Now and Forever
Iris West held a cup of coffee in her hands. It had long gone cold. She was deep in thought. She was thinking about a certain best friend, Barry Allen.
He was telling her about his date with Patty. How amazing it had been. She smiled along with him, amused by his enthusiasm, once in a while squeezing his hand. His eyes was sparkling, he looked very happy. For a few moments, she felt a pang of jealousy; it had been a while since Barry had looked at her with those eyes. But then she remembered Eddie clutching her and telling her that it was all for her. Then her jealousy was quickly replaced by sadness.
It wouldn't be fair to Barry for her to suddenly get weird about Patty, when she clearly made him happy. So, like she always did, when he was done telling her about a kiss he had shared with Patty, Iris flashed Barry a wide fond smile.
"I am glad Bear. You and Patty are match made in heaven. Any woman who makes Barry Allen this happy is an automatic heroine to me."
Barry gazed at her, happy that his best friend liked his girlfriend. It meant the world to him.
He continued to gaze into her brown eyes, he saw the warmth, the fondness but the sorrow was still there. For a few months now, he had noticed it, not sure how to comfort her. She rarely talked about Eddie but he knew she was hurting. He glanced down, they were still holding hands on top of the table. He squeezed her hand, "I am here for you Iris. I am not just Central City's hero, I am also yours, now and forever."
Iris's eyes widened and went misty, tears welling up in her eyes. She gave him a sad smile, "I know Barry and I am grateful," she replied her voice cracking. Then she wiped tears from her eyes and laughed quietly, "try not to be late though Barry Allen."
Barry grinned shyly getting up to leave, "like I said Iris, you are worth being on time for."
Iris laughed happily, "Am I? Don't let your girlfriend catch you saying such mushy things." Barry shrugged, walking backwards towards the door. "She knows you are my best friend."
Iris shook her head laughing, "alright then lover boy. Oh and Bear. Get me some brownies before you go off saving people. I feel like I need them today."
Barry stood attention, "yes maam! I will never get in the way of you and your brownie obsession." And with that he disappeared and in the next moment, there were brownies on her table. Iris stared at her brownies in disbelief, she always forgot how fast he was. "Thanks Bear, "she said to no one in particular, because he was long gone, probably a few thousand kilometers away already.
Suddenly she felt hands on her cheeks. She looked up to see her Barry. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, with a gentle affection that made her heart flutter.
"I will be here for you my Iris West, in any universe. Whether as best friends, lovers or strangers."
Before she could reply he was gone.
And that is how Barry left Iris. Speechless with a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. He sped through Central City not realizing that something was happening to his best friend. Iris's heart was beating fast, the thought of Barry Allen suddenly consuming her.
She stood up, looked down at her coffee and chuckled.
She picked up her coat and her box of brownies suddenly making a decision. She would work on herself, be the very best journalist she could be, the best daughter she could be, the best sister to Wally, and the person Barry needed.
And maybe, just maybe, one day, she would look into his eyes, he would look into hers and they would know.