He liked you, you liked him. Spencer Reid had never fallen for a work colleague before (even after JJ having confessed to him, which made him terrified of losing her friendship, but he didn't like her like that) and now... Here you were, his colleague professor at University. He had stepped down from the BAU, now, retired — but he loved teaching, and he was amazing at it. You watched some of his lectures in the back of his classes sometimes, where he couldn't see you and, hell— the man was a force of nature, even if very shy sometimes outside the classrooms. Adorable, he was.

After you joined the faculty, Spencer didn't expect you to be nice. Most professors were simply polite to eachother, really, not forming bonds — not that he cared, considering his past, his trauma. Spencer was a little bit afraid of forming bonds. Yet, there you were. Younger, nice, gentle, sweet. Smart. Really smart. Sometimes you could read right through him like he was an open book, and it both terrified and made him amazed by you. You were something else, and that's exactly why he fell for you. Reid was pretty sure you didn't like him back — older, retired BAU, all scarred from the past, dorky and nerdy, rambler— He had a full list of 'cons' about himself. Little did Spencer Reid know that all the things he thought bad about himself, you actually liked. Even when he was grumpy in the morning because he slept less than seven hours.

And, yes — the two of you grew closer and closer, almost inseparable. He would wait for you when you had to finish lectures after 6PM, scared you'd get hurt or kidnapped (once FBI, always FBI, right?) because the campus was dark, and you would always bring him coffee and sweets in the morning, aware of his sweet tooth. It felt platonic, but both of you were knee-deep into feelings for eachother here. But then, the gossip.

Spencer had this thing about wanting to help everyone, all the time — and it wouldn't be different with his students, meaning he didn't notice when this girl, Louisa, asked him to give her lessons after hours only because she was into him. Really, Spencer did not notice it — also consider this: he was bad, really bad with hints. But you did. Yet, you felt like it wasn't your place to say something, because, hell, he was doing his job. And the two of you weren't a couple, right? Even if you two acted like one all the fucking time. And that's exactly how and why it came to your ears.

You had finished one of your lectures and another student — Ava, you remembered — approached you. The 'girl code' made her, and she told you she had seen Spencer drive Louisa home last night and that they looked really cozy together. Fine: Ava was wrong, and it was not what had happened, but still, it's what she saw — she wasn't being mean, she only wanted to warn you, thinking you were Spencer's girlfriend. You clarified things to her, and she left the classroom.

Now, you were alone with your thoughts. The empty classroom, silent and almost eerie, allowed your brain to think about everything Ava told you: Spencer and this student. Having an affair? Why would he be so sweet and loving to you, then? You could — should! — ask him, but you were scared. What if he told you: yeah, yeah, I don't like you, I like this student. No, he'd never— But what if? So, today, you decided not to wait for him. You simply walked to your car and went to your apartment.

It made Reid worried — really, really worried — when you were nowhere to be found at the University. He called you — nothing. Were you okay? Did he do something wrong? But that's when he saw it: students gossiping and pointing at him, and he heard the name Louisa, giggling. Spencer Reid was a genius, and it took him less than two seconds to piece the puzzle.

No. Fuck, no. He had your address. Right? Somewhere. You'd given it to him, but he never felt brave enough to actually show up at your apartment— But now? Fuck it. Fuck all of it. Reid found, inside his wallet, the small paper you had given him, and he drove: to your aparment. No time to waste.