Coffee, Tea // Spencer Reid

Chapter 40 - Halloween Blues

Lilith

She held up a pair of earrings to her cheek, trying to match it with her face. They were quickly placed back into the jewellery drawer. Everything looked wrong on her, somehow. She dusted off her short flapper dress as she looked into the mirror. A sigh escaped her lips.

Why was she feeling so self-conscious?

Lilith decided to settle on her silver dress and headband. She'd curled her hair inwards more than usual, so as to give the 1920's signature bounce. Maybe she wasn't looking so bad, the young woman concluded.

Then she thought of Spencer.

How would he dress? Would he be matching with Jeanine? She imagined the doctor in different costumes. A vampire, a werewolf, a ghost... She laughed at the thought of Spencer covered with a blanket with two holes cut out for the eyes. She really wanted to see him again...

Focus, Lilith told herself. This was not about him, this was about her, and having fun at the party. Why was she always so preoccupied with him? It didn't matter what he did, this was going to be her time to be a little distracted from her mess.

Collecting her thoughts, the young woman grabbed her coat and slipped out of the apartment to head to Garcia's party.

Spencer

Scratching the back of his head, Spencer shuffled awkwardly in his seat. He didn't particularly enjoy his pirate costume, but he didn't really feel like forcing Jeanine into wearing matching Fourth Doctor and Leela costumes. He quickly looked around. She'd been gone for a while, seemingly to go for some drinks, despite the fact that they had a few cups of champagne at their table. Spencer eyed them for a bit, before grabbing one and taking a sip. Fairly quickly, he'd finished the glass.

"Hey, maybe you should slow down on the alcohol, don't you think?"

He looked up. Lilith smirked at the young man before taking a seat next to him.

"Hey!" His eyes lighted up as he saw her. "It's only my first cup, you know." Spencer smiled and handed her another glass.

"That's what they all say..." She joked as she accepted the champagne.

"I was starting to get bored. Thank god you're here." He liked how she was dressed, in the flapper style. They had both tried to be somewhat historically accurate despite how foolish their costumes seemed.

Lilith smiled as she took a sip. "Aren't you supposed to be hanging around with Jeanine? I think I saw her hanging out with some people in the corridor, over there." She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder.

"She told me she was going to get us some rum."

"Oh, I thought you didn't like that. It does fit with your costume though." She teased.

He laughed, his cup to his lips. 

"I've missed talking to you."

"Me too." The words slipped out of her mouth.

Lilith's heart skipped a beat as their eyes met.

"What's been going on lately with you...?" Spencer was slightly confused. It seemed like she'd been avoiding him, despite the fact he'd been wanting to see her more and more. He thought about reaching for Lilith's hand but was interrupted.

"Hey, Spence, here's your coke and rum." Jeanine handed the cup over to the young man, who placed it on the table. She then saw Lilith's face as the young woman turned around in her chair. "Oh my god! Hi Lil! I love your costume!" She gave Lilith a heartfelt hug, asking a few questions about her day. 

"Good, good." Lilith smiled at her two friends, fiddling with her champagne glass.

The song on the speaker changed as the group spoke. Jeanine quickly turned her head to the doctor, an expression of joy on her face.

"Oh! I love this song! Can we dance on this, Spence?"

"Hum, yeah, sure. Well, Lilith, maybe we can talk some more later, yeah?" He seemed hopeful. She gave a small nod, as Jeanine tugged on his sleeve to take him away.

She watched the two make way across the room, a strange feeling in her chest. Trying to shake it away, she downed the rest of her champagne. Yet, Lilith was still uneasy. Maybe she'd loosen up if she drank some more... she grabbed the coke and rum that Spencer had left on the table. It wasn't strong enough. The young woman made her way to the kitchen, hoping to find something that would let her properly enjoy the party. As she rummaged through the cupboards, Lilith took out a bottle of vodka. She remembered the first party where she met Spencer again and spent the evening on the roof with him. Just like that night, she took a swig from the bottle. This time, however, she was alone. 

Her movements were becoming increasingly unstable. Perfect, she thought. After preparing a cocktail, the young woman made her way to the living room. At the other side, Jeanine and Spencer caught her eye. She took a deep breath and walked in the opposite direction. Relief washed over her when she found Garcia dancing in the corner to the loud music. She grabbed Lilith's hand, making her join into her dancing. Lilith welcomed the invitation and started to imitate her friend's moves, as she took sips from the alcohol-fueled drink she'd made for herself. She was starting to have fun. The young woman was thankful for Garcia, who was making her forget her worries. The two women laughed as they clumsily executed their dance movements. After a while, Lilith's head started spinning. Realising her friend was acting strange, Penelope led her to the bathroom.

"Hey, are you okay?" Garcia was slightly tipsy, but hardly as drunk as Lilith.

"Y-Yeah...I think..." Her words were slurred, her mind a mess. She could not understand her emotions, as if she'd lost all control. She was in tears before she knew it.

"Hey, hey, baby! Don't cry..." Penelope rushed to her friend whose face was in her hands. Warm tears ran down her cheeks, all the way down to her neck. "What's going on?" She rubbed the young woman's arm in reassuring circle motions, before taking her in a hug. Garcia stroked Lilith's black hair. Lilith continued crying, before calming down in her friend's arms.

"Are you okay?"

Lilith nodded. Her breakdown finally made sense. Everything hit her.

"Garcia?"

"Yes?"

Lilith paused, weighing every single one of her words.

"I think I like Spencer."