think i'm a hot nerd?"

"everyone does, spencer." gracen replies, feigning innocence.

"what?" that was something he didn't know. spencer always assumed everyone around him saw him as a weirdo—and an outcast. because he had always felt like one.

"you didn't know that?" she asked, and when he shook his head, gracen's eyes widened. "wow, you are so naive."

"what? no i'm not!" he said, genuinely offended.

"spencer, the girls at the office fan girl over you. whenever you and the rest of bau walk into the second floor, they're all like, 'oh my god, don't you think reid, morgan, and hotch are like, so hot?'" she mocked, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "you guys are the fbi, so i'm not surprised, but it does get annoying."

"i didn't know that." spencer sat back and thought. he felt a surge of confidence run through him. "are you jealous?"

"jealous of you?" gracen asked, scoffing. "duh, you save lives everyday and you're a genius—"

"no-not that. although you shouldn't be because you're the coolest person ever—" he stopped. "do you get jealous when girls fawn over me?"

"i-uh." gracen froze, her cheeks feeling hot at what she felt like was a confrontation. "i-i mean, yeah, a little."

spencer was satisfied with her answer. "good enough for me."

"what do you mean, 'good enough for me'?" she squinted at the man.

"jealously happens when you feel threatened at an external factor coming between one of your cherished connections." he spat the definition out. "it means you value our connection, and that's good enough for me."

gracen paused to register his words, a smile making its way up to her face when she finally understood what he was going on about. "of course i do, spence."

spence. his heart drummed in his chest. god, he loved that nickname when it came out of her mouth. his grip on her hand tightened a little, like he was afraid to let her go.

he leaned closer to her. "i'm never letting you go." spencer murmured, with serious intention.

"well, you're going to have to because our food is here!" she cheered, pulling back her hand.

spencer felt a small pang in his chest as the warmth slipped away from his fingertips. she did it again. he thought. gracen couldn't seem to take him seriously. all those things he had said—before she would dismiss them with a joke that proved that she didn't care—he meant them. and spencer wished gracen would know that he did.

but gracen did. as ms. winkler set down their plates of food, gracen asked herself why she was hurting spencer. she was aware that she kept belittling the loving words that came out of his mouth. those loving words that made her heart race so fast.

but she was scared. gracen didn't want to get any closer. she didn't want to make herself fall in love harder than she already was.

after tonight, gracen promised herself that she would let spencer go.

—