i'll have what she's having

[beyoncepadthai]

So, Mindy's last birthday went uncharacteristically uncelebrated. Of course, she shopped and drank and all of that, but this year she's more than in a partying mood and has more than enough invitees to put something on without seeming like a total loser.

Deciding to mix things up, Mindy's rented out a cool seat-reclining, wine and dine theater at High Street mall, splurged on snacks and booze and arranged for a viewing of her favorite film. Of course there are a bunch of cool new releases she could let her guests enjoy, but it's her birthday, and this is one way she can force everyone she knows to watch the wonder that is literally anything Nora Ephron.

She can hear Danny's whining already, and she couldn't care less.

What she can't help but care about is what Danny once said to her back in New York, his cruel reminder to her that she wasn't getting any younger, the promise of a hot husband and adorable children ticking away. She's all the more conscious of it this week, especially after freaking out momentarily thinking that Luke might have already moved on.

The right decision or not, a real relationship or not, it's one more shot at a future that she's managed to screw up.

Hence, the alcohol. Dressed to impress, Mindy arrives early to get her start on a super strong and super fruity cocktail while she waits for her first guests to turn up.

[Set to the night of the 20th of June at one of the fancier theaters at High Street Mall. From 8-ish cocktails (+ beer and wine) and finger food will be served in the bar area, and then the movie (viewable on YT, if you are so inclined) will be starting at 8:30. Tag Mindy, tag around, before or after the film. ENJOY.]

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[youfeelluckypunk]

The question of how he knows Luke is easy enough to answer, at least; it's the question of how it'd come to be that Reid is someone Luke would think to invite here that he's worried about because he hasn't really been able to come up with an answer himself. They're friends, of course they are, Luke is the first friend that Reid has made outside of work in a long time, and they've already shared so much of themselves with each other that Reid normally wouldn't share without years of having known someone; but even so, being invited to a party that includes other people, which he supposes is exactly what a party is, has had him agonizing here and there over whether it means something more.

Or whether he should just stop thinking so hard and appreciate the fact that Mindy isn't looking at him like she wants him to leave.

He's done his best to look presentable, though his hair is still a bit wilder than he'd like it to be because he hasn't thought to get it cut since arriving in Darrow, and in the messenger bag he still has slung over his shoulder is a polite birthday card he'd bought, along with a gift card to a boutique calling The Dressing Room that he'd happened by just yesterday. Reid has no idea if it's appropriate for her but based on what Luke had told him about Mindy saying any gifts should include a receipt and the beautiful dress she has on now, he thinks maybe he'd gotten it right.

"I met him on my first day here," he answers, fiddling with the clasp to his messenger bag, unsure of whether he should present the card now or simply leave it with wherever the other gifts are, which would probably be wiser. "He helped me a lot, with the whole no-escaping-the-city thing? I'm pretty sure I would have thought I was having a psychotic break if he hadn't shown up." He bites down on his lip before bringing his glass of cider to his lips, nose twitching at the bubbles as he takes a short sip then clears his throat. "What about you two? How did you meet?"

[beyoncepadthai]

Luke is apparently much better at helping people through their first days in Darrow. Mindy, historically, has only made things worse. She's pretty sure that she's going to just run in the other direction from now on. Cold, maybe, but for the best.

"Oh, Luke and I?" Mindy echoes, pausing to think for a moment about the best way to tell their story. Contrary to what some people think, she's not just in the habit of telling everyone who she's been banging. "Believe it or not, Space Hospital is what brought us together. I was watching, he came along, and we've been... hanging out ever since. He's so great. And the book discounts don't suck, am I right?"

That and other things, but there's still the underlying awkwardness of Luke being an ex, even if they were never officially a thing. They came pretty damn close, and Mindy's never been good with the whole no-strings-attached business. Brendan should have been a lesson in that, but since when has she been one to learn?

[youfeelluckypunk]

Reid has no idea what Space Hospital is, aside from the fact that it's apparently watchable, but he nods like he understands perfectly well how a friendship could have sprouted from a meeting like that. As for the discounts, he's yet to actually pay for anything in the store, and he wonders if that actually makes him a bit of a bad friend. It certainly makes him a terrible patron.

"Book discounts are a good thing no matter how you spin it," Reid answers, figuring it's a neutral enough thing to say.

The truth is that there's so much more about having met Luke that's been great, every time they've gotten together has been filled with fascinating conversations of substance. Luke listens to him, no matter the topic, no matter how long his rambling on said topic gets, and it still feels strange sometimes to know that there's someone in this life he wasn't supposed to have willing to be that kind of friend to him. Reid is certain, in fact, that if they hadn't met that first day, he'd still be without any actual friends in this city. He certainly wouldn't be here.

Of course, he keeps all of this to himself. He'd kept his relationship with Maeve a secret from the team, the people who'd known him best, people he'd considered family, so he's hardly about to jump into admitting what feelings he may or may not (but definitely is) developing for Luke to a stranger. Especially not without prompting.

"He's a good man," he eventually settles on saying, glancing around until he spots Luke again in the crowd. He's hard to miss, with those curls and white stripe. "And he seems to think I am, too, so that's always appreciated." He bites down on his lip, looking sheepishly back at Mindy as he pulls the card he has for her from his bag and awkwardly holds it out to her.

"Um, this is for you. I thought it'd be kind of rude to show up to your party without something so... Anyway, it's a gift card." He cringes at that, shaking his head. "And I'm not supposed to tell you that. Sorry."

[beyoncepadthai]

Dude is kind of incredibly awkward and Mindy wants to cringe in turn, but at the mention of a gift she perks up immediately, latching on.

"Are you kidding me? Gift cards are the best gift," Mindy assures him. She should say that he didn't have to get her anything, but that would imply that he wasn't expected to at the next party she throws, and Mindy loves gifts. Even if it's a gift card. Especially if it's a gift card, in fact. "Not that I don't trust your taste. I'm sure you'd shop amazingly for some Indian lady doctor you've never met."

She takes the envelope, smiling at the card because he must have gotten some guidance on what she was like based on the bling alone. "This is awesome," she says, holding it up as if it's his first time seeing it, before she goes for the actual present. "Oh my god, I love this place. I know a couple of people who work there. I can totally use this. Thank you, Spencer."

She's awkwardly trying to fit it back into her purse that's a tad too small when it occurs to her she's being basically the worst host ever. "So, uh, tell me something about you? You're a good gift giver, we both like Luke, you're very tall... what else?"

[youfeelluckypunk]

It's with a sigh of relief that Reid lets himself smile a little easier once Mindy expresses her satisfaction with his gift. He hadn't expected her to discard the cards in the trash or anything quite so dramatic, but he also couldn't have known how she'd react. Could have predicted it, maybe, but Reid glad all the same that she seems to be genuinely pleased with what he's given her. The stress of this aside, he can feel the tension in his shoulders loosening, and he ducks his head to let out a short laugh before taking another sip of his cider.

"I'm glad I didn't completely misjudge what to get," he says, but he knits his brow when she asks him to tell her something about himself. It should be easy because after all, he knows himself best, but that also means he knows just how little it takes to make someone's eyes glaze over once he starts talking. He's found that with Luke, his ramblings don't seem to have the kind of effect but that's unusual. That's part of why Reid feels so comfortable around him in the first place. It's always a gamble, offering up what he thinks is interesting, because a considerable majority of the time, it's not what the other person had really been looking for; in which case, Reid thinks they should have offered up a subject better suited to them, but he won't make a fuss about that here.

After half a moment of biting down on his bottom lip as he tries to think of something, he settles for the most generic bit of information about himself. "Um, I work for the FBI? Used to, anyway, before I got here." Got here, as if he hadn't been plucked from one world and dropped into another in the blink of an eye. "You said you're a doctor? I am, too. Not a medical one, the PhD kind. But I was an agent for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, we did criminal profiling. What about you, what field are you in?"

[beyoncepadthai]

"Obstetrics and gynecology," Mindy dismisses, waving her own answer away with her hand. It's so unimpressive compared to what he's just said, she could not be judging her own life choices more than she is right now. "But who cares? Oh my god, you worked for the FBI?"

She's officially super interested in this guy and finding out whatever she can that doesn't defy the no doubt ridiculous privacy laws that he's forced to comply with. Especially once he says criminal profiling, because true crime is basically her favorite thing in the entire world.

"That is amazing. You know, I always wanted to be an FBI agent. Like Dana Scully? Obviously with the nerdy but totally hot partner that came along with it. Really let myself down with that one, there. Have you ever captured a serial killer? Would I know him? Or her? Female serial killers are so underrated."

[youfeelluckypunk]

She waves her hand like her job doesn't matter, which Reid is very prepared to argue against, complete with a brief aside about how important social skills are to that career choice because Obstetrics and Gynecology isn't just about the medical, it's about cultivating relationships with patients that often last long-term, and Reid's delivered a baby in the field before but there are very few things about him that most people don't seem to find awkward so he suspects that he wouldn't do as well with the social side of it.

Granted, he does well enough speaking with victims and their families, even with getting through to certain unsubs who are willing to listen, but that's something different altogether.

In any case, he can't get a word in before Mindy is asking him about his work with the FBI, which is fairly typical when it comes to getting to know someone new. The questions are always about what his most exciting case has been, what he loves most about the job, whether it's like the TV shows and movies make it look; and his answers are always the same: every case they've solved has been rewarding, he loves being able to bring what little peace he can to a victims' surviving family and friends, and no, it isn't like Hollywood makes it out to be at all. It's as generic as he could have possibly engineered the answers to be but that's what he likes about them. It's a good indicator of whether people considering him interesting or not; take away the special agent element, and they're left with only Reid.

Usually, the conversations end pretty quickly. With Mindy, though, Reid has to smile because there's a genuine excitement there, not just a perverse interest.

"We've actually caught quite a few," Reid tells her, opting not to mention that the number is somewhere in the hundreds, "and maybe, I'm not exactly sure the names I know would be the ones you do. George Foyet, The Reaper. Adam Rain. James and Lauren Heathridge. Randall Garner, The Fisher King. Just to name a few." He pauses, chewing on his bottom lip at the memories those names bring back, but it's been years since he's thought much on any of them and so, he reminds himself that dwelling on that history would likely do more harm than good here. "And statistically, there are less female serial murderers, about fifteen percent compared to eighty-five percent males. Though their killing careers do tend to last longer." He smiles wryly. "There seems to be a pattern of more patience in their cases."