#fat representation

You walk into the building, heading straight for the elevator. You wait impatiently as it rises several floors. You skip out once the doors open, your short heels clicking on the floor. You trot past the bullpen and towards your best friends office. You knock gently on the door before pushing your way inside. Penny is quick to turn around in her chair, her face lighting up at the sight of you. You both squeal as she pulls you into a tight hug.

“What are you doing here?!” She yells, astonished. She pulls away, meeting your shining eyes.

“I thought I’d pay my best friend a little visit. I missed you, and I baked your favorite cookies!” You ramble, pulling a container from your giant patchwork bag. “I took it as an excuse to come here.” You grin.

“Ugh, you are an angel! I owe you big time!” She takes the cookies greedily. She waddles back to her desk chair, plopping down with a cookie already in her mouth.

“Yes, you do.” You laugh, sitting down in a chair opposite her. Pen pauses, her chewing slowing to a stop. You look at her with wide eyes. “Oh no, did I mess up? I knew I used too much salt!”

“No, no! These are perfect, heavenly even. I was just thinking…” She stares ahead at you, but her head is obviously elsewhere.

“That’s never good…” You wince, afraid of what bizarre idea she’s come up with this time.

“I said I owe you, and I think I just came up with something.” She swallows and wipes her hands, setting the tupperware on her desk.

“Already?” You tilt your head back, eyebrows raised.

“Rossi’s throwing a little get together this weekend.” She starts, gently wiping off her mouth. “There’s someone on the team you haven’t met yet, and he’ll be there.” She looks at you expectantly, like that had been enough information.

“Yeah…I’m going to need more detail, Pen.” You shake your head, already exasperated.

“Oh, right! Well, I think you’d really like this guy, and he’d definitely like you. So you should come over and meet him!” She claps her hands together excitedly. You sigh and your head droops.

“You know how I feel about meeting new people. It took me almost a whole year to meet the rest of your team!” You lift your head back up, gesturing towards the door dramatically. “And you saying I’d really like him, puts even more pressure on me. I’ll have to find a perfect outfit, which I’m already limited on-”

“Woah, cupcake! Calm down!” She holds her hands out, stopping your rant. “I already know exactly which outfit you should wear, that I know he’d love. Also, you have no reason to be nervous. He’s ten times more awkward than you, so you’ll be on the same page! There’s no need to worry.” You sigh again, this time lighter.

“Okay, fine. I’ll be there.” Penelope almost screams.

“Are you sure about this outfit?” You ask over the phone, staring in your full-length mirror. The patchwork skirt is long, reaching your ankles. It hangs loose on your hips, your stomach hanging over the waistband. A tight camisole covers your torso, graphic cats decorating it.

“Absolutely! Now hurry up and leave your house already!” Penny yells at you, her loud voice making the microphone crackle. You shake your head and roll your eyes, even though she can’t see it.

“Okay, I’m leaving now.” You grab your abnormally large purse and head out the door.

You walk up the steps to the front door. Before you can even knock, it’s being pulled open. You come face-to-face with Penny.

“How the hell did you-”

“I was stalking you, now get in here!” She yells in a hushed tone. She pulls you inside by your arm, shutting the door after you.

“Stalking me?!”

“Life360, remember?” She says, waving her phone in her hand. She leads you to the large living room where everyone is seated. They all look your way, greeting you with wide smiles.

“Y/n, glad you could make it.” Rossi says first.

“Yeah, now it’s really a party!” Derek calls out, lifting his glass in the air. Rossi throws him a glare, not tolerating any funny business in his home.

“I love your outfit! You look adorable!” J.J compliments, walking up and patting you on the arm once. You blush, ducking your head down.

“Thank you.”

“That skirt really suits you.” Emily pipes up next, her smile wide and her eyes glimmering.

“Thank you, you’re too sweet.” You look back over at Penny, your eyebrows furrowing in a silent question.

“He went to use the bathroom, he should be back-” A door opens behind her and she turns. You turn with her, locking eyes with the mystery man. You’re instantly taken aback, your eyes going wide. He’s the most gorgeous man you’ve ever laid eyes on, his hair is long and wavy; framing his face perfectly. He stands, starstruck; staring at you like you’re a statue in a museum. Penelope nudges you in the ribs with her elbow, forcing you out of your trance.

“H-Hi! I’m Y/n.” You reach forward awkwardly, holding out your hand for him. He stands still, frozen in shock. Not a single muscle in his body twitches, his eyes locked on you as they dart around to stare at your whole face.

“Pretty boy!” Derek calls out, pulling him from his own trance. He shakes his head like a dog, looking back at you with a softened gaze. He reaches out with pink cheeks, shaking your hand once.

“It’s nice to meet you…I’m Spencer.” He stops shaking your hand but his grip is still firm, holding onto you.

“Cute name.” You whisper, staring up at him with doe eyes. He stares back down, drowning in your beautifully colored irises.

“Yours too.” You both smile, hands still interlocked. The rest of the world seems to fade away, both of you seemingly forgetting you’re in a room full of people. A throat clears behind you and you both pull away quickly. You turn to face the room, standing beside Spencer.

“Sorry.” You mumble, tucking your hair behind your ears.

“Spencer, you should go take Y/n to get a drink.” Penny states, eyebrows raising once. He looks at her with knitted brows, his forehead wrinkling. Penny simply widens her eyes and tilts her head towards the kitchen. Spencer still doesn’t seem to understand, but obeys nonetheless. He turns back to you, smile soft. He leads you towards the kitchen, the other’s voices fading away.

“She sent you in here with me because she wants us to talk.” You state simply, leaning against the island. “Wants us to get to know each other without distractions.” You nod your head to the door.

“What?” His eyebrows only furrow more, practically merging together.

“You looked confused as to why she ordered you to come in here with me, that’s why. It is a weird request, considering I’m a grown woman and can get my own drink.” You chuckle lightly. Spencer’s mouth falls open in understanding, nodding his head slowly.

“Why does she want us to get to know each other ‘without distractions?’” He asks, his hands raising up to form little quotation marks.

“She’s trying to set us up.” His face stays confused. “As a couple.” His face stays the same. “As in boyfriend and girlfriend.” You press on, making a crude gesture with your hands. His eyes bulge open, his face heating up.

“Oh.” He clears his throat, his voice cracking. You giggle at his reaction, tilting your head to the side as you stare up at him.

“I’m not sure if we even have anything in common, but Penny’s really set on us ending up together.” You sigh, looking towards the closed kitchen door.

“Well…Tell me something about you.” Spencer says, leaning against the counter behind him.

“I like reading, I love writing and I’ve written several novels. I enjoy music, and I have a concerning obsession with Greek Mythology.” Spencer’s smile returns as he watches your mouth move.

“We already have a decent amount in common.” He mumbles, his eyes never leaving yours. “What are you reading currently?” You reach into your bag, pulling out an extremely destroyed copy of ‘The Song of Achilles.’ You hold it out to him reluctantly. He takes it with a careful hand.

“It’s one of my most prized possessions. I spent months re-reading it and annotating it like crazy.” Spencer flips it open and stares down at the colorfully circled and highlighted passages. His eyebrows raise in fascination the longer he looks through.

“You did a great job.” Your cheeks heat up at the praise, and you raise a hand to cover one of them.

“Thanks.” He hands it back to you, his touch still just as careful. You push it back into your purse before looking back up at him. Just as before, his eyes are already on you. “Why do you keep staring at me like that?” You whisper shyly.

“Like what?” He panics slightly, standing straighter but still never pulling his gaze from you.

“Like I’m the most gorgeous person to ever walk the Earth, like you’re totally enthralled by me.” You scoff slightly, shifting your weight back and forth.

“You are…And I am.” You whole body lights on fire at his statement, his voice lacking any hesitancy. You stare at him for a while, trying to determine whether or not he’s joking.

“You really think so?” You ask, your lips curving up into a small smile.

“Well…I think I’d be blind if I didn’t. It’s obvious how beautiful you are, I’d be a fool if I didn’t see it.” You bite your bottom lip, resisting the urge to kiss him senseless.

“You want to go out sometime?” You ask suddenly, making him choke on air.

“Really?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t mean it.” You shrug. He nods enthusiastically, staring at you with a wide grin. You walk forward a few steps, leaning up to kiss his cheek. You turn away, walking back into the living room with Spencer in tow. The group looks up at you with knowing glances.