At around 5:00 you finished up your paperwork and said your goodbyes to the team. As you're walking into the elevator, you hear a chorus of 'Good luck' and 'Have fun' from the separate desks.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" You hear Morgan yell.
"No promises!" You yell while chuckling to yourself. Walking to the parking lot you get a rush of excitement, causing you to sprint to your car, eager to get home. When you pull into the parking lot to your apartment complex, you rush to the elevator and wait impatiently for it to go up.
You walk into your apartment and throw all your stuff on the kitchen counter, grabbing a quick snack pack of pretzels and quickly eating them. Glancing back at the pot of flowers on your table, you refill the water and smile at them as you arrange them in the center of your table.
You walk into your bedroom and head to your closet, grabbing a new set of black lingerie you bought a couple of days ago while you were out with the girls, along with a pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt. you head over to your bathroom and start the shower. Reaching into the top drawer and grabbing your makeup wipes, you start to take your makeup off you hear your phone buzz on the counter.
Em 💋 🔫
Em: wear that cute black set we got a couple of days ago. just in case ;)
Me: already planned on it mamas;)
Em: have fun, text me afterward
Me: will do, love you
Em: you too
You put your phone down and get in the shower. You wash yourself thoroughly before getting out and wrap a towel around yourself. You slip on the lingerie and comfy outfit and begin brushing your hair while walking to your closet and deciding what you want to wear to the date. You pull out a couple of dresses but find it difficult to decide which you want. You get a sudden idea and pull out your phone to call Emily.
"Hey, what's up hot stuff?" You hear Emily's voice after a few rings.
"Hey," you reply, smiling at her flirty personality "are the girls with you?"
"Yeah, they are" she answers "why?"
"I'm trying to pick a dress for my date tonight," you say "and I think I need some consultation."
"Oooo!" She says excitedly "Alright, show us your options!"
You prop your phone up and show the girls the two dresses you picked out. The first one was a silky wine red with a deep v-neck, showing off a bit of cleavage. It stopped just above your knees.
"Oooh, that's cute, a bit risqué too." Garcia states while wiggling her eyebrows at you.
"You don't think it's a bit much for a first date?" You ask while biting your lip.
"Well show us the other option and we'll decide then." JJ says with a comforting voice. You nod and grab the other dress and hold it up to your body. It's a wine red, cold shoulder, cotton 'skater' dress. It's a high low that stops mid-thigh in the front whilst the back stops at your knees.
"Oh I like this one a lot more, it's simple but classy. Where are you going anyways?" Emily says. JJ and Garcia nod, showing that they agree.
"I don't know" you admit, shaking your head "he won't tell me. I think he wanted it to be a surprise? I don't know, but I'm excited."
"Well let's hope he doesn't try and kill you, yeah?" JJ teases, making all four of you laugh.
"I can run a background check, I just need a last name," Garcia states, protective as always.
"That won't be necessary Pen" you say, tensing and shutting her down quickly.
"Are you sure?" Penelope slightly whines. You can tell that she's all too eager to look up your date.
"Yes Penelope, I'm sure." You look at the clock, estimating the time you have left to get ready.
"Alright, he's gonna be soon and I'm still in lazy clothes, so I'm gonna go get ready I'll call you when I'm done to show you the finished look, alright ladies?"
"Alright, love you talk to you in a bit," Emily says before hanging up.
You take the dress in the bathroom and hang it on the back of the door, pulling out your makeup and settling on a light red and gold eyeshadow look to compliment the dress.
Half an hour later, you were satisfied with your look and got up to grab your dress off the hanger you left it on. Flattening out any wrinkles you could find, you exit the bathroom and once again head to your closet to pick out shoes. You settled on a pair of black strappy heels. You put them at the end of your bed and grab your phone to call the girls back as promised.
"Heyyyy girl, damn you look, good mamas." Emily slightly slurs. You can hear the other girls scrambling over to the phone to see you.
"Guys it 6:45 are you already drunk?"
"Whaaattt, nooo, Just a little tipsy." Emily says.
"We're just getting started!" Garcia slurs.
"Mhm, okay. Well, what do you think? You think he'll like it?" You question
"Honey, if he doesn't, I'll come pick you up and take you out myself." JJ says, sounding the soberest of them all.
You chuckle lightly and thank them. You guys end up talking until the clock hits 7 and you hear a knock at your door.
"He's here, gotta go. I'll talk to you later, I love you guys." You say quickly. They mumble their 'goodbyes' and 'i love yous' as you hang up. You throw your shoes on and grab your purse. Rushing to the front door, you trip over your own feet in your haste. You fall face first but catch yourself just before your nose hits the floor. Taking several deep breaths and trying to mentally calm yourself, You stand up and calmly walk over to the door. Upon opening the door you find Hotch standing in the hallway, fumbling with the wrists of his suit jacket. He looks up and takes a deep breath.
"You look- wow," He says speechlessly, glancing your body up and down. There's a small smile on his face as he looks at you.
"That bad, huh?" You tease, playing with the hem of your skirt.
"Wai-what?" He asks, stuttering just a bit "no, you look amazing."
"Beautiful" he adds softly under his breath. You had to admit, it was incredibly unusual to see Aaron Hotchner stutter and get flustered. Though, you didn't mind being the one to do that to him.
"Well, we should get going to..." you begin, but your words trail off "where are we going?
"That, my dear, is a surprise." He looks at you and sticks his hand out for you to take. You take his hand firmly in yours, and he leads you out of the building.
Once you reach the car he opens your door for you and bows jokingly as you thank him.
"Thank you, sir" you tease, emphasizing the words as you climb into his car.
"Of course, m'lady" he jokes back, making you both laugh. It was so rare to see him joke, but so incredible at the same time.
As he walks over to his side your mind starts to wander. You had worked so hard to make yourself look good and feel alright, but there always had to be those nagging, persistent thoughts that ruined your confidence no matter what you did.
"What does he even see in me?" You wonder silently "I'm really not anything too special. What if I do something dumb and totally screw this up? What if-" Your thoughts are interrupted by him opening his door and sliding into his seat.
"Are you okay?" He asks gently, noticing the changed look on your face.
"Hmm?" You ask, being pulled from your thoughts.
"You look stressed. what's on your mind?" He questions.
"I'm alright, Aaron" you fake a smile, trying not to worry him "you worry too much."
"Right," he says. He looks skeptical but doesn't push it and starts the car. He pulls out of the parking lot as you turn on the radio. Light music plays softly in the background as you two talk about your day and crack jokes every once in a while.
You're having such a good time that you don't even realize you're at the restaurant. You look out your window to see your at an old Italian diner, and you look back at him with a soft smile.
"Well, come on! what are you waiting for? I'm hungry." He chuckles and gets out of the car. You attempt to open your door, but it won't budge. you look to see if it's unlocked and are confused to find it perfectly open. Nonchalantly, he strolls over and opens your door for you.
"Did you child-lock my door?" you ask while holding back a laugh.
"Maybe." He smirks. He holds out his hand out for you to take, and you do so gladly. "Come on, reservations are at 7:30."
"Hi, just the two of you today?" the waitress asks as you walk in.
"Yes, I believe I made a reservation under the name Hotchner?" Hotch says. The women's eyes scan the reservations list.
"Ah yes, Mr. Hotchner, right this way, if you will." You both follow her to a table towards the back, close to a window that looks out on the stars. She sets down two menus before walking away, leaving the two of you alone.
"Thank you" you mutter as Hotch pulls out your chair for you.
"You're welcome" he replies, smiling as you place a kiss on his cheek.
"You know, out of all the places I thought you might take me, I definitely didn't expect this," you say as he takes the seat across from you.
"And why is that?" He asks, a slight smile on his lips.
"I don't know," you shrug "it's very quaint. It's just not what I expected, that's all."
"What, did you think I would take you to the gun range on a first date?" He chuckles.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have doubted it" you tease, causing both of you to laugh.
"Well, I wanted to surprise you," he says. "And I would say it's working."
"It is" you smile back, picking up the menu "so, what are you thinking to drink?"
"Probably just water," he says.
"Wow, you're boring" you tease.
"Why, what are you getting?"
"A bottle of wine?" You ask, looking up at him hopefully. He gives you back a disapproving look. "Please?"
"Fine" he sighs "not too much though."
"Thanks, dad." You tease, emphasizing the word 'dad.'
As soon as the words leave your lips, you recall the flowers left on your desk earlier. Specifically, you remember the note he left.
"Oh my God," you mutter.
"What?" He asks, giving you a concerned look.
"The note!" You say.
"You figured it out?" He raises his eyebrows and smirks smugly.
"Aaron, I can't believe you!" You reprimand, slapping his arm playfully. You both laugh at each other, your face still red at the realization.
Eventually, the waiter comes and takes your orders. You both order salads and pasta dishes, and you order a bottle of red wine.
"So, how are the girls?" He asks, being decidedly casual. It was still odd for the two of you to be so open and to see him being himself outside of work.
"Well, let's just say they didn't waste time getting the party started" you laugh, taking a long sip of wine.
"They're already drunk?" He asks, looking down at his gold watch "but it's only-"
"They were already drunk when I talked to them at 6 o'clock" you interrupt "they're not wasting any time."
"It sounds like them" he chuckles.
"They've got the right idea," you say, leaning back in your chair "the job gets hard. Sometimes I think we could all use a cold drink."
"There are other ways to deal with the stress of the job than by drinking" he states.
"I know, I know" you sigh "can we agree not to talk about work?"
"Agreed."
The night is consumed with endless talking and laughter. When the food is brought out, you do more talking than eating. You take time enjoying the delicious food and each other's company, not paying much attention to the time.
You talk a lot about your lives outside of work, hobbies and such. You enjoy listening to Hotch talk about Jack, as you can tell it makes him happy.
"Say, who did you get to watch Jack tonight?" You ask.
"I asked Jessica to watch him a little longer" he explains "They're still at the house. Hey, you should come over and see her."
"See her?" You ask, practically spitting out your drink "why?"
"You haven't in a while," he shrugs "you're going to have to see her at one point or another."
"Isn't that a little," you gulp "awkward? I mean, I'm seeing you now, and she's..." your words trail off.
"It'll be fine" he assures you "she'll like you. Besides, I'm offering for you to come back to my house. Are you going to pass that up?"
"No," you admit with a dramatic sigh "alright, sounds like a plan."
"Good, I'll go get the check," he says. He starts to stand but is stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, would you look at this?"
You feel all the air rush out of your body as you see a familiar man standing over the table. In the middle of sipping your drink, your throat constricts, making you choke.
"Rossi?" You cough out, your water spilling down your chin as you look up at him in shock.
"Here," Aaron says as calmly as possible while handing you an unused napkin. "Dave, what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" He asks with a raised eyebrow "this is my favorite restaurant. The question is, what are you two doing here?"
"We were just, um" Hotch glances at you before looking back at Rossi "discussing the case."
"As colleagues," you add "over dinner."
"I can see that" he replies "do you mind if I sit?"
"No" Aaron assures him.
"Yes," you answer at the same moment. You both shoot each other a pointed look as Rossi takes a chair from a nearby empty table, facing it towards you both before sitting.
"So, tell me about the case," he says with a slight smirk on his face. He folds his hands together on the table.
"What?" You ask.
"The case" he clarifies "you know, the one you're here to discuss."
"Oh, right," you say, internally cringing at your own lie "that. Kind of a long conversation. Not one to get into now."
"Riiiiiiight" he prolongs the word, showing how unconvinced he is. "You know, Aaron, there's a really nice girl here tonight. She's been a friend of mine for a while. I think you'd like her."
"What?" You ask, a little louder than intended.
"I was planning on introducing Hotch here to a girl" he repeats "I'm sure you wouldn't mind. Since you're here as colleagues and all."
"Dave, this really isn't the time," Aaron tells him, shaking his head.
"He's right. I mean, we're discussing cases after all" you lie "that's not something for civilians to hear."
"You said it wasn't one to get into right now" he reminds you.
"Yeah, well-"
"She's a great girl" he cuts you off before you could think of another excuse "Natalia! Come here!"
"I'm telling you, I really don't-" Hotch begins, but is instantly cut off by the quick tapping of heels against the floor.
"Hey, you must be Aaron." A taller woman with long, curly auburn hair quickly appears next to your table as if she were a summoned spirit.
"Yes, I am," he says, his voice polite as he extends his hand "pleasure to meet you."
"And you must be Natalia," you say, trying to hold the same level of courtesy. She shakes his hand first, following yours quickly thereafter.
"Are you two friends?" She asks, flashing her white teeth in a wide smile as she looked between the both of you.
"Yeah," you say, staring at Hotch "good friends." He looks mildly hurt by your words before glancing at the girl.
"So Natalia," Rossi clears his throat "Aaron is the chief of a major FBI unit."
"That's exciting!" She says "which one."
"The BAU," you say bitterly "Behavioral Analysis. We work together."
"That's so cute!" She squeaks "are you his assistant?"
"Assistant?" You practically hiss "no, I'm not his assistant!"
"Sorry," she apologizes quickly after hearing your tone "then you're one of his agents?"
"Not his agent, but yes, an agent" you reply, leaning back against your chair and taking a long sip of wine. Hotch looks extremely uncomfortable and Natalia can't take his eyes off him.
"Listen, Natalia, you seem like a really-" Aaron begins.
"Hey, I really like your suit" she interrupts him. You watch in pure fury as she fiddles with the end of his tie. "You always dress up so much to go out with coworkers?"
"This really isn't-"
"Yes, he does" you reply with unbridled anger.
"Y/n-"
"This has been great," you say, standing up from your chair and placing your napkin on your plate. "But I really should be going. Have a good night, everyone."
You decide quickly to leave before your anger got the best of you. You try to seem composed as you leave the restaurant. When you shoot a glance back at the table, Hotch is still talking to Natalia. He's speaking quickly, you can tell, glancing between you and her and Rossi with a conflicted and dazed look.
You open the front door of the restaurant and begin walking. You recognize the area a bit and find a nearby park.
The grass blows gently with the breeze as you walk across it, ignoring the signs instructing you to do otherwise. Eventually, you find a bridge that leads over a flowing spring.
You pace aimlessly across the length of the path, trying to calm your anger. You weren't exactly sure why what had just happened bothered you so much. You knew it wasn't anyone's fault because no one had known of your relationship, but the idea of another woman touching him bothered you more than you thought it would.
Anger easily had gotten the best of you again. You knew it was easier to walk away and leave the situation rather than blow up at people who hadn't done anything wrong. Still, as you stood alone looking at the dark night sky, you wish you hadn't.
You prop your elbows on the wooden rail and place your head in your hands and watched the water flow over the pebbles of the stream. Your anger and jealousy fade away, leaving you cold in the night air.
"Hey" you hear a low voice say behind you, startling you. You feel a warm fabric being placed around your shoulders. "I figured you'd be here."
"How could you have possibly known where I was?" You ask. He comes up behind you and joins you in leaning against the rail.
"You can be a little predictable sometimes" he shrugs "I figured you'd want to be alone in a quiet place. The only place you'd really find that is this park."
"God, I wish you weren't a profiler," you say, rolling your eyes as you shake your head slightly.
"Sorry," he says, chuckling slightly "but I am."
"I know," you sigh, pulling his jacket tighter around you to keep warm "so where's Rossi and Natalia?" Your words come out slightly harsh.
"Rossi is still at the table and drinking," he informs you. "And I told Natalia that she was nice but that I wasn't interested."
"You did?" You ask, turning to look at him.
"Yeah" he nods "I'm kind of seeing someone special right now." He turns his head slightly to look down at you, a small smile evident on his face as his eyes glimmer.
"Thanks," you say quietly, meeting his eyes only for a moment before looking back down into the water.
"Of course," he nods "you know, there's absolutely no reason for you to be jealous."
"Oh, like you were jealous of Spencer?" You shoot back. He gives you a sideways glance before looking up at the stars. For a long moment, there's only the babble of the water and the whispering of the trees to fill in the space between words.
"I don't want to share you with anyone, y/n," he says after a moment "Even if it's just for a case. Even if it means nothing to you. I want to be the only man in your life."
"Aaron," your lips curve into a soft, reassuring smile as your hand takes his. Your intertwined fingers rest together on the wood of the railing. "You already are."
"And you're the only woman in mine," he says, lifting up your hand and placing a light kiss on your knuckles "the only one. I promise."
"So you're saying you want this to be exclusive?" You ask after a moment.
"Yes," he nods, looking at you expectantly. To your surprise, he seems slightly nervous "do you?"
"Isn't it a bit soon?" You ask, rambling nervously "I mean, we've been only been together for a few weeks. We've barely been on one date."
"Y/n, listen to me." His voice is much slower and calmer. Placing on hand on your hip, he turns you towards him and pulls you closer. The other lands on your cheek, holding your face with his large hand. "I don't need more dates. I don't need to think about it any more than I already have. I already know exactly how I feel about you, and I'm not going to be stupid and waste time."
"Aaron..." you say softly, your voice fading away as you looked into his eyes.
"If you aren't ready, then I'm willing to wait for you" he continues "but I want you to know that I am. I need you to know."
"Shush. Listen to me." you order, wrapping your arms around his neck "I'm never really sure of anything, but I'm completely sure that I want to be with you. And if that's what it takes, then yes, I want to make this official."
"God, y/n, you're amazing." Both hands cup your face, pulling you into a deep kiss. Your hands pull his body closer and closer until you can feel the heat radiating off his body.
The kiss is soft, yet somehow passionate. Neither of you moves away. Instead, you enjoy the prolonged taste of each other's lips as you listen to the winding river bubble beneath you.
"Looks like cupid shot a bow tonight, huh?" Your eyes fly open as you pull away from Aaron, landing with a thump against the bridge rail.
"Rossi!" You say in utter surprise, feeling Hotch's arms wrap around your waist to steady you from falling "it's not what it looks like!"
"Well, to me, it looked like you both just kissed after going on a date" he smirks, leaning his back up against the rail "but that couldn't be true. You're just friends."
"Yes, we are!" You say defensively, looking at Aaron for help. He looks stunned.
"Right, very close friends." He repeats. "Very, very close friends. Very."
"Dave, the team can't know about this" Hotch finally speaks up.
"Oh, I know" Rossi nods "I made sure they didn't."
"What does that mean?" You asked.
"I may or may not have told them that Aaron was interested in another woman," he says.
"David. You didn't."
"Oh, but I did" Rossi corrects "they were on your trail. I knew they were bound to figure it out if I didn't say anything, so I threw them off."
"But they think I'm dating someone" you point out.
"Well, I guess you both are now" he shrugs nonchalantly.
"You knew about us?" You ask "for how long?"
"Probably since you fell asleep holding each other on the jet" he shrugs.
"You knew about that?" You ask "but everyone was asleep?"
"The turbulence wakes me up" he explains.
"Did anyone else see?" Hotch asks flatly, clearly trying to take some control of the situation.
"No, no one else" he assures you both.
"We weren't even together at that point" you sigh, rubbing your temples.
"Relax, both of you" Rossi orders "You're secret's safe with me, I can promise you that."
"Thank you, Dave," Hotch says, smiling slightly.
"Of course," Rossi says, showing a genuine smile "I love you both from the bottom of my heart. I want you both to be happy, and if that's with each other, then that's what you should do."
"Rossi, we owe you" you smile, wrapping him in a hug.
"You actually owe me double" he corrects "I also paid for your dinner."
"You didn't have to do that" Hotch says, shaking his head disapprovingly.
"Well, I already did" he shrugs.
"Wait a second," you say, pulling away with a confused look "if you knew we were together, why did you introduce him to Natalia?"
"Well, I knew if I confronted you directly, you would deny it" he explains "I needed to catch you in the act."
"You knew she would get jealous?" Aaron asks.
"Well, I don't know if jealous is the right word..." you say.
"It is," they both say at the same time.
"Whatever" you huff, waving your hand dismissively. "Still, I can't believe you, Rossi. You seriously tried to make me jealous just to figure out whether or not we were together."
"Believe it. I did."
"And you brought her in on it?" You ask, and he nods. "Rossi, I swear to God-"
"Alright, that's enough," Aaron says, stepping between both of you.
"You're right" Rossi nods "you two have the rest of the night together."
"Rossi!" You say, slightly embarrassed.
"Go on, amanti," Rossi encourages, shooing you away "I'm sure I'll see you both far too soon."
"I'm sure you will" you chuckle.
"Thanks, Dave," Aaron says, smiling before turning to you. "Come on, let's go."
You smile at Rossi before turning back to Hotch, taking his hand before following him through the star-lit park.
__________
Hey guys!
I know I promised a spicy chapter but I didn't expect it to be this long, so next chapter I will definitely deliver.
A big thank you to thebausbitch for helping me write and edit this chapter!
As always, please comment and vote if you enjoyed!
Lots of love,
-s 💕