Still Caitlin's POV
The walk to the biggest mall in Central City was relatively short and boring in reality, but in lieu of all the other times I had gone, this one felt like forever in an Enchanted Forest with my Prince Charming to me.
We step outside, into the dim hallway that always smelt overly vacuumed but was rarely used. Like a hotel, I guess.
"What's your favourite colour?" Barry asks me out of the blue as we descend down the single flight of stairs in my apartment complex.
"Blue." I say. It's the colour of his eyes, which I am staring into right now, and Ronnie's- forget it Caitlin! Ronnie doesn't exist, just for today.
"What's yours?", I ask, mainly out of interest, but also to keep my mind from thinking.
"Sort of a reddish brown. It's a bit darker than the suit, but the suit is around the same colour." He answers.
Then he takes my hand. We've long since stopped going arm in arm. I am shocked, but then squeeze it for a second, and he squeezes back.
"Favourite ice cream flavour?" I ask.
"It's my turn to ask a question! But, it's berry. No, it's vanilla. No, it's cookies and cream. No, snickerdoodles. Nope, mint choc chip. Ah, I'll get back to you on that."
His indecisiveness makes me laugh.
"What's yours?" He asks me, his face alight in playful joy.
I say it in a flat, carefree tone, as if it was everyday when a cute guy that I had a crush on who made me breakfast and insisted on accompanying me for a whole day to shop asked me what my favourite ice-cream flavour was.
"Tropical."
He snorts.
"Are you saying there is something wrong with my favourite flavour of ice-cream?"
"No, I just find it ironic, because Joe, Eddie, and Cisco all have the same favourite flavour as you. And your last name is like, the exact opposite of your favourite ice-cream flavour."
"Oh."
"Best pet you ever had?" He immediately seeks to throw me a figurative life raft from my whirlpool of stupidity.
"I had a goldfish once. That was the only pet I've ever had."
"Really? Just in case you were wondering, I had heaps of fish, but my favourite was when we had this adorable West Highland White Terrier called Ralph come to stay with us for a month, because Joe found him at a crime scene, tied up in the closet under the stairs. It turned out he belonged to a little girl on the other side of the world, in Russia."
"Maybe we should get a dog then."
"I think it'd be a good idea. But I have conditions."
"When do you not?" I ask, teasing him with a smile on my face. "But seriously, what are they?"
"We get an adorable puppy, and we are it's parents, so he stays with you for a week, and me for a week, and alternate back and forth."
"Sounds simple enough."
"And it has to be called Snowbarry."
"Why? It is adorable, but why?" I am curious as to why he chose the name.
"Because it is a non-gender descriptive name, and it has both of us in it. Good parenting, right?" He sends me a hopeful smile.
"Okay. I understand the name." I partially lied. I know some of the reasons why he chose it, but it doesn't give me the entire picture.
By this time, we are in the mall car-park. There is a bit of a jump from the roadside into the actual car-park, but Barry, being ever the gentleman, jumps down first, and offers me his hand. I shake my head no, then sit down, and try to climb down.
I should've known Barry wouldn't let me get away with it.
When I am near the bottom, Barry picks me up from the wall, and spins me round in a circle.
I shriek in excitement. "Barry, I give you to the count of three to put me down. One, two, thr-"
HE'S GONE AND FLASHED US INSIDE!
"That's not funny, Barry," I say attempting my usual serious tone. "Someone could have seen you."
"Yes it is funny," he cuts me off.
"Okay, maybe a little bit funny."
He chuckles.
"And it's stopped being funny." I say. "Now come on, we better go and shop till we drop, at which point we'll call a cab."
He smirks.
"No, Barry, no." I know he's going to try and Flash Express me out of here, but it isn't going to work.
I start walking. "Come on, we're getting Starbucks, even after you pulled that stunt."
He laughs, and grabs my hand, and starts running and pulling me along at a normal human rate.
He bumps into a bunch of people on the way there, leaving the both of us to yell sorry to the poor people. One of them, an elderly lady, says "Ah, the joys of young love," to her equally elderly companion (probably her husband), and I want to point out Barry and I are not a couple, but he's pulling me along and we're already gone.
There is a bit of a line in Starbucks, consisting of three or so parties.
We wait, and he whistles 'Love Is Easy' by McFly at me.
By the time he's whistled the 2nd chorus, it's our turn.
He orders a grande gingerbread frappuccino, while I get a venti caramel frauppacino.
After we've paid, and collected our drinks, we sit down at a two-seater table.
He takes a sip of it, and tells me to have a taste. He takes off the lid, and I put my straw in it.
I have a sip of it, and I really like it. We finish the gingerbread one, then we both put our straws in my one, and it seems like a downgrade.