Nina.
Standing before him.
Her face was bare, and half her hair was tied high. Her dog, a king-charles Cavalier, had his tongue out, panting in anticipation.
“Nina.”
He sat up quickly, his eyes trained on the cute Cavalier, grateful for its distraction.
“Cute dog,” he nodded toward the dog, a smile creeping onto his lips.
As if summoned by the compliment, the Cavalier jumped up onto its hind legs and placed its front two paws atop his knee. He patted it, chuckling at the pet’s enthusiasm.
“Thank you, his name is Spencer, you know, after -”
“Spencer Reid. Criminal Minds-” Seth finished, and the unspoken memory passed before the two of them. Nina’s eyes kept trained on him, and he dropped her gaze, falling on Spencer instead.
“It’s a cute name,” Seth continued. He continued to tickle Spencer behind his ear, and he wondered if he should feel guilty for using the dog as a shield.
“It is.”
Nina’s tone was laced with a conclusion that Seth hadn’t heard in years. It reminded him of their last few conversations together. Regret drifted over him like a storm cloud, and he lifted his head to meet her eyes.
Those round, earthy brown eyes of hers were staring at him with a veil that was almost cold. None of the sunlight he’d been used to in her gaze was reaching him.
Again, that twist in his stomach came. Yet, this time, it was worse.
While he’d been wallowing in his own self pity the past two weeks, he never once thought of how his actions may affect Nina. Nina, who, regardless of not returning his feelings, still felt some sort of care toward him, no matter how undeserving of it he was.
She still grew to care for him, as a friend. And now, because of his foolish selfishness, he had thrown it all away.
“Nina I’m - these past two weeks -”
“Yeah, I’ve missed our train rides in the morning,” she remarked, but her tone was light. Distant. “Where’d you disappear off to?”
Seth wanted to look away from her kind eyes, but he held her gaze.
“I just got busy,” he said, and she nodded, a hint of disappointment crossing her features for the briefest of seconds.. He stepped forward, closer to her. “But I’m sorry thatI practically ghosted you. I don’t know how to manage my time after all.”
It was such a lame excuse, pathetic really. But Nina’s lips stretched into that understanding smile of hers.
“It’s okay, I understand, life can get like that. I hope everything is okay with you though, make sure you’re taking care of yourself too.”
It was clear: Nina had no interest in continuing the conversation. She began to turn away.
Panic struck Seth at that moment, struck him so blindingly like thunder.
He didn’t want to lose Nina. Even if he wasn’t hers in the way he selfishly wanted, it didn’t matter anymore.
Nina meant so much more to him than being a potential partner in his life. If keeping her in his life meant just being her friend, then so be it.
But if he didn’t mend his ignorance now, he would lose her. Lose her friendship.
It’s this thought that urged his fingers forward. He closed them around her wrist, and he spun her, softly.
“Wait - Nina -”
Spencer’s head turned between Nina and Seth, confused at what the next step for him was. Nina’s stare met his, perplexed.
