Remember Me..?

I kept my fingers locked around the coffee cup in a death grip, watching as Spencer added a third packet of sugar into his own cup of coffee. As I watched I mentally compiled a list of everything I had left to accomplish before Monday.

I still had a long way to go in my novel the main character was still denying her feelings and a new love interest had just made his way into her life. The novels were… fluffy. They were full of sarcasm and the words you only use when you’re talking to yourself in your head. The series was a New York Times bestseller but it was all written under a pen name, Dana Cennun. I wanted the academic community to take me seriously, my published work seriously. If my name was on a series of books that had to do with a sarcastic, bitter and single 20-something woman I definitely wouldn’t be taken seriously in my fields. PhD or no PhD.

If my schooling taught me anything it was definitely how the human mind worked and how individuals interpreted relationships. I sometimes acted as a high school counselor in Virginia, usually being called in to talk with students if a shooting or suicide occurred within the school community. I knew how teenagers thought, and I knew how people thought others viewed them within a few minutes of meeting them. It was just how my mind worked, I could read people and I had been able to do so since my late teens when I was the youngest in my lectures.

The person I couldn’t read though? Just like when we were 12 I still couldn’t figure Spencer Reid out and it was frustrating me to no end.

“You seem frustrated, should we maybe do this another time when you are in a better mood to socialize?” Spencer asks tilting his head to the side studying my face. I feel my eyes narrow slightly wondering if he was profiling me. I had failed to understand him but from what I understood he did this for a living, I was probably an open book for him to read and if there was one thing Spencer was always better than me at it was reading.

“I forgot how forward you are, I’m fine I was just thinking of what work I had left to complete this weekend.” I lie trying to keep my face neutral. I knew he knew I was lying, and at this point he probably knew that I knew that he knew. It was that fact that I hoped would frustrate him, the fact that I didn’t care that he knew.

“I don’t mean to be blunt I was just making an observation.” He shifts a bit awkwardly in his seat reminding me of the kid he once was. He had changed so much yet not at all. From what I could see he was the same lanky kid, still the same boy genius that I had grown up with, the same boy’s who academic success overshadowed my own. He was they guy who had more or less saved my childhood, with his quick accomplishments when I finished high school not two years after he had left it was no longer a big deal.

“I was just trying to figure you out” I decide to answer honestly, this seems to shock him momentarily before he gives a little smile bringing his coffee to his lips.
“May I inquire as to how that is going?” he questions raising his eyebrows slightly, I feel my own head tilt slightly as I observe his relaxed posture before realizing that he was amused.

“Shut up Spencer” I laugh lightly surprising myself, I hadn’t felt this relaxed in years and yet here I was sitting at my regular coffee shop with Spencer. After a few minutes of comfortable silence he clears is throat, “So I hear you teach at the university now, your accomplishments are quite remarkable I don’t know how I missed your intelligence before. You were the only one who could hold a intelligent conversation with me who wasn’t an adult.”

“Don’t feel too bad, many were surprised I didn’t really bother trying until you left. After that summer when I started high school they quickly realized that my time was being wasted there, I should probably thank you for training them so week. They had a lot of your lesson plans and just gave them to me so I could work on my own. I was finished a year later, I don’t work as quickly as you apparently.” I shrug thinking about the quick and lonely high school years I had endured. My friends from middle school drifted away when they realized I was on the fast track to becoming the new uber nerd of Nevada.

“I read some of your papers, quite impressive. Your writing is very engaging, it kept me interested and prompted many questions, I do have to ask-“

“Have you been keeping tabs on me Spencer?” I question holding back a smile; the redness on his cheeks was answer enough. I smile widely flashing him my teeth knowing that my enjoyment in his discomfort was not going unnoticed.

“I frequently browse the net for all of our classmates.”
“Liar, high school sucked more for you then it did me, I highly doubt you check up on anyone you attended school with. I know I only have a number of former classmates on Facebook so I can snoop into their lives.”

“I don’t have Facebook”
“No Facebook” I ask looking at him in shock, everyone had Facebook, my mother who was horrible with computers even had Facebook. How did he spend mindless time on the computer? Sometimes I liked to lurk, I’ll admit. I had hacked an ex-boyfriends account once as well but that didn’t really have much to do with anything important… But I mean I wasn’t totally anti-social I did have a few friends and it was an easy way to stay connected since I had the tendency to drop off the face of the earth now and then.

“No, I don’t have an e-mail address either. I don’t like people being able to have such instant ways to contact me. They also pose as a threat, do you know the amount of identities stolen each year?”
I shake my head feeling myself smile once more as Spencer rattled off a number to me before launching into a list of ways people could obtain information through your e-mail.

“You have a cell phone,” I point out, “text messaging is pretty instant, its pretty much the same as e-mail and people can track cell phones. I mean would you rather get a text or an e-mail and be able to ignore it for awhile or feel obligated to answer a call?”

As I finished my statement Spencer’s cell phone rings on the table and he flips it open briefly then closes it as to prove a point.

“Remind me not to give you my number.” I snort rolling my eyes upwards and shaking my head.



“Okay class that’s it for today, if you have any questions you can e-mail me. I saw half of you texting and I know the majority aren’t actually typing notes up so don’t say I didn’t prepare you well enough when exam times comes.” I warn seeing a few sheepish looks around the lecture hall. This had been a first year Physics lecture though some were just hear to complete a science credit so I didn’t really blame them for their disinterest.

I close my laptop and unhook it from the projector bending down to put it in my bag. I had a pretty slow week but it was over now, I was looking forward to going home though and getting some writing done I had hit some inspiration after having coffee with Spencer and it had been flowing since.

“You’re a very good teacher”
I jump whacking the back of my head off my lecture stand, letting out a low moan I fall down onto my knees rubbing the back of my head in pain. Son of a bit-
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” A now familiar voice apologizes, I wince knowing that my head was going to be tender for a few days now and fall back so I was now sitting on the ground. I look up watching as Spencer rushes around the side of the podium to kneel beside me.

“You scare pretty easily” he comments making me laugh a little. I did startle easily but I also didn’t have the best balance in the world. I remember when I was younger, my Mom put me in Ballet. I knew all the positions and had memorized a book on the history of it but I couldn’t actually do it. As soon as my feet moved I’d trip others or myself.

“You keep sneaking up on me” I whine taking his offered hand to pull myself up.
“I think it’s you bad hearing that make you unaware of the people around you, but I will admit I was being rather quite as I made my way towards you.”

Bad hearing? How did he know I had bad hearing? It wasn’t horrible but the major ear infections I got a lot as a kid had hindered my ability to hear a tad worse then most people my age. It probably didn’t help that my TV was always turned up all the way along with my iPod.

“This is a rather late class,” I comment thinking about the 10 pm ending time. “Why aren’t you at home?”

Spencer shrugs, “We got a case earlier today, everyone went home but I’m not tired enough to sleep so…”

“Am I supposed to tire you out? Are you calling my conversation skills un- stimulating?” I joke picking up my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. I watch as Spencer’s shoulder relax as he offers me a shy smile.

“On the contrary I find your conversation to be very stimulating, I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat?” he blushes before stuttering his addition of, “only if you want to of course.”

I examine Spencer from head to toe, his hair was short and it looked like he had put some gel into it. I couldn’t even remember a time that I had seen Spencer try when it came to his appearance. He had on a light blue shirt under a black vest and a skinny black tie. Black slacks accompanied this and I could almost imagine the looks he got from women. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, he had a geeky chic look to him and I was finding myself appreciating his tall, slim stature. In other words, Spencer was completely my type.

“We can go to my place if you’d like” I offer doing my usual pocket check. It was one of the little things I always did to assure that I wasn’t missing anything. It was a habit and probably slightly OCD but lots of people did weird little things.

Spencer nods in agreement before gesturing for me to lead the way. He looked tired, his eyes heavy already but there was something in his eyes that made it seem like he couldn’t sleep. I understood that, my own brain never seemed to shut off. Sleep was the only place I could escape my thoughts, it was managing to get to sleep that was the hard part.

Leading the way out of the lecture hall I take him through a side door and start the walk down the sidewalk by the jogging trail towards my off campus apartment. I lived close which was something I liked because it was a central location to everything I seemed to need. I only have to drive around when I had to go to my publisher, which I enjoyed because I hated driving.

“You walk alone every night?” Spencer questions softly from beside me, I look up at him then over at the darkened bush understanding his thoughts.

“Yes, but I usually leave right when the students do and there’s a small heard of them that are going in the same direction. Don’t worry Spencer I have my trust rape whistle.” I assure him pulling out my key ring to show off the small pink whistle that my Dad had shipped to me early in my academic career.

“Typically bystanders don’t-“ I silence Spencer by putting my hand over his mouth and shaking my head back and forth. “I really don’t want to know how effective or ineffective having this is, it is my only protection and makes me feel safe. Don’t take that away from me or you’re going to have to come here 4 times a week and walk me home.” I warn seriously gently removing my hand from his mouth. Spencer looks at me for a moment his eyes locking with mine.

“The rape whistle is very effective”
“That’s better” I nod patting his shoulder and resuming my pace.
“You do know I’m lying right?” he calls from behind me, I smirk hearing the pavement under his feet as he rushing up behind me in a few strides.

“Shut up Spencer.”
“Right, shutting up now.”