The last thing I was expecting when I crossed the doors of 'La Sienna' a very famous and expensive French restaurant of Central City was to find the guy I consider like a little brother and a very good friend having a romantic dinner with the well known playboy and millionaire Oliver Queen.
I was a bit relieved that I wasn't the only one surprised by this unexpected scene. Joe and Iris were wearing the same kind of shock expressions on their faces. Surely not believing their eyes. I myself couldn't get through that a womanizer like Oliver Queen was on a date with a man. And especially that Barry could be so stupid to accept going on a date with a piece of shit as Queen, that had no respect for his couples.
"Maybe they are here on a friends night out?" even though Iris tried to put as much conviction as she could on that phrase, it ended up leaving her lips as a question.
"Oh, the Allen and Queen couple" commented our host "They are everything but friends, darling. They had been coming over here for almost a year now, I'd never seen such a cute couple before" I felt my heart ache at her words.
Barry has been dating Queen for almost a year and didn't tell us anything! I thought distressed. But stopped when I noticed the same reaction on my companion's faces. They were his family and had it worst than me surely.
"That Allen boy is a sweetheart!" the host continued not noticing how her words had affected us "So kind and pure that I was afraid at first for him. Because we all know how Oliver Queen can be with his partners".
Exactly! I thought victoriously, happy that someone thought as I did.
"However, once during Valentine's day Mr. Queen brought him here and had acrobats dressed as if they were in a carnival bring him balloons, chocolates, flowers, a teddy bear and a Rolex watch with the Flash theme. I don't know how he managed that, but it was so romantic! Not only that, he afterwards later that night had fireworks exploding just for him and gifted him a red 65 Peugeot RCZ. All that only so Allen would forgive him, isn't that sweet?".
"Forgive him what?!" demanded to know Joe, I noticed that his overprotective father behavior was waking up.
The same happened with Iris and me, not the overprotective father attitude, but the overprotective older sibling one.
"I don't have any idea, I just knew that they had discussed something very important before coming here. It must have been something really big, because I've never seen Allen so sad and silent before" she added seriously "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Past is the past! Right now they are celebrating that Allen is moving out of that apartment in that horrendous neighborhood, I'm so happy that finally convinced him. Maybe that's what had him so sad that night, Allen didn't take it nicely when offered... well, more likely ordered him to move out" she thought out loud "Well, anyway wait a few minutes please. Your table will be ready soon" with that said she went away, leaving us behind.
"That was..." started to say Iris but couldn't finish, too astonished to say anything. Which would have been funny, cause the I-always-have-something-to-say journalist was shocked to silence, if I wasn't in the exact same position.
"I know, princess. I know" comforted her Joe.
"How could I've been such an idiot?!" I exclaimed angrily.
"You weren't the only one Eddie, we didn't notice it either" tried to comfort me my sweet girlfriend.
"Not that, is that... look, one day I passed by Barry's office to ask him if he wanted to grab some lunch with me" I began explaining "But I stopped when I've heard him having a very heated discussion on the phone. You'll know my surprise when I listened Barry's screaming. After all, as that host said Barry is the kindest and purest person we know about. He never yells or take off his anger at someone. However, he did it this time...and let me tell you that it wasn't pretty" I shook my head trying not to remember his distressed expression "He was so insecure and sad afterwards, I think that in that moment was the first time I wanted to wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe... a bit extreme don't you think?".
"No, it's the same way Iris and I feel" assured me Joe with a kind smile.
"Who would have thought?" commented an amused Iris "You both ended up bonding after all. However, not because of me but for Barry".
We all chuckled at that, only stopping when a voice behind us said: "He is quite amazing, isn't he?" we turned around and were surprised to find the stoic Casanova, Oliver Queen standing there "Would you like to join us for dinner?" he requested politely but there was an undertone that demanded agreement that gives me the willies.
"Fine" I replied glaring at him.
He seemed unfazed by my anger and just guided us through the rows of tables, until we reached theirs. Barry was sitting there, shifting nervously on his seat and wearing a sheepish and embarrassed expression, which looked so cute on him, that I couldn't stay angry at him anymore. By the defeated sighs given from the Wests I knew they felt the same way as I did.
"Hi" Barry just said. He stood up and gave each of us a hug, before sitting back next to his lover. We took our seats, Joe next to Barry, I next to Queen and Iris between us, and waited "I know that you must be angry because I didn't tell you. This is the last way I wanted you to find out about Ollie and me" I clenched my fists at the pet name, not liking at all how familiar they were of each other or how comfortable Barry seemed to be leaning against Queen "By a gossip host in a restaurant".
"Barry, you are babbling" said a very amused Queen.
I wanted yell at him and insult him for that comment. After all, that would only make Barry feel more embarrassed and self-conscious of himself. However, when I was about to open my mouth and say my thoughts Barry chuckled. That was the first carefree chuckle I've heard in a long time, ever since he woke up from his coma. I tried to negate it in my head, to think that it was impossible that I had to stop it. But as I watched my best friend look at Queen with that spark in his yes, a spark that told me that for him Queen was his hero and the one he looked up to. I couldn't continue fooling myself, Barry was in love with that playboy.
I felt my heart break even more than before, and my hate for Queen increase. I couldn't stand the thought of that stupid millionaire to play with my little brother's feelings just to use his body and then dump him as if he was garbage. I needed to stop this, soon. However, I knew that I couldn't do this here. I had to do it in a place I would be alone with Barry, so I could convince him of the mistake he was committing. That's why I kept silent throughout the whole most uncomfortable dinner of my life, ignoring the fact that Barry never finished telling us why he kept his relationship a secret, and celebrated in my head when Barry invited us to his new apartment.
But that celebration turned into a curse when we reached the most expensive and higher class neighborhood of the city. The worst thing is that it wasn't an apartment the place he was living in, but a house. Queen bought a house to a single man! Who does that?... then fear gripped its cold hand on my heart. As I watched Queen look at Barry as if he had hung the moon, with so much adoration and love, I knew that he would never cheat on my best friend. However, I knew that look full of obsession from my years on the police force. He was the typical playboy man that found the right one and would never let anything take that person away from him... not even if that person wanted out.
"Barry I need you to listen to me" I demanded, not letting my desperation show in my voice "Oliver Queen is bad news. I know men like him. They sweet talk you, enamor you, give you everything you want... but then they start becoming possessive and very jealous. The house is the first step, then he'll want you to quit your job and move to Starlight city, where he can know every of your move...".
"Then he surely will tell me not to work that he can support me and if I wanted out he will never give it to me" he cut me off with a small humorless chuckle "That isn't why he did all of this... or why I was so angry at him during Valentine's day" he told me with a sad small smile "Eddie, the reason of the house and my anger were a secret I found out that his mother hided from him, a secret that caused a lot of problems in our relationship and why I had to keep Ollie as a secret" he took a deep breath, making my nervousness grow "Oliver has a son".
"I knew... wait, what?" I asked completely lost now.
"Oliver has a son named William" he told me again "And he is form Central City. I am a dad, surprise!" he smiled nervously at me.
What the hell?! That is the last thing I was expecting when I crossed the doors of 'La Sienna'.