Cold Coffee

Ryder spun around in the office chair she had pulled up next to Garcia’s desk. Her arms were folded tightly over her chest, her face frozen in a sour expression. Looking at her phone and seeing no new text messages, she sighed angrily.

She hadn’t talked to Spencer since he had left her house two nights before. It really didn’t make sense to her. She had just asked him to stay over that night. It wasn’t as if she had asked him for something much more extreme. But then again, it was Spencer. He wasn’t like most guys.

In the last two days, Collin had been accepted to a nice boarding school up in New York. It was for talented art students like Collin. Ryder was so proud of her little brother, but didn’t even bother telling her mother. She wouldn’t even care.

So, Ryder flew up to New York with Collin, deciding to let him stay over night for a couple of days to se how he liked it. She knew that he was a strong kid and after what happened to him, she had gotten GPS installed on his phone so she could find him whenever she wanted to.

“Stop looking so gloomy!” Garcia bellowed from beside her.

She sighed while she said, “I can’t help it.”

Just as Garcia was about to reply, her phone rang. She put it on speaker, hoping it was Spencer. But it wasn’t. It was Derek sounding very frantic.

“Garcia,” He said quite rushed, “Reid’s been exposed to the anthrax.”

Ryder’s ears twitch at the mention of her boyfriend’s name. Her mind search hurriedly for the word anthrax. She had heard it once before when Garcia was talking to her. But then again, she wasn’t really listening because she was too busy sulking.

By the look on Garcia’s face, Ryder knew that it wasn’t good. Her heart started beating quickly and she could feel her hands shaking. She stood up, not being able to sit still anymore. She listened to what Garcia and Derek were saying, slowly realizing what was happening. Basically, Spencer was dying. Roaming around the offices, she thought about all the good times she’s had with Spencer. Silent tears began to descend down her red cheeks.

Garcia’s phone rang again.

Ryder jumped and practically ran back to her desk. She heard Spencer’s voice through the speakers. He was talking, sending a message to his mother.

“I spend everyday of my life proud to be your son," Spencer said, causing Ryder to let more tears to fall.

“Is that all you need?” Garcia asked slowly, trying to be strong for the couple.

“No,” He said, almost fighting to get the words out, “I need you to tell Ryder that I’m sorry for leaving her after what happened. Tell her that-”

“I’m here Spence,” Ryder said, cutting him off, “I’m listening to you.”

“Ryder?” He called her name, his voice cracking.

A blanket of silence laid stiff in the air. No one said anything for the longest time. Spencer didn’t want to seem weak; Ryder didn’t want to hear his voice sounding like he was pained.

“I’m sorry,” He said after a while, “I’m truly sorry for what I’ve put you through. Going undercover, getting kidnapped… Rejecting you.”

She shook her head, “Stop talking like that.”

“If I don’t come home-”

“Spencer…”

“If I don’t come home, just know that I,” He paused to take in a shaking breath, “Just know that I love you.”

Ryder’s hand raised to her mouth as she closed her eyes to stop the overload of tears that were blurring her vision. A sob escaped her lips as she tried to get out the words to reply. She forced herself to open her mouth and say, “I love you too.”

The line went dead.

Ryder slid to the floor, her back pressed against Garcia’s desk. The normally bubbly blond sat on the floor beside her friend, taking her in her arms. The two sat there, crying for the future loss that could possibly take course.

Ryder felt her life slowly coming to an abrupt stop. When she was with Spencer, it was as if her life was going straight forward; going so fast that there wasn’t any time to stop and think. And once it did stop, it stop fast and hard. And now everything’s on the floor, hurting and bruising from the impact.

Sitting there on the floor, Ryder silently prayed in her head. She just wanted him to return to her safe and sound. Once she had calmed down a bit, she just sat there, emotionless, staring at the wall ahead of her. Garcia stood, sitting back in her chair, trying to get in contact with the rest of the team.

After a few minutes, she was typing away on her computer, exclaiming to whoever was on the line that she find the person they were looking for. The room got silent again,

Ryder stood up suddenly, feeling her own phone start to vibrate. She answered quickly, seeing Derek’s name flash on her screen.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded hoarse from crying.

“He’s gonna be fine, Ryder,” He said, causing a huge sigh to escape Ryder’s lips, as well as a cry.

As the new emotion of happiness and relief washed over her, she asked, “Where is he? Can I talk to him?”

“Whoa, slow down!” He chuckled, “He’s in the hospital, sleeping it off. We’ll be coming home as soon as he’s recovered.”

“Thank you, Derek,” She whispered into the phone, “Thank you.”

She hung up and raced over to Garcia, throwing herself on her to embrace her. They both sat their, laughing and crying, the happiness consuming them.

The next couple of days were hell for Ryder. She hadn’t talked to Spencer at all. She was dying to see him; hear his voice at least. But Derek told her that it would make the welcome home, much more enjoyable.

She sighed, walking through the airport. It was nearly 1 am. She was tired, seeing as she hadn’t been sleeping regularly since her boyfriend was in the hospital recovering from almost dying.

She wore a light grey, long sleeve t-shirt with a black jacket over it and a darker grey scarf. She wore a pair of simple skinny jeans tucked into her black boots. A knitted, grey beanie rested on the back of her head.

She became impatient, tapping her foot and leaning against a far wall. Two planes had landed, and yet, no Spencer. Biting her lip, she decided to get him a cup of coffee for when he did arrive.

After drowning the coffee in an endless amount of sugar, she walked back to her spot. But it wasn’t long before she heard the familiar ring of Spencer’s voice talking about something that wouldn’t hold anyone’s interest, besides his own.

A huge smile +spread onto her face instantly. She hadn’t realized how fast she was walking until she had collided into his body, almost dropping the coffee she had just bought. She buried her face in his shoulder, not wanting anyone see her cry.

Realization hit Spencer and he wrapped his long, lanky arms around her shaking body. The rest of the team mumbled their goodbyes, then exited the airport, but not before peeking back to see the couple in their long embrace.

“Are you okay?” He said her quietly.

She laughed, looking up at him, “You’re the one who was in the hospital and you’re asking me if I’m okay?”

His hand reach up to her hair, running his fingers through it, rubbing gently right behind her ear. “I just don’t like hearing you cry,” He said with all the honesty in the world.

Ryder smiled, pushing herself up to his height and capturing his lips with her own. Spencer was surprised, seeing as it was a public place, but then he remembered that it was 1 am. And statistics showed that people normally prefer flying at night.

After the kiss was over and Spencer was given his coffee, Ryder drove them to his house, where he welcomed her in. She gladly accepted the offer, not wanting to be separated from him at all.

It was still dark outside, the time being around 2 am. Ryder’s eyes were barely open as soon as she hit the couch. But she forced herself to stay up so she could listen to one of Spencer’s many informational speeches. Honestly, Ryder loved it when he told her something factual. She loved hearing him talk about random stuff and random times. He intrigued her.

“Ryder,” He said softly, chucking, “You should go lay down. I think I’m actually boring you to sleep.”

Her closing eyes shot open. She couldn’t help but smile at his comment. She patted his cheek while saying, “You could never bore me, Spence.”

But she did accept his second offer and took her jacket, scarf, and boots off before going to his bedroom and sliding into his perfectly made bed. The smell of her boyfriend trailed through her nostrils, intoxicating her.

It wasn’t long before she was sleeping soundly in his bed, which was completely comfortable. But she didn’t stay asleep, for nightmares consumed her head. She jolted up in the bed, suddenly feeling alone.

She stood up, rubbing her face. She hadn’t noticed, but there were tears rolling down her face. She quickly flicked them away as she opened the door to find Spencer. The clock in the living room read 2:26. She groaned softly as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.

Spencer was sitting at the table, just staring at a mug of coffee. He looked as if he could’ve fallen asleep any second. But she knew that he wouldn’t. She walked up behind him and wrapped her around his neck, laying her head near his own.

“I thought you were sleeping,” He said looking back at her.

She shook her head, closing her eyes, “I had a nightmare so I decided that I would come find you.”

Spencer turned around in his chair, pulling her into his arms. They stood there for at least a good 20 minutes before he stood up and led her to the couch. He sat down, pulling her down with him. Her head rested on the arm rest. Her body laid out on the couch, Spencer sitting just under her chest. He smoothed her hair back and he whispered things to her.

“Go to sleep now, Ryder,” He said softly, causing her eyes to fall shut.

“Go to sleep.”