The Case of You and Me

Chapter 8 - Sister dearest

Aria's POV

are we not going to talk about what happened about two hours before Spencer got his call?

"You packed everything you needed for a few days, right?" I guess that answers my question.

I don't trust my ability to sound casual so I nod my head. "Mhm."

Thankfully, he's too busy looking for clothes to shove in a go-bag to notice how hesitant I am. I mentally add 'one-track mind' to the growing list of things I know about Spencer Reid. "Are you okay?" 

Maybe his mind isn't one-track enough. "Y-yeah, I'm just tired." I rub my eyes to make my point and also as a way to reset my brain. I need to focus on helping so I don't accidentally slip up and tell him I'm worried about him. He doesn't seem like he'd take that well. "I'm sorry...I've been out of it. Do you need me to do anything?"

"As long as you have all of your stuff together, then no." He's still walking around the room in a hurry, like he's trying to do everything in the world at once. 

"I can make coffee," I offer gently, "While you finish packing."

For whatever reason, he hesitates, but then nods his head, "Coffee would be nice, but you don't—"

"Spence, it's coffee," I cut him off gently, "Relax, before I feel the need to slip a Xanax into your's."

He eases a little at the joke. Well, eases isn't the right word, I just see something in his head click together, making him more present, less scattered.  I move towards his kitchen before he can change his mind. Spencer's a good person, but his constant concern that he's going to upset me is starting to become a problem. That sounds mean, but I'm not a child, and I don't need to be treated like one. 

I have no idea where Spencer keeps any of his coffee stuff, but it shouldn't be too hard to find, and I'm doing this to help him, I can't add onto his list of things to do by asking. First, I check where I normally keep my coffee, second cabinet to the left. It's not there. After some searching, I find everything I need, even the coffee grounds. But there's a problem. Because Spencer is about 6' (probably—I've never measured him, and most people look tall to me), he can afford to keep his coffee grounds on the top shelf of his cabinet. I stopped growing in middle school...

Confidently, I pull myself onto his counter in order to reach the coffee grounds. As soon as I grab them, I head my phone ding. I set the coffee on the counter and reach for my phone.

UNKNOWN: Miss me?

Me: Michael, I swear to god if you've done something to Liz, I'll end you.

UNKNOWN: Michael? I'm not Michael.

Me: Then who are you?

UNKNOWN: one hint: stress.

Oh hell no.

Me: Lana? You're still away, right? Please tell me you didn't do something stupid.

UNKNOWN: Good to know you still care, Sis.