Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: In this partial-AU story, Iris and Barry are both famous. Mostly written with these prompts from a follower on Tumblr: Barry is a pop star; Iris is an actor. While in Paris, they were 'papped' together and now there are rumors that they're dating. Instead of ignoring or dismissing the rumors, they're coerced into fake dating for PR because Iris has a new movie coming out, and Barry is getting an unjustified reputation as a womanizer. Part of this was written (the back-end) over a year ago using real actors, but I decided to add the above prompts as an AU Westallen fiction. However, Barry is not the Flash, although that may come later. There are three chapters so far and it hasn't happened yet! Please read and review. Thank you!:D
~o~o~
Chapter 1: Chance Encounter
Los Angeles, a week after Paris:
Iris West always considered herself a steadfast believer in being honest and forthright about her feelings and emotions. Holding these types of feelings inside can only lead to trouble, meaning dreams of prior occurrences that should not have happened. Groaning to herself, she sat up in bed, put on her robe and went to check on her Father. He hadn't been feeling well, and she was concerned about his health. He insisted on coming with her on this trip.
She headed to the bathroom and cleaned up. She had an appearance later today for one of the favorite designers. She needed a few formal evening dresses for upcoming promotions for yet another movie. It was a cardinal sin to wear the same dress twice, but lucky for her designers were always willing to loan out a dress or two, just one of the many perks of being a famous actor.
Staring at herself in the mirror and brushing her hair, her mind refused to let go of the dream.
How could I have been so stupid?
~o~o~
Barry Allen was actually drunk. He rarely drank hard liquor. It was time to call it a night. He was coming out of a bar with a stranger no less. What is wrong with me? You know what it is, just admit it. No, I'm not going to admit to those feelings. No way.
His 'date' for the evening needed a lift. Her girlfriends had abandoned her, and of course, he, forever the man, had offered to give her a lift. Then the paparazzi showed up. She covered her face as best she could, but, unfortunately, she couldn't put a bag over her head to hide the fact that she was a fan girl. He groaned himself and wondered yet again:
How could I have been so stupid?
~o~o~
Several weeks ago in Paris:
Iris and Barry was in the limousine on their way to yet another photo shoot to appear as if they were a couple. Once their press agents got wind of their 'set-up,' they saw no reason not to continue the charade. It would quiet the gossip columns that he was a 'womanizer' and it certainly couldn't hurt Iris's career to keep her name in the gossip columns.
After spending several days in close contact, their last evening together before she would return to America would be a quiet evening, just the two of them. Iris was determined to return to America because of her Father, so he decided not to push her. He watched her for a moment, a little afraid of what to say.
Finally falling into bed last night and almost having sex; it was shocking, amazing, and to their utter surprise, they both wanted it to continue. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since they had discretely gone their separate ways, but that didn't stop either of them from thinking about it.
Earlier the previous evening:
They managed to escape the paparazzi, but not without photos of them together at the premiere after party, there they were at her hotel room door.
Heart pounding, she turned to him. "Would you like to come in?"
"Iris, I don't think that's a good idea, I mean," he faltered. Her eyes were very compelling.
She lowered her eyes. "I have liquor?" She asked knowing he couldn't refuse it.
"Well, one drink won't hurt," he replied and followed her inside.
"Great," she said and opened the door. She put her things on the side table by the bed and opened the bar.
"I'll get that for you," he said then pulled several small bottles of vodka and made a drink for both of them. He handed her the drink.
Iris had to smile then raised her glass. "He's to chance encounters."
"Cheers," he said, touched her glass and took a sip. "Iris, I heard what you said earlier tonight about 'falling in love' and whether you would know for sure," he told bluntly.
"Were you spying on me?" She asked a little upset.
"No, of course not, but I was watching you and I overheard what you said."
She sighed and walked over the window. "I've never been in love so I asked a friend of mine who had recently gotten married."
He followed her. "I've never been in love either, so, if you wouldn't mind my asking, what did she say?" Barry asked and waited, heart pounding for some reason he couldn't explain.
Taking a deep breath and taking another sip, she turns to him, "Well, she was quiet for a moment, but then she said 'How does anybody truly know, but the moment for her was when he kissed her and she was thinking of never seeing him again. I guess, that was the beginning. She also said how bleak her life would be without him. She knew at that moment that she had fallen in love.'" She shook her head and took another sip.
"And you believed her?" He asked needing to know.
"Yeah, I did," she replied then she watched him for a minute. "You don't believe it, do you, that a kiss can change everything about your life?"
"I don't honestly know. I've kissed a few girls but it never even occurred to me that my life had changed."
"You kissed the wrong girls, but you'll know when the right one comes along," she said. She actually believed that good advice.
"Is that your friendly advice? I mean, we are friends, aren't we?" He asked and smiled teasing her just a little.
"Yeah, we are, but we haven't seen each other in years." Her eyes roamed over his face. "It was nice seeing you again; it brought back a lot of memories, good memories."
"For me too," he replied. The air in the room stilled for a minute. "Iris?"
"What is it?" She asked and stared at him. Her eyes roamed over his face yet again and then they fixated on his lips.
"Have you ever thought about me?" At her surprised expression, he continued, "I've thought about you a lot. Oh, I've seen your movies, read your interviews, and I couldn't help but wonder if you were happy. Are you happy, Iris?"
"I don't know," she answered him honestly. "I guess I haven't truly thought about it."
He came closer and took her drink. "Maybe you haven't kissed the right guy." He set the drink down, and then he took her hand. Then he pulled her to him, leaned down and kissed her. Her hands on his chest, she didn't know whether to push him away or pull him closer. Then her hands had a mind of their own; she raised them and then they encircled his shoulders and she kissed him back.
Barry was stunned to be actually kissing her. His lips slanted across hers and kissed her as if he'd wanted to do since they were old enough to know what kissing was and what it could mean.
After a few minutes, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.
Iris managed to catch her breath as she stared at him. "Barry, what's happening?"
"Iris, I … Ummm … I should leave." He reluctantly released her and stepped back.
Iris was torn. She wanted him to stay. Who knew when they would see each other again? "Don't go." He turned to her.
"Iris we shouldn't," he said.
"And, why not?" She asked, shocking herself at her boldness.
He grinned. "Well, for one, I don't have protection."
"You don't, well, I am on the pill … for medical reasons," she quickly replied.
He came closer and touched her cheek. She closed her eyes. Then he kissed her again, a kiss no girl could forget. Then Iris shocked him and helped him remove his jacket.
"Oh, Iris!" He whispered and kissed her repeatedly. "Is this really happening, I mean?" He hesitated.
"Barry, I've missed you. I know it sounds strange," Iris said.
"No, it's not strange at all because I've missed you too."
After that bold admission, even more kisses happened and a desperate need for more entered their minds. Minutes later, there they were in their underwear. Barry came to his senses. "You're so beautiful, but I can't make love to you and then leave here. I'm not made that way."
"Oh, but I am?" She lowered her eyes, feeling so many things. "I've never, I mean," she hesitated.
"You've never been with anyone?" He asked and stroked her hair.
"Yes, I have, a boy from school," she replied. "And you?"
"Oh, yeah, I did once before, but it didn't work out," he replied not wanting to talk about it. "Iris, I do enjoy kissing you, and maybe because they were so intense, we should step back and think about this."
She took a deep breath. "Actually, I agree with you. It's a big step," she lied and proceeded to pick up her clothes. Tears blinded, but he didn't see them. "I'll be right back," she said not looking at him, entered the bathroom and shut the door.
Barry felt horrible, but it was obvious she was ready, but he didn't think he was ready to take that step.
When Iris came out of the bathroom, Barry was gone. Tears blinded then a feeling came over her, as if she had lost something truly important; something she never truly had.
~o~o~
Later that night in his room:
Barry couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, thinking about Iris alone in her bed, ready and willing, but inside he knew this was not the right thing to do. Because of their careers, neither of them was ready to make love. It didn't feel right.
He glanced at the clock. It was still early just a little after ten, but he needed to talk to someone. He picked up his cellphone and called his Mom.
"Hi, Mom, are you awake?"
"Hi, Barry, yes, I'm awake. What time is it there?" Nora was a little surprised to hear from him.
"After ten at night," he replied. "Mom, I need to talk to you about … Iris."
"Iris West, oh, I knew she was in Paris. Did you two reconnect, or?" She hesitated.
"Yes, we saw each other and it was nice seeing her again, but," he said and thought about how much he had missed her.
"You've missed her, Barry. You don't have to say it. You do talk about her especially when you're on tour."
He sighed knowing he couldn't keep anything from his Mom. "Yes, I've missed her, but she has her career and I have mine, and we shouldn't do anything that could change things between us. We're friends and I don't want to lose that."
Nora noticed something. "Did something happen between you two that would change things?"
Silence for a moment. "Yes, we kissed and," he began.
Nora was getting excited. "You kissed? Was that the first time you kissed her? Was it?"
He actually grinned. "Yes, Mom, it was the first time and it was amazing. I didn't want to stop, but I did."
"Oh, Barry, you don't have to pretend that you don't have feelings for her. I've watched you two over the years and I know how you feel."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "What should I do; I mean, she wanted me to stay but it felt wrong somehow."
"Trust your instincts, Barry." She paused. "You deserve to be happy Son, and so does Iris."
She spoke the truth. "You're right, but lately, I've been drifting. I mean, I love what I do. I've always wanted to be a pop star, a singer, a recording artist, all of it, but," he hesitated.
"You want something more and there's nothing wrong with that," Nora said.
"I know that Mom." He paused. "I promise I'll think about it."
"You do that Son and don't beat yourself up about stopping. I'm sure she'll understand in time. It has to be right for both of you. Okay?"
"I know. Goodnight Mom."
"Goodnight, Son."
Barry hung up and put his hands behind his head, and thought about the past, the future, and about Iris. He fell asleep dreaming of a future with her. It was odd, but he'd never dreamed about Iris before, but there she was invading his dreams.
~o~o~
The following morning still in the limo:
Barry needed to apologize for the way he had acted last night. "Iris, I'm sorry," he apologized again.
She glanced at him. "I'm not." She finally admitted it.
He held his hand out to her, and she took it. "I never meant for this to happen. You do believe me don't you?"
She sighed and decided to put a stop to this, so they could move on. "Barry, I'm not going to put a label to what we did. We're consenting adults, and we should forget it ever happened."
He leaned back, closed his eyes and sighed to himself. He then told her the truth. "I'll try, but I don't think I can."
She dropped his hand. It was time to end this. "Look, this charade is almost over. Let's just get through this, then we can go home, be with our families, and." She couldn't finish as she thought about possibly never seeing him again.
Barry didn't know what to say. "You're right. We'll get through this."
She tried to smile, then the limousine stopped and they exited the car, him on one side and her on the other. He pasted on a smile, and she tried to do the same.
The photoshoot went remarkably well. They were both professionals, but when another actor, her co-star, grabbed her around the waist, Barry almost lost it. He wanted to hit him. Frowning, he watched and Iris seemed to be enjoying herself. He felt like a fool.
The incident sent a shocking message to his brain. He suddenly realized that getting over Iris West would take a while, a long while.
~o~o~
A week later, Los Angeles:
Iris returned to Central City the next day, and then traveled to Los Angeles the following week. Her Father had insisted on coming with her to the fashion show. She'd hoped to talk him out of it, but he insisted on it. He'd missed her and wanted to spend time with her. The guilt came back, but she pushed it down, pasted on a smile, and managed to get through the day without breaking down into sobs.
A few hours later after the show, one of her friends came over and showed her a photograph of a young blonde hanging all over Barry as if he were dinner and he was a tasty meal. She was appalled and so jealous she wanted to snatch the phone from her hands and throw it across the room, but instead she took the phone from her.
"How long has this been going on?" Iris asked her friend. She thought she was speaking in a bored voice, but it came out a bit strained and a tad jealous.
Her friend smiled at her. She understood. Janice had a few long talks with Iris, and although Iris herself had not disclosed any specifics about Paris, Janice had a feeling she had a serious crush on Barry Allen.
"It's over. Blink and we almost missed it," Janice replied.
"Oh, I see," Iris thoughtfully said then handed the phone back to her. "What is that website, by the way?"
"It's called Tumblr."
"Tumblr?" Iris shook her head. "Don't people have better things to do than plaster stuff like that all over the Internet? It's sad and disturbing."
Janice hid a grin then she stared at her for a minute. They both sipped their wine. "Do you want to talk Iris? I don't know, but since you came back, you're … Ummm …"
Curious, Iris turned to her friend. "What am I exactly?"
"Nervous and a little sad," Janice replied.
"I'm Okay. You know I've been gone for almost a month, and then there's another movie right around the corner and then …"
"Then?" Janice prompted, although she knew what was coming. "You'll be seeing 'him' again when he comes back for your premiere right?"
Iris took another sip of wine. "Yes, I suppose we will," she replied but didn't elaborate.
"Honey, it's Okay. You should talk to me, or someone you can trust. If you unburden what's bothering you, then you can put it behind you."
She took another sip of wine, but before she could continue, her Father walked over to them. "The car is ready."
Iris gave Janice a tight hug. "We'll talk soon; I promise," she said when Janice gave her a look.
"Good night, Iris. Night, Mr. West."
"Good night, Janice," Joe said then escorted his daughter to their hotel.
TBC!
~o~o~
Song Inspiration: I Got You, Whitney Houston.
A/N: This story truly got away from me. I rarely write jealous Iris, but I loved it! This fiction started out as a one shot written with a few interesting prompts, then my Muse kept adding these scenes, but I am actually enjoying myself. I hope you liked this first chapter. Stay tuned for more in about a week! Please review/kudo/favorite, any one of these, and thank you!
