After I spoke it, it was always going to be there, and I don't think any of us forgot that, but we were able to put it behind us, because we were, above anything else, best friends, and more than that, we were family. And you're the biggest reason why we were able to move past it and revert to how things always were, Iris, because you have more grace and compassion than anyone deserves, certainly more than I deserve.
Things transitioned back to our old normal for the time being, at least as normal as they could be. Most importantly, you were happy. Your dissertation was approved. You had just started working at Picture News and earning the respect of your colleagues. You were in love.
Because you were in such a great place, I was too. Even if I was hurting because you didn't love me the way I loved you, I wouldn't really love you if your happiness wasn't mine too.
I figured I got my closure and might as well try to put myself out there for real this time, seeing as your presence in the back of my mind was the biggest reason why I never dated someone seriously. You were still always in the back of my mind, in the front of my mind, everywhere in my mind, but I was going to try to move on despite that.
Then the best happened.
It was short-lived, but it happened.
I'm talking of course about our kiss by the waterfront.
Remember how you told me you didn't want to know about the timeline changes I'd created? How you'd rather focus on the here and the now, because despite everything, we were always going to find each other, and that was all that was mattered?
Remember how that changed after Savitar's prophecy?
You sat me down one day and asked me to tell you everything that I remembered from all the timelines in which we were together. When I asked you why the change of mind, you responded, "I want as many memories as possible with you before I don't have the chance to make them anymore, even if they existed in another time."
So I took you to that same shoreline, and I told you how Mardon created a tsunami that I was certain would kill everyone in Central City, how I begged you to flee to safety, how you insisted you weren't going to leave without me, how you admitted that you couldn't stop thinking about me since Christmas…
Turns out I was right that nothing would ever be the same. And I kissed you by the waterfront, in that timeline and this one.
