✓ | 𝗔𝗣𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗘 · ͟͟͞͞➳ spencer reid

CHAPTER 44 ━━━

# ! | CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
- derek gets the down-low

━━━ AFTER A DAY WHERE
gelato wasn't the only thing Meryl ended up getting from Spencer, they returned to their separate homes and slept in anticipation for their first outing with friends as a couple. They were both positive it would be fine - the two other couples would be blissed out from sex and probably in a great mood - and the day would pass without too much embarrassment.

However, as seems to be ritual with these things, they ended up with three back to back cases that postponed their outting until the end of March, the twenty third to be exact.

Meryl had felt bad about not inviting Hotch and Rossi but the visual of the Italian Stallion walking in to a lingerie store with them, let alone being knowledgeable about the less than child friendly gadgets was enough to heal her conscience.

So, the six of them met outside the Louis Vuitton store at CityCenter, Morgan laughing about how ready Penelope looks to spend his money. She's dressed in a stark contrast to his leather jacket ensemble with a white tee shirt, acid washed jeans, and a silver chain. Garcia wears a flattering red dress with black fishnets and heels.

JJ and Emily are most certainly dressed in band tee shirts that had belonged to the other some point in addition to jeans and Vans.

Spencer realizes Meryl right away when he ends up walking a few yards behind her in the parking lot. She wears high top black Converse, same as him, and a black denim skirt with a orange and black flannel around her waist, the clementine color matching that on her vintage Aerosmith tee. Her hair hangs in natural waves down her back, a backwards snapback and silver hoops that match the rings on her fingers completing the outfit. He laughs quietly when he catches up to her, thinking of his own navy and light blue outfit, business as usual. "Now I look like I should be arresting you," Spencer says in lieu of greeting.

Meryl turns to face him, face bare of makeup but still knocking him flat on his ass. "Let's leave the handcuffs for later, hm?" She stretches up on her toes, kissing him deeply. Spencer complies immediately, hands tugging her hips closer to him as he tries to slip his tongue past her vanilla flavored lips.

"Ooh! Get some, pretty Ricky!" Morgan calls from a few stores down, standing with the rest of the group.

Spencer pulls away with a dazed look in his eye. "I forget we're in public sometimes."

The green eyed woman smiles fondly and then takes his warm hand in hers. "Plenty of time for that when we're not in front of Derek Morgan."

ೃ⁀➷

The afternoon passes in an onslaught of shopping bags (mostly Garcia's), sex jokes (mostly Morgan's), and wildly unnecessary but equally enduring facts about various brands of clothing (mostly Spencer's, but Meryl knows more about Gucci than she probably should).

The sex shop joke turns out to be just that - a joke - much to Spencer's immense relief. However, they do go in to a lingerie store.

"Whatcha think?" Meryl asks, holding up a sheer white lace number with very, very little left to the imagination.

Spencer nearly chokes on his lemonade. "It's um... give it to me." He snatches it from her and marches up to the checkout counter.

Meryl laughs and then trots after him. The woman behind the counter is tall with clear, dark skin. Her name tag reads "Lenora" and she offers Meryl a flirtatious smile. "Lucky guy," she comments, winking in the younger doctor's direction.

A muscle in Spencer's jaw jumps and he snatches the bag. "Mhm. Thanks."

They walk from the store and he shakes his head. "Goddamn sharks." Throughout the day, two men and three women had so very blatantly flirted with his girlfriend right in front of him. He is six foot one, there is no possible way they could have just missed him.

Meryl joins the girls at a pretzel stand and Spencer wanders over to an amused Morgan.

"Why do you look so smug this time?" grumbles the wavy haired man. Derek punches him lightly in the shoulder. "Never seen you jealous like this before. It's pretty funny."

Spencer rears his head back. "I am not jealous," he sneers, fidgeting with his cardigan.

Morgan smiles. "You are, Reid. And you don't need to be, she's hardly looked at anyone else since you guys got together. Matter of fact, I bet it's really pissing her off that you don't see how much she loves you."

Spencer shrugs off his advice as Meryl sits right up against him with pretzel bites. He grabs her knee and she almost immediately removes his hand.

"Oh, okay, so I'm not allowed to touch you anymore?" Spencer snaps, dark eyes angry as he looks down at her.

Meryl's brows furrow. "What the hell? No, I have a knife strapped my thigh." She hikes up her skirt a little bit and sure enough, the slender body of a six inch steel blade sits in contrast against her pale thigh.

Spencer laughs in surprise. "What? Why?"

"Self defense. I would say touch me all you want, but now I don't think I want you to." She puts some distance between them. "So what is this really about? Are you jealous?"

"Christ, no, why does everybody think that?" Spencer returns the look that Meryl levels him. "I'm not jealous."

But he was and she knew it and he hated that she knew it. Why did he feel like this? Surely he should know that she is dedicated to him. She literally was willing to kill herself for him, so why couldn't he see that? This line of questioning unravels in Meryl's brain, tangling into an ugly knot of thoughts and presumptions.

Spencer takes a moment to evaluate and finds himself uncharacteristically frustrated. All these people and all her experience... it intimates him. She intimidates him. He worries that one day she'll just up and leave, another undercover mission gone smoothly.

Meryl's phone vibrates on the table and she takes a fleeting glance. "Find time to be 'not jealous' later. We have a case."

He opens his mouth and reaches out for her but she's already walking away, throwing her cup in the recycling on her way out.

Derek approaches their table. "Like I said. Hey, when did you start thinking you know more about women than I do?"

Spencer glares at him. "Just shut up."