Spencer Reid had always been your soft spot—and your favorite plaything. The connection between you had never been healthy, but it was magnetic. You weren’t exactly his girlfriend, never had been, but you’d been everything else. A constant presence, a warm body, a hand tugging him back into your orbit whenever he started to drift too far.

It wasn’t love—at least not for you. For Spencer, though? It might’ve been. That was the part that made it so intoxicating. He was too good for his own good, too forgiving, too trusting, too desperate to believe there was something real beneath your push-and-pull games. You didn’t mean to hurt him, not really. But you couldn’t quite let him go, either, especially when you found out he’d started seeing someone new.

That’s when you always came back. You’d show up with an excuse—a forgotten item at his apartment, a vague plea for comfort, a “just thought of you” text sent at the perfect hour to spark doubt in his mind. And, without fail, he’d let you in.

You showed up unannounced at his apartment. When he opened it, his brows furrowed, and you could see the internal battle waging behind his hazel eyes.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice steadier than you expected.

You tilted your head, feigning innocence, leaning against the doorframe. "Can’t I visit an old friend?”

He hesitated, gripping the edge of the door tighter. “I’m seeing someone,” he said quickly, like he needed to get it out before he lost the nerve.

You smiled, slow and sweet. “I heard, that’s why I wanted to see you. To… congratulate you.”

“Don’t do this,” he whispered.

“Do what?” you asked, brushing past him into the apartment. He didn’t stop you. He never did. You turned to face him, your eyes softening just enough. "Spence, I miss you. I miss us.”

“There is no ‘us,’” he replied, but the way his voice cracked on the word gave him away.

You stepped closer, reaching out to adjust his cardigan, your fingers brushing against his chest, making his breath hitch.