Iris snickered as she tiptoed to the back of Barry's tiny bachelor pad, where his bedroom was. She pressed her ear to the door and heard him singing along to one of his favorite songs: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz.
"So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate, our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours."
She smiled. "I haven't heard you sing this since we were 19."
A startled Barry jumped at sight of Iris standing in his doorway. He hadn't even heard the door open.
"One of these days I'm gonna confiscate your key," he joked as he dramatically pressed his hand to his chest.
Iris quickly gave him a once-over. He had on one of his many superman t-shirts and a pair of baggy fitting, gray sweatpants. His reading glasses, 5 o clock shadow and messy hair were all indications that he'd been in bed all day. She bolted towards him and catapulted into his arms.
"I've missed you!" she said as she squeezed him tightly. "Missed you too, Iris." She plopped onto the bed and immediately went for the pizza box. "I bought wine and beer," she said, "it's on the kitchen counter."
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2 slices of pizza and 2 glasses of wine later, it was safe to say that Iris was starting to feel a buzz. She rested her hand on his right thigh and her head on his shoulder. "Bear, how are you still sober? You used to be more of a lightweight than me," she teased.
Barry looked down at her hand, then up at her [perfect] face. He should have known that Iris would see past the facade. She'd seen him under the influence way too many times to count. In a flash, he reached under his bed for the extra potent alcohol that Caitlin had perfected for him and poured a shot's worth in his already beer-filled cup.
[xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX]
"Let's play truth or dare!" Iris declared as she crawled up onto her knees. She tugged on his arm for him to sit up and positioned herself directly in front of him.
"But there's only two of us."
"So then let's play 'Never Have I Ever'."
Barry smiled drunkenly and crossed his legs, Indian style. "We know everything about each other though. I already know all your dirt. Like the time in 8th grade when-"
"Okay, okay! Point proven," she laughed, "Have I ever told you how much I hate when you're right? Which is like, all the time."
If Barry was in his right mind, he might have responded instead of unashamedly gazing at her with lust-filled eyes. The alcohol was affecting him 10x faster than it would have if his metabolism was of normal speed. His ability to control himself was wavering. One moment, everything was normal, and then the next, the world is moving in slow motion. She leaned forward and carefully took his glasses off.
"Why are you staring like that? You're so drunk!"
He lessened the space in between them and put his index finger to her lips. "Shhh."
Her breath hitched as a chill spread throughout her body. Iris timidly peered at him through her eyelashes, unsure of what the sensation she'd just felt was. Before Barry could do anything further, his cell phone started ringing. He playfully tapped her nose and retrieved his phone from the nightstand. Iris peeked just in time to see who it was.
"Heyyy Bumble Bea."
"Hey Grizzly Bear. What're you up to?" she asked. Barry glanced over at Iris who was currently standing a few feet away, taking off her sweatshirt.
"Netflix, pizza and beer kinda night. Miss your face," he slurred.
Bea chuckled. "Should've asked me to join, instead of getting drunk by yourself!"
"Oh! I'm not-"
"Duuude, can you turn on a fan? I'm soooo hot," Iris whined.
"Uhh, who was that?"
He ran his fingers through his hair. "I was just about to say I'm not alone. That was Iris."
"Ahh, Okey doke," she said, freeing the tension from her voice, "I don't wanna interrupt, so call me back after your friends leave."
"Friend," he corrected, "...it's just Iris."
Just like that, the tension was back and thicker than before.
"Oh... well, just call me later then." The call ended promptly.
"Bumble Bea, huh?" Iris smirked as she sauntered over to him. She changed out of her sweatshirt and leggings, into a tank top and a pair of his basketball shorts. "You didn't tell me you and Beatriz were dating."
He rubbed the back of his head. "There wasn't much to tell. It's only been a month."
"So that's why I haven't been seeing you."
"That's not it at all," he said, "you know how busy work can get."
"Barry, cut the crap. Work has never had you this tied up. You're being weird. You don't talk to me anymore. You have facial hair." Iris cupped his face with her hand and grazed her thumb over his beard.
He chuckled. "How does facial hair make me weird?"
"Because," she slurred as she snuggled into him, "it reminds me of when you were away at school. You grew out your facial hair when you were going through your 'I'm a grown man' phase." They both smiled before she continued. "And it reminds me of those 9 months of terror after the explosion." She exhaled and looked up at him. "I guess it just makes me think about times you were…away from me. Does that make sense?"
He tilted his head down to match her gaze.
"Iris."
The way he said her name made her heart flutter. Her voice was caught in her throat and her eyelids got heavier as their staring contest continued. Barry slowly traced his index finger down her spine. She turned her face into crook of his neck, her lips not touching, but her breath tickling him. He let out a small gasp and rested his hand on her lower back.
After 5 minutes of suspense-filled silence, Iris finally spoke.
"G'night Bear."
