annabel lee [spencer reid]

chapter xvi

A/N: Timothee Chalamet is Oliver in this chapter :)

November 13, 2015
"Only love can hurt like this."

It's been nearly three weeks since Kat and Spencer's fight, and it hasn't gotten easier for either of them.

The first week went by the fastest. During class, Spencer was still too angry to even look in Kat's direction, and Kat didn't mind it. The rage from the fight was still burning deep inside of her. Spencer did manage to bring himself to Stumptown's, but made sure he went when he knew Kat wouldn't be working.

The second week was when their period of frustration began to turn into one of gloom. Although she was used to it by now, Kat hated being just another student in Spencer's class. While everyone in his class would be working on a question, Spencer would catch himself staring at Kat. His eyes would watch her gently chew her lip and do her habit of rolling her fingers together, as she would conjure an answer in her mind. Once his brain would finally understand what his body was doing, he'd immediately avert his eyes away from her.

By the third week, it was like a giant storm cloud was raining on the two of them. The desperation of wanting to feel each other's touch was almost too overwhelming to function. Kat refused to go out unless it was school or work related, as did Spencer. But today, none of her excuses would get her out of the events of tonight.

Today, Vivianna turns 21, and, like what most people do when they turn 21, chose to go out drinking.

Besides being obligated to go since it is Viviana's birthday, Kat agrees in hopes she'll be able to drink her sorrows away and forgot about how miserable she feels on the inside.

"Vivianna, hurry up! If you want food, we better go now!" Celia yells from the living room with Kat and Josslin impatiently waiting for Vivianna to finish.

"I'm almost done!"

"She's been in there for an hour. What the hell is she doing?" Josslin mutters.

Two more minutes pass until Viviana finally exits the bathroom, and spins around, showing off her outfit like she's on a runway. She has always been the boldest and extroverted of the four girls, and her birthday look definitely shows that.

"About fucking time. Can we go now?" Celia huffs.

• • • • •

It only takes 30 minutes before all four girls are dancing freely in the club, with Kat's brain already being consumed by tequila.

Kat stays on the floor until she feels her heels rub against her ankles to the point of discomfort and goes to sit back at the bar to recuperate. She slips her phone out of her clutch, and clicks onto her messages.

She stares at her and Spencer's conversation. Drunk-Kat wants to text him in hopes she can spend just one more night with him, but the in the back of her mind, Sober-Kat is screaming at her to stop. Drunk-kat is so close to becoming the victor, until she hears a voice from beside her.

"Hi." She immediately stills her actions, ready to have to protect herself from a creep, but when she turns her head, her jaw nearly drops. She stares him down with his dazzling green eyes and jet-black hair, framing his pale, chiseled face. He's beautiful. He reminds her of a Renaissance painting brought to life. A classical beauty.

"Hey." She turns back around. A part of her wants him to give up and leave, but another part of her wishes he'll stay.

"Can I ask you something?" She eyes him suspiciously before nodding.

"Go ahead."

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" If it wasn't for the alcohol flooding her veins, Kat would definitely walk away and never look back, but now, she has a confidence level that she can't recreate anytime else.

"Not as much as it did having a stranger hit on me with a cheesy-ass pick-up line." Kat tries her best to stifle in a laugh, but the look on his face is too amusing for her not to. "I'm sorry, but that really was horrible. I'm Kat."

"Oliver. I really need to learn better ways to flirt." He begins to join in with her laughs.

"Since when did Kat have more game than us?" Celia comments as she and Josslin carefully observe Kat's exchange with the boy.

"And become a borderline alcoholic." Josslin adds.

"She's different this year. Have you noticed?" Josslin nods, keeping her eyes locked on the two. "That Spencer must have really done something to her." She pauses. "Don't you think it's weird that we never met him? I mean, we had to literally confront her about dating him."

"You know how Kat is. She's a closed door."

"I guess." Celia pauses, picturing what kind of a man Spencer would have to be to live up to Kat's expectations. "I bet he's probably some nerdy, computer science guy."

It takes all of Josslin's strength to avoid spilling everything to her, but she manages to swallow her words back down with her Dr. Pepper.

Back with Kat and Oliver, she discovers that he's a medieval studies major. Her thoughts are so impaired that an incoherent rant about how awful of a subject it is spews out of her mouth.

Before he's allowed to defend himself, she cuts him off by yelling her love for the song that blasts among the room and drags him onto the dance floor with her.

Kat begins to grind along to the rhythm of the music, and even in the dark room, she can see the way Oliver's eyes darken with each sway of her hips. She isn't sure if it's from all of the drinks or just the hope that she'll replace the thought of Spencer in the back of her mind, but she guides his hands onto her waist as she turns so her back is facing his front.

As each song passes by, she feels his grip become harder and his body press closer to hers. She then spins herself around to face him, and places her arms on his shoulders. Reacting with only her body and not her brain, she closes the gap in between them and forcefully attacks his lips, which taste of vodka and a hint of mint.

When he pulls away smirking, he leans into her ear, and whispers barely loud enough for her to hear, "Do you want to go outside?" She answers by tugging on his wrist, and together they leave the crowd.

As soon as they are within arm's reach of a wall in the alleyway, Oliver grasps onto her wrists and pins her against the mahogany bricks.

"You're gorgeous." Kat babbles, grasping onto his shirt collar.

"Ditto." He murmurs.

Kat knows it's wrong. She knows it's wrong to be thinking about one person, while another right in front of her is attacking her senses. She can almost feel as if it's Spencer's lips on her neck, not Oliver's, or Spencer's golden brown locks brushing up against her skin instead of Oliver's black waves, and she hates it so much.

Her thoughts run wild, until he comes to a sudden stop.

"Did you just call me-" Before he can even utter out the name, Kat's already slidden down the wall in tears.

Author's Note
thank you all so so much for 5k!!! I can't believe how far this book has came, and I can't wait to share all of the ideas I have to everyone <3

also, life has been ridiculously stressful and busy for me, so updates will be fairly slow:(