Inspired by a cover of the song 'Jealous' by Labrinth

The smell of coffee is in the air. People chatting overlaps the slight music playing through the speakers. Machines are working overtime as the demand for coffee never ends. A bell rings signaling another customer walking through the doors as others exit with drinks in hand. It is typical - just another day.

Caitlin walks through the doors and quickly scans the room to find a familiar face. A sigh of relief leaves her lips as she gets in line to order. She isn't ready to face the person just yet. Knowing he isn't here gives her time to process her thoughts and figure out a way to express her current situation. The barista calls out 'next', snapping her out of her daze with a smile that catches an eye of a person from her past.

As she orders, the feeling of someone watching her washes over her. She takes a quick glance over her shoulder to lock eyes with a man she thought she would never see again. Her breath stocks, taking in his appearance, as her eyes scan his face. His beautiful blue/green eyes, his loving smile, his freckles evenly spread among his cheeks, and his tender lips. The more she stares, the more she feels herself traveling back in time.

She looks back at the barista, realization that she is holding up the growing line. "I'm so sorry, I got distracted. What is the total?" She rambles looking into her purse.

"Here," the husky voice rings in her ears. She looks up to see he is standing slightly next to her, handing the barista his card with a smile. "My treat," he nods to her with a wink.

Caitlin feels her face burn as the barista gives back the card with a receipt. He gestures her to walk in front of him and follows close behind. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear before turning on her heels. "You didn't have to do that," she argues under his gaze.

A small chuckle leaves his lips followed by a small shake from his head. "Same old Caitlin I see," he smiles.

"And same old Barry," she adds smiling back. A giggle slips out her lips as he shrugs with a smirk. Her ears perk up as their names are called out.

She starts to head over but, a hand on her shoulder holds her back. "Wait here. I'll get our drinks and maybe we can talk?" he suggests with a hopeful smile. "If that's okay with you," he adds.

"I'd like that," she smiles, nodding her head. She watches him walk over to the counter then begins to scan the room for an open seat. As she feels his presence, she points to a booth. "Let's sit over there," she smiles. "Like old times."

The pair sit opposite of the other, taking in the idea that they are, in fact, seeing the other person. A permanent smile stretches across their faces before catching each other up on their lives. The world around them became a blur as their only concern is each other. Laughter spills out their lips, comfort fills their soul, and love spreads into their eyes.

Barry finds himself getting lost in Caitlin's eyes as she explains her current project. His hand slides across the table, finding hers to give it a tight squeeze. "God, I missed you," he says, barely a whisper but it fills her ears.

She opens her mouth to speak but the sound of her name snaps her out of their little bubble. She looks over to see her boyfriend - Hunter. Her smile drops instantly but soon recovers to a mask expression as he approaches the pair.

"Hey babe," he smiles and leans down to peck her lips. "Sorry I'm late, traffic was a mess," he chuckles, sliding into the seat next to her. "Hope I didn't keep you lonely for too long," he smirks wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Caitlin gives a forced smile, giggling along with him. "Not at all, I actually ran into an old friend of mine," she turns to Barry as Hunter acknowledges the stranger. "Hunter, this is Barry. Barry, this is Hunter, my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Barry stutters before reaching his hand across the table to shake Hunter's.

Hunter chuckles, "I know some days I'm surprised myself that she ever agreed to go out with me." He gives her shoulders a slight squeeze before planting a kiss on her forehead.

Barry picks up his drink mumbling under his breath before taking a sip, "That makes two of us."

Hunter arches his eyebrow in suspicion, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Barry finds his throat tighten, realizing his words are heard. His mouth slightly open but no words come out. Caitlin takes notice and quickly jumps to his defense. "Babe, Barry and I go way back," she waves off. "And let's just say back then, you would not have been my type," she forcibly giggles to wash away the sudden tension.

Her boyfriend stares at Barry for another second then looks back at her, "Oh really? And why is that?" he smirks pulling her into his chest and intertwining their fingers.

"I wasn't into blondes back then," she winks, trying to put on a facade of flirting. "But you definitely changed my mind," she smirks then leans up to peck his lips.

In the corner of her eyes, she notices Barry squirm in his seat. She bites her inner lip in embarrassment and glazing over at him. "Are you okay Barry?"

He opens his mouth to respond but, his phone beats him to it. He looks over the screen and smiles, forcibly, then looks back to the couple. "Sorry, that's my girlfriend, Linda. She's reminding me of our date tonight."

A short smile stretches across Caitlin's face, "Oh I didn't realize you were dating again."

"Yeah," he breathes rubbing the back of his neck. "We are going two years strong, today actually," he nervously chuckles.

"That's awesome," she forces herself to say then turns to her boyfriend. "We should get going if you're going to help me pack." He nods his head, exiting the booth and waiting for her. She looks back at the man across the table and could swear his facials dropped but couldn't quite place the emotion behind his eyes before his happy face masked him. "It was really nice catching up with you Barry. Maybe I'll see you around?"

Barry genuinely smiles back, "I would like that."

She nods her head then turns on her heels walking out hand-in-hand with Hunter. Right before she slips through the doors, she finds herself glancing over her shoulder one last time. His eyes lock with hers yet again. However, this time she can see it - see the pain his eyes lore. She didn't understand the reasoning. Before she can figure it out, the wind from outside wraps around her in surprise forcing her to look away as it ripples through her clothes. She quickly looks back and finds Barry gone.

A slight tug snaps her out of her thoughts of her old flame and reminds her of her boyfriend's presence. "You okay?" he asks with slight concern. She flashes him a slight smile as a response and nods her head giving his hand a light squeeze. He smiles back as he continues their journey to her place. A sigh leaves her lips as she runs her fingers through her hair, fixing it from the wind, before taking a last glance over her shoulder for her friend to only see an empty space.

"I missed you too Barry," she whispers under her breath before biting her lip.

Caitlin huffs in exhaustion as she plops on her couch. "I can't. No more packing," she whines using her arm to cover her eyes. A chuckle causes to look over at the blonde slowly walking over to her with an amused smile.

He sits next to her wrapping his arm around her shoulders to pull her into his chest. "How about I go get us something to eat while you rest," he kisses her temple. "Sound like a plan?" he asks rubbing her arm comfortably.

"Mhmm," she hums into his chest.

He kisses the top of her head then peels himself away from her. "I'll be back in a flash," he winks and heads out the door.

As the door closes, Caitlin releases a soft groan in frustration burying her face into her hands. "What am I doing," she whispers to herself, leaning back to look at the ceiling, looking for answers. The sound of a box falling over catches her attention. "Great," she huffs, throwing her arms up in frustration before walking over to the mess.

She notices the box says 'Cait's books' and can't help but roll her eyes. She has told Hunter several times not to use that nickname. She looks at the pile with her hands on her hips debating whether to clean it up now or to let Hunter do it when he comes back. However, something catches her eye and pulls her down to pick it up. Her hand reaches out and carefully grasps a worn-out leather journal.

Her eyes instantly shine as memories flood her mind. She leans back on her heels to sit down on the floor as she slowly unwraps the bondage keeping the journal from falling apart. A smile imprints her face as she reads over the writing throughout the endless pages. Her fingers trace over her handwriting before going over the second set of penmanship. "Oh Barry," she giggles before a small tear rolls out of her eye.

She quickly flips to the last page to read the last entry in her handwriting. She slowly reads over the words her younger self wrote a few years back. She bites her lip reliving the day she wrote the entry as tears cover her eyes. Before her emotions can get the best of her, a knock snaps her out of her mind. She quickly wipes any evidence of sadness and clutches the journal in her grasp hiding it behind her back as she approaches the door.

"Did you forget the key again?" she can't help but ask in annoyance before opening the door. Her breath stocks as her eyes widen, "Barry..."

A cheeky smile fills his features. "Hey Cait," he nervously chuckles as he stuffs his hands into his pockets.

Caitlin blinks a few times to make sure her eyes aren't playing a mean trick on her. "Wha-what are you doing here?" she stutters as her arm relaxes.

"I needed to see you," he adds as he swallows. His eyes catch a glance of the item in her hand and his eyes widen. "Is... Is that what I think it is?" he chokes out.

A soft smile fills her face as she nods her head, "Um yeah, I was just looking over our entries from over the years."

He lightly scoffs, placing a hand over his heart. "Oh thank God," he huffs, "For a second there, I thought I lost it."

She giggles at his theatrics, "I'm pretty sure that's why I got to keep the journal in the first place. You always seemed to lose things," she smirks as his cheeks turn red.

He rubs the back of his neck as he mumbles under his breath, "Like you."

Caitlin's face softens, "Bar we both agreed to end things mutually, remember?"

"Yeah but I still lost you," he argues back kicking some dust in frustration.

She bites her lip watching him before realizing he is still standing outside in the hallway. "You want to talk about out here or would you like to come in for a bit?" she gestures with her head. He continues to watch him debate with his thoughts before slowly walking through the threshold into her apartment.

"I forgot you're moving," he mumbles as she closes the door.

"Sorry it's a mess," she huffs with a deep sigh. "We can sit on the couch. It's the only spot not covered in boxes - yet."

He gestures for her to lead the way and follows her every step. They settle leaning against the armrests on opposite sides, giving each other space. He looks over at her observing her side profile. Taking notice of her lip-biting habit concern fills his eyes. "What's bothering you Cait?"

She swallows the behind up salvia in her mouth, forgetting the man sitting next to her can read her like an open book. He has years of practice. She looks over at him, in his eyes, and melts. Her emotions taking over her as the tears flood her eyes. In an instant, a warm feeling incases her body as Barry wraps his arms around her, pulling her into her chest. She clutches onto his forearm in one hand while her tears stain his shirt. He rubs her back and runs his other hand up and down her arm in comfort. "Let it all out Cait. I'm here. I'm right here with you baby," he whispers into her ear.

"Please don't leave me," she cries into his chest and feels his arms tighten his embrace.

"I promise, I won't let you go this time," he whispers softly into her ear before kissing her temple. When her breathing becomes stable he slowly loosens his hold around her to look at her face. His hands instantly cup her cheeks so he can wipe away her tears but, his eyes can't help looking between her eyes and her lips. "Cait, I-"

"Hey Caitlin, sorry I took so long hope you're not starving," Hunter chuckles as he walks through the door. He freezes seeing his girlfriend in the arms of another man. "Caitlin what the hell is this?" he snaps.

She quickly untangles herself from Barry's hold, "Hunter it's not what it looks like," she stutters as she walks over to him. "You remember Barry from this morning. He came by to talk and ended up comforting me about some anxieties I'm having," she rambles stopping in front of him, gesturing to Barry.

"Why the hell am I just being informed about these anxieties? I'm your boyfriend. You should be telling me these issues not him," he gestures to Barry with disgust.

"Hunter I told you, we go way back. He's an old friend of mine -" she starts but he interrupts.

"Yeah, old friend, who you seemed to have forgotten to mention is also your ex-boyfriend or as you wrote your 'forever true love'" he growls.

Caitlin snaps back, "You read my journal?"

He scoffs, "That is what upsets you? Really? You are unbelievable." He chuckles pacing back and forth, running his hands through, his hair. "I should have known you would never truly love me. How long have you been faking it huh?" he questions her as she looks at the floor. "Is that why you wanted to meet for coffee this morning?" his eyebrow arches as he connects dots.

"Man leave her alone!" Barry snaps coming to her aid. "She just wanted a friend and that's all I am to her."

"Bullshit," Hunter snaps. "I'm not blind and I'm not stupid. You don't think I saw the way you looked at her and how she looked at you." He bites his lip and shakes his head. "Those little love pecks of affection were the first I had in days. And now I know why," he huffs throwing his arms to his side. "All for show; right Cait?" he stresses through gritted teeth.

She sniffs before lifting her head to see him eye-to-eye. "I'm sorry Hunter," she breathes.

He clicks his tongue, "Yeah, me too."

She watches as he grabs his things and slams the door on his way out. At that moment, a sense of relief watches over her, and her legs give out. Barry holds her up before she can hit the floor and she instantly wraps her arms around him. "I got you," he whispers into her ear. She slightly pulls away to look into his eyes. "I got you," he repeats tightening his grip on her.

"It all comes back to you, huh?" she whispers as her fingers play with the ends of his hair.

A soft chuckle leaves his lips, "I was just thinking the same thing." He wipes a lock of her hair behind her ear before observing her features. "Seeing you in the coffee shop, after all these years, I knew at that moment, we were meant to be. But, finding out you were in a relationship that you seemed so happy to be in," he sighs, "I had to pretend I was happy too."

"Why?" she whispers with concern.

He shrugs his shoulders, "I didn't want you to find out that I had been holding onto you all these years. That every day I hoped you would come back to me; telling me that I was the one after all the heartbreak and misery you had to go through to realize it." He blushes as the words slip out of his mouth with his hand caressing her cheek.

She leans into his touch, looking into his eyes with a smile. "Well Barry, after all these years of heartbreak and misery I learned that there has only been one man I love with my whole heart," she smiles.

"And who would that be?"

Caitlin turns her head to kiss his palm before slipping out of his embrace. She walks over to the journal sprawled on the floor in front of the couch. She bends down to pick it up and as she stands up, Barry is by her side. She flips to the last page, smiling at it before showing Barry.

He looks over it to read the single sentence spread across the page. His smile widens reading her delicate handwriting - Barry Allen will forever be my forever true love.

"You."

fin.