"I bought you that hot chocolate you like, and..." I switch the drinks to just one hand and steady them as they wobble. I have to dig deep into my pocket for the crisps I also bought her, but she loves them and If I drop the drinks I'll just run out and buy more. "Some Cheetos." I say, finally reaching the packet and pulling it from my coat before looking up at her. I dangle it between us and smile at her.
She joins me and then steps back so that I can come in. "I haven't actually cleaned yet, I'm sorry for the mess." She pulls the blue cardigan she's wearing tighter around her and I arc my brow. She's wearing my favourite cardigan, but I love it on her. I place the cups on the kitchen counter before speaking. "I'm more worried about how and why you're wearing my favourite cardigan?" I grab the edges where the buttons are supposed to fasten and pull her to me. She begins to blush and I feel myself smiling.
"It's my favourite too." She says quietly and a tingle runs through my body. She makes me so weak. I laugh lightly and then give in to the voice telling me to kiss her. I peck the end of her nose, knowing if I kiss her lips I won't stop. I give her the hot chocolate preventing myself from kissing her more and she thanks me, then kisses me properly. Fuck.
She heads through the archway and back into her living room, taking a seat on her sofa and I join her. "Wow, this place really is a tip isn't it?" I tease her and she jolts me hard in the ribs. "Ow!" I shout and she begins to laugh.
We both settle and she puts Quantico, her favourite TV show box set on. I watch her watch the screen. I've done this before, watched her watch TV, I just didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. She looked so beautiful there in that moment. She always looked beautiful, but right there, with her blonde hair draped over her shoulders. With her blue eyes reflecting the light coming from the TV screen and my cardigan hugging her skin, JJ was the image of beautiful. I watch her for a few moments, taking in the perfect silhouette and each crease that appears around her mouth when she smiles at the nerdy guy when he rambles. I watch her squint her eyes when the murderer kills another woman. I watch drink her hot chocolate from the cardboard cup and... I fall in love.
"Who do you think the killer is?" She turns to face me and I realise she's speaking. "What?" I ask, hoping she will repeat it because she's the reason I didn't hear her the first time. "Who do you think killed all of those people?" She says again, this time nodding toward the TV screen. I follow her eyes.
"Oh- uh... erm well the guy has to be a Narcissist, he's basically begging for attention and recognition with each kill-" Her eyes open wide and I can't tell if it's because I'm rambling, or if it's because of what's coming out of my mouth. "sorry, uh- that guy there." I point to the screen, diverting her attention from me for a millisecond when she looks back smirking. I look at the TV screen and of course there's a fucking baby gargling while playing with it's toys. "I'm sorry, I wasn't actually watching... but the guy is definitely a narcissist, just look for the character that's the most full of himself and you'll have your murderer." She looks back at the TV as the FBI agents deliver a profile to the local police. The nerdy guy says almost the same thing I did and I smile proudly. "See."
"Oooh, look at you. My little smarty pants." I laugh as she hugs me tightly, a feeling of happiness drifting throughout my body. JJ is my definition of happiness.
"So, what do you want to do today?" I ask, looking down at her small face. "I don't actually know." She sighs. "How about we go and see Morgan and Prentiss?" I suggest and she sits up slightly. "Why do you always refer to everyone by their last name?" She questions and I realise she almost never calls them by their second names. "I don't know... I- I guess it's just force of habit." I shrug, slightly annoyed with myself for stuttering and gesture for her to get dressed.
She gets up and heads into the bedroom, a few minutes later returning in her clothes and still my cardigan. I smile, she looks so cute in my clothes. I begin put my coat back on as she puts her shoes on and we make our way downstairs.
Marcus smiles at JJ as soon as she touches the tiles and I find myself frowning at him, almost warning him off. Of course he ignores me and continues to smile at her. I swear I'll kill him.
***
When we arrive at Emily's I knock on the door loudly and JJ laughs while grabbing my arm. She's opens the door, still in her pyjamas and I can't see Morgan anywhere. "Spencer, JJ!" Garcia jumps to her feet when we follow Emily inside and pulls JJ and I into her arms. "How are my little strangers?" JJ laughs and I frown, we're not strangers, we just enjoy our own company. "We're great." JJ replies as we take a seat on the sofa.
The toilet flushes and JJ's head shoots in the direction of the bathroom. Emily and Garcia begin to laugh as her eyes stay fixed on the door. "It's just Kate, you don't have to look so worried!" Emily begins to talk and I find myself smiling, she's just like her mum. Kate leaves the bathroom as Emily finishes talking and JJ breathes a sigh of relief along with a small laugh.
Morgan still hasn't shown his face and I begin to wonder where he is. "Where's Morgan?" Emily's eyes meet mine and she answers. "Oh, he's actually renovating a cabin in lost river state park. That's where we're spending New year and guess what?" we all look at her waiting for the rest of the sentence. "You lot are too!" she smiles and Garcia squeals.
"Spending New Year's Eve with my favourite people!" Kate looks at Garcia and I finally know what JJ's mum meant when she said she can tell by the way I look at her that we're not just friends.
"What part of the place?" I ask realising the room has gone quiet. everyone looks at me like it was an irrelevant question and I try to recover from the embarrassment. "Well the Park covers 3,712 acres, I was just... uh, making conversation." I force a smile and Garcia's girlfriend laughs at me. "Do you actually just know things like that?" My brows furrow at her question, I know that some of the things I say aren't exactly things people would 'just know', but that was just general knowledge. "He's a genius." Garcia answers for me and I laugh slightly. "I'm uh- I'm not a Genius." I smile naturally this time and Garcia whispers that I am to Kate.
JJ pushes her arm through the gap between mine and my body and I instantly relax. Knowing she's beside me makes everything better and I suddenly feel less awkward.
***
A few hours later Morgan returns home and I embarrass him drastically in front of everyone. The tables have completely turned when Morgan heads to the bathroom to take a shower and I'm sat laughing. It's usually the other way around, Morgan often embarrasses me in front of our friends and other people.
"How was the trip to your parents' house?" Emily asks, clearly trying to take the attention off what had just happened. "It was good. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and Henry is so big now!"
"He likes me more than her though." I joke while squeezing JJ's thigh. "I'm sure he does." Emily laughs, looks at JJ and laughs harder.
"He wants to stay at my house sometime soon, you can come and visit him when he does?" JJ offers and Emily nods. I guess she's also a big part of little Henry's life if she's JJ's bestfriend. It's a shame JJ chose to take me to her parents with her rather than Emily, I'm sure they would have enjoyed her company much more.
***
When we get back to our apartment building that night, JJ follows me into my apartment and runs straight to the bedroom. I laugh at her, knowing it's because she wants the best spot on the bed.
I join her in the room and find the woman I love wearing just my pyjama top and her knickers. She's surrounded by the mounds of pillows and blankets I own smiling at me because she beat me there.
I strip to my boxers and climb into bed beside her. She snuggles into my body and I kiss her head. After a few minutes I begin to drop off, but JJ's voice wakes me. "Spence?"
"Yeah?"
"We should have Henry here after new year?" She rolls over to face me, her dark face lit up slightly by the moonlight. I close my eyes again and grunt in approval while pulling her closer to me.
***
It's just the morning of New Year's Eve and JJ is already rushing between my apartment and hers packing suitcases to last us a few days. I'm lay sprawled across her sofa watching her panicked face through her bedroom door scrunch up as she attempts to push a wooly jumper into a bag on top of the rest of our clothes.
I laugh before standing and heading into her room and sitting on her bed. "Here, I'll help." she steps back and pushes her hair over her head before smiling. "Remember last time this happened?" she sighs and joins me on the bed with her legs crossed. "You hated me then." she laughs and meets my eyes. "I so didn't hate you." I retaliate and her face lights up with a bigger smile. "I never hated you." I push her backwards so that she's lay on the bed, me resting on my arms over her. She lifts her self up to peck my lips and falls back down again before pulling me by the collar of my shirt with her.
She kisses me again and I can feel her smiling as I kiss her back. "I love you Spence." her eyes look right into mine and I notice the little patterns in hers, separating the blue with streaks of green. I repeat her phrase using her name and kiss her neck. My lips move over her collarbone and back to hers. She pulls me closer, tugging on the roots of my hair as I slowly lower her underware. The force of her hands grows as I lower my head and brush my tongue over the very bottom of her stomach. She assists my head lower before a voice sounds through the apartment. I look up and her head falls back as she sighs.
"Jayje?" I climb off of the blonde woman and she giggles like a little girl while quickly pulling her panties up again. She jumps off the bed and out of the bedroom door half naked. It's a fucking good job it's just Emily or I'd be dragging her back in. "I'm sorry, the door was open and I- " I join them in the living room and Emily's eyes move to my face before she smirks. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." JJ covers her face as she laughs nervously and blushes. She hides in my chest and Emily bursts into a fit of laughter. "Omg I'm so sorry!"
"You're getting as bad as Morgan!" I joke and she laughs more. "Seriously I'm so sorry." The sentence forms in between clusters of laughing and JJ moves from my chest. "It's ok, someone should have closed the door before helping me with my things." she looks at me and Morgan enters the apartment. "Oh so it's that again is it?" He smiles and wraps his arms around Emily. "We're almost ready. How far are you guys?"
"I just need to shower and then we're good to go." JJ smiles and jogs into the bathroom, her bottom jiggling again and my eyes shoot in Morgan's direction. Jealousy take over until I find him engrossed in his girlfriend.
I offer them some coffee and JJ shouts from the bathroom. "Spence, I've forgotten my towel again!" Morgan frowns and Emily stands. "I'll grab one, don't want you two getting a little to excited in there do we?"
"Not when we need to get going." Morgan adds and I feel my face growing as red as his was four days ago. He laughs at me and Emily disappears into JJ's room, returning with my towel and heading into the bathroom.
"You should um... sort out your hair pretty boy." Morgan takes the opportunity to embarrass me further and I run my fingers through my hair before rustling it and pushing it to one side. He smiles and then moves to sit next to me. "So, what's going on with you guys?" he asks leaning forward and changing his voice into a whisper. The past few days have been totally hectic, I don't know whether we're in a relationship or not, but we're moving in together. That has to mean something.
"I love her." I say and Morgan's eyebrows raise. He frowns but then smiles and laughs a tiny little bit. "Wow." he finally speaks and leans back against the sofa. "You love her?" he asks and I nod my head. "I'm completely in love with her Morgan... I'm fucked." We both laugh and he pats my shoulder. "If being in love means you're fucked, I've been fucked since the day I met that woman there." he nods at Emily as she and JJ giggle while running into the bedroom like little girls with a crush.
***
The drive to the cabin isn't even close to being as bad as I expected, JJ is lay on my shoulder while Morgan drives and Emily manages the music. It's pretty peaceful and when we pull up to the cabin, I know we're going to have fun.
"This is amazing." JJ states as we climb out of the car. Morgan smiles proudly and opens the boot, I help him grab the bags and the girls make their way inside. "When does Garcia get here?" I ask. "oh, they set off 30 minutes after us... they should be here- um"
"In thirty minutes." I finish and he laughs at me.
We carry the heavy bags into the wooden building and slump them in the hall. "We can sort out rooms when Garcia and Kate get here." Morgan shrugs and we head straight to the kitchen. "Is there any shops around here?" JJ asks while opening the fridge. it's completely empty, bar the large carton of milk and some apples. I watch he as she pulls one out and sinks her teeth into the redness. Her eyes meet mine, but I still stare.
"Alright guys, quit it with the eye sex." Emily laughs and Morgan suggests him and Emily get a room in the opposite side of the cabin to us. I shove him and root through the cupboards. "No coffe?" I sarcastically question and Morgan pulls a face. "Forgive me for not stocking up while re building a shit hole." Everyone laughs and we decide to choose our rooms now to get it out of the way.
JJ leads the way up the stairs, me following closely behind and the other couple haven't even started. We reach the top and she stands still for a moment before turning to face me. "Let's be spontaneous." She says while covering my eyes. "Left or right?" I sigh and she parts her fingers to reveal her pouting lips. "C'mon Spence, left or right?" I give in to her charm and say left. She leads me down the hall and then stops again. "Alright. Say a number, one to three." I feel her hand loosen as she giddily stands on her tip toes.
I can't take the cuteness any longer and I pick her up, walking straight into a random room and throwing her onto a bed. She laughs loudly as I collapse on top of her, my head hurried in the crook of her neck as she draws lines up and down my back. "This can be our room." she says and I lift myself off of her. "Let's grab our bags then." I say and pull her off the bed with me.
We reach the bottom of the stairs and Garcia opens the door. "Alright, now the party can start." Morgan cheers as she also dumps her bags on the ground in the hall.