The Summer With Spencer
The Summer With Spencer, Chapter 28- Sleepless Nights
Llysa’s POV
Lately I hadn’t been sleeping very much at all, maybe two hours a night. I wasn’t sure why,
because now that Spencer and I had made up, my life was actually going pretty well. In saying that, I am probably jinxing myself, but it feels nice to be able to say that all the same. Reid slept at my house that night, and I didn’t know quite how to tell him, so I pretended to be asleep. When Spencer himself was finally asleep, I quietly got up and tiptoed outside. I stood on the deck, leaning over the railing, watching the stars and listening to the trickle of the pond. There was a balmy breeze that blew my hair back around my shoulders, and the night was perfect; crickets and frogs chirping, fireflies lit up all around me, twinkling stars and a crescent moon. It felt like everything was finally going to be okay.
A dark figure appeared next to me, and I jumped, my hand flying to my throat. “Jesus ! Spence, you scared me !” I scolded him. “What are you doing up, are you okay ?” He asked me, sounding genuinely surprised and concerned. “Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping too well lately…” I looked up at him, suddenly remembering yet another quote perfect for the moment, so I spoke it aloud to him. “Reality is finally better than my dreams.” “Dr. Suess.” Reid told me quietly. I knew he would catch my reference. It was bizarre that the only time my memory didn’t suck was when I was stating or thinking of a quote…. Anyway, I broke the silence by inquiring what he was doing up. “Nightmare….” He told me, looking out into the yard, not meeting my eyes. Despite his height, he looked so fragile, like a little boy, standing there in his pj’s seeking comfort from a bad dream. “C’mon,” I said. “I’ll make you some hot cocoa.” “But it’s the middle of summer….” He protested. “We’ll turn up the air conditioning.” I retorted, winking. He followed me inside, watching as I stood on the counter, searching the top cupboards for the cocoa mix. “You know I’m perfectly capable of reaching that,” he told me, referencing his height. “I know,” I knocked over a bag of flour on accident, and I watched in horror as it toppled off the shelf, hit the counter, and exploded. ALL OVER REID ! His face was priceless, and I burst into a gallant of uncontrollable laughter. I apologized profusely between torrents, and he just stood there, stunned. Eventually he started to laugh as well, wiping the flour from his eyes. He pinched a mound and threw it at me, and pretty soon, coca forgotten, the kitchen and both of us were coated with white powder. Come to think of it, we probably looked like crack-heads.
I looked at the clock, it was just after 3:30am. Spencer and I were laying on the floor in the kitchen, legs intertwined, just talking. We both had flour everywhere in our hair, and not to mention the entire kitchen and our clothes as well. I darted forward and kissed his cheek, leaving an imprint in the flour. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. I wondered if he was thinking of the last time I had kissed his cheek, more than a month ago, when I had woken up in the hospital to find him there. His phone rang in the other room, and he jumped up to get it. I knew it in the pit of my stomach, they had a case. Sure enough, he emerged again, looking at the mess, then looking at me apologetically. I stood, giving him a hug. “Be safe.” He hugged me tightly back, and kissed the top of my head. “Goodbye,” he said, rushing out the door to go home and change. “Not goodbye,” I told him. “See you later.”
Spencer’s POV
I woke up from another horrifying night terror. I looked to Llysa for comfort, but she wasn’t there. I bolted upright, afraid that something was wrong. My heart was pounding as I searched the house room by room. I had expected her to be in her bedroom, maybe sleeping in her own bed for some reason. But no such luck. I began to panic now, but I didn’t dare yell her name for fear of waking her up, maybe she was still sleeping somewhere ? I finally decided that the only place she could be was maybe the backyard. I looked out of the glass in the back door, and sure enough, there she was. She stood leaning over the railing, her hair blowing behind her. I walked up behind her, and she jumped, her hand flying to her throat. “Jesus ! Spence, you scared me !” She scolded me. “What are you doing up, are you okay ?” I asked her, concerned. “Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping too well lately…” She gazed up at me, saying, “Reality is finally better than my dreams.” “Dr. Suess.” I blurted out of habit. She broke the silence by inquiring what I was doing up. “Nightmare….” I told her slef-conciously, looking out into the yard, purposely not meeting her eyes. “C’mon,” She said. “I’ll make you some hot cocoa.” “But it’s the middle of summer….” I protested. “We’ll turn up the air conditioning.” She replied, winking. I followed her inside, watching as she stood on the counter, searching the top cupboards for the cocoa mix. “You know I’m perfectly capable of reaching that,” I told her, gesturing to my stature. “I know,” She said, knocking over a bag of flour on accident, and I watched in horror as it toppled off the shelf, hit the counter, and exploded. All over me. My mouth opened in a silent gasp, and the white powder clung to my face and hair like snow on a roof. She apologized profusely between bouts of laughter, and I stood there, stunned. Eventually I started laughing as well, wiping the flour from my eyes. I pinched a mound and bravely tossed it at her, and pretty soon, cocoa forgotten, the kitchen and both of us were coated with white powder.
Llysa and I were laying on the floor in the kitchen until around 3:30am, legs intertwined, just talking. Our faces and hair were covered with the white fluffy stuff, not to mention our clothes as well. She lunged forward and kissed my powdery cheek, leaving an imprint in the flour. I raised my eyebrows, saying nothing. I pondered whether she was thinking of the last time we had kissed, when she had first woken up in the hospital. I'd never admit it, but that was my first kiss.
My cell phone rang in the other room, and I hopped up to get it. We had a new case. I re-entered the room, absorbing the actuality of the mess. I looked at Llys apologetically, desperately hoping she wouldn't be angry with me. She just stood, giving me a hug, “Be safe.” I hugged her tightly back, glad she understood, and kissed the top of her head. “Goodbye,” I told her, rushing out the door to go home and change. “Not goodbye,”She told me. “See you later.”
Lately I hadn’t been sleeping very much at all, maybe two hours a night. I wasn’t sure why,
because now that Spencer and I had made up, my life was actually going pretty well. In saying that, I am probably jinxing myself, but it feels nice to be able to say that all the same. Reid slept at my house that night, and I didn’t know quite how to tell him, so I pretended to be asleep. When Spencer himself was finally asleep, I quietly got up and tiptoed outside. I stood on the deck, leaning over the railing, watching the stars and listening to the trickle of the pond. There was a balmy breeze that blew my hair back around my shoulders, and the night was perfect; crickets and frogs chirping, fireflies lit up all around me, twinkling stars and a crescent moon. It felt like everything was finally going to be okay.
A dark figure appeared next to me, and I jumped, my hand flying to my throat. “Jesus ! Spence, you scared me !” I scolded him. “What are you doing up, are you okay ?” He asked me, sounding genuinely surprised and concerned. “Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping too well lately…” I looked up at him, suddenly remembering yet another quote perfect for the moment, so I spoke it aloud to him. “Reality is finally better than my dreams.” “Dr. Suess.” Reid told me quietly. I knew he would catch my reference. It was bizarre that the only time my memory didn’t suck was when I was stating or thinking of a quote…. Anyway, I broke the silence by inquiring what he was doing up. “Nightmare….” He told me, looking out into the yard, not meeting my eyes. Despite his height, he looked so fragile, like a little boy, standing there in his pj’s seeking comfort from a bad dream. “C’mon,” I said. “I’ll make you some hot cocoa.” “But it’s the middle of summer….” He protested. “We’ll turn up the air conditioning.” I retorted, winking. He followed me inside, watching as I stood on the counter, searching the top cupboards for the cocoa mix. “You know I’m perfectly capable of reaching that,” he told me, referencing his height. “I know,” I knocked over a bag of flour on accident, and I watched in horror as it toppled off the shelf, hit the counter, and exploded. ALL OVER REID ! His face was priceless, and I burst into a gallant of uncontrollable laughter. I apologized profusely between torrents, and he just stood there, stunned. Eventually he started to laugh as well, wiping the flour from his eyes. He pinched a mound and threw it at me, and pretty soon, coca forgotten, the kitchen and both of us were coated with white powder. Come to think of it, we probably looked like crack-heads.
I looked at the clock, it was just after 3:30am. Spencer and I were laying on the floor in the kitchen, legs intertwined, just talking. We both had flour everywhere in our hair, and not to mention the entire kitchen and our clothes as well. I darted forward and kissed his cheek, leaving an imprint in the flour. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. I wondered if he was thinking of the last time I had kissed his cheek, more than a month ago, when I had woken up in the hospital to find him there. His phone rang in the other room, and he jumped up to get it. I knew it in the pit of my stomach, they had a case. Sure enough, he emerged again, looking at the mess, then looking at me apologetically. I stood, giving him a hug. “Be safe.” He hugged me tightly back, and kissed the top of my head. “Goodbye,” he said, rushing out the door to go home and change. “Not goodbye,” I told him. “See you later.”
Spencer’s POV
I woke up from another horrifying night terror. I looked to Llysa for comfort, but she wasn’t there. I bolted upright, afraid that something was wrong. My heart was pounding as I searched the house room by room. I had expected her to be in her bedroom, maybe sleeping in her own bed for some reason. But no such luck. I began to panic now, but I didn’t dare yell her name for fear of waking her up, maybe she was still sleeping somewhere ? I finally decided that the only place she could be was maybe the backyard. I looked out of the glass in the back door, and sure enough, there she was. She stood leaning over the railing, her hair blowing behind her. I walked up behind her, and she jumped, her hand flying to her throat. “Jesus ! Spence, you scared me !” She scolded me. “What are you doing up, are you okay ?” I asked her, concerned. “Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping too well lately…” She gazed up at me, saying, “Reality is finally better than my dreams.” “Dr. Suess.” I blurted out of habit. She broke the silence by inquiring what I was doing up. “Nightmare….” I told her slef-conciously, looking out into the yard, purposely not meeting her eyes. “C’mon,” She said. “I’ll make you some hot cocoa.” “But it’s the middle of summer….” I protested. “We’ll turn up the air conditioning.” She replied, winking. I followed her inside, watching as she stood on the counter, searching the top cupboards for the cocoa mix. “You know I’m perfectly capable of reaching that,” I told her, gesturing to my stature. “I know,” She said, knocking over a bag of flour on accident, and I watched in horror as it toppled off the shelf, hit the counter, and exploded. All over me. My mouth opened in a silent gasp, and the white powder clung to my face and hair like snow on a roof. She apologized profusely between bouts of laughter, and I stood there, stunned. Eventually I started laughing as well, wiping the flour from my eyes. I pinched a mound and bravely tossed it at her, and pretty soon, cocoa forgotten, the kitchen and both of us were coated with white powder.
Llysa and I were laying on the floor in the kitchen until around 3:30am, legs intertwined, just talking. Our faces and hair were covered with the white fluffy stuff, not to mention our clothes as well. She lunged forward and kissed my powdery cheek, leaving an imprint in the flour. I raised my eyebrows, saying nothing. I pondered whether she was thinking of the last time we had kissed, when she had first woken up in the hospital. I'd never admit it, but that was my first kiss.
My cell phone rang in the other room, and I hopped up to get it. We had a new case. I re-entered the room, absorbing the actuality of the mess. I looked at Llys apologetically, desperately hoping she wouldn't be angry with me. She just stood, giving me a hug, “Be safe.” I hugged her tightly back, glad she understood, and kissed the top of her head. “Goodbye,” I told her, rushing out the door to go home and change. “Not goodbye,”She told me. “See you later.”