Previously...
They all walk to the couch and sit down.
Eddie brings Iris closer to him in attempts of keeping her warm and they start cuddling.
"So Barry, why did you run out unannounced? You should have seen Iris. She had us all freaked out." Eddie looks at him curiously.
Coffee Encounters.
It's 9:30am. Barry wakes up late; as usual, and has to be at work by 10:00am. He uses his speed to shower and thankfully arrives the station on time. He walks in and accidentally bumps into Eddie who was carrying a cup of hot coffee.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry Eddie. I was rushing and I really didn't see you there." Barry starts apologizing.
"It's totally fine, Allen, don't worry about it. But I'm going to need another cup of coffee. My sanity runs on that stuff." He explains. Thankfully, Iris always has one readymade for me every morning." Eddie says with a smile plastered on his face.
Iris, of course was the reason he had gone to bed later than usual. She had called him that same night as soon as he entered his apartment. They talked about their feelings. Iris insisted they spilled all of their secrets because she couldn't bare finding out another one of his secrets. Iris went on about missing him when he was in the coma and how alone she felt when she couldn't see him or talk to him. He had been her oldest and closest friend for so long that she had no one to turn to. That is, until Eddie came along. She talked about how supportive and caring he had been: driving her to and from Star Labs whenever she had the day off work so she could see him. She told him how Eddie was always there for her when she felt all alone.
"Iris, just so you know, I refuse to be your maid of honor. You're going to have to find yourself some female friends before it's too late. You're already moving in with Eddie, who knows what's next?" Barry jokingly insisted and Iris immediately knew that was his way of giving his blessing to them.
"Aw, I was so looking forward to seeing you in sea foam lace!" She had replied in a sarcastic but disappointing tone. "And besides, I have other friends besides you. You just haven't met them yet. But you're right; I do need some friends of my own gender. Not telling you every detail of my relationship with Eddie is going to be really hard." She had said with an honest tone.
"Iris, we can talk about Eddie. But the really intimate stuff you have to keep to yourself. It's going to be hard but I'll try my best to be supportive." He reassured her.
Hearing those words had meant the world to her. In a way, the awkwardness had evaporated in thin air.
"Earth to Barry Allen!" Eddie says, waving to his face.
"Sorry, I didn't get enough sleep last night. I'm going to need some coffee too if I plan on getting anything done today." Barry tells to Eddie. "What's your usual?" He asks.
"Just tell Iris, she knows how I like it." Eddie smiles and walks away.
Barry was suffocating with jealousy. He hurried out of the station and in a blink of an eye, he found himself at Jitters.
He expected to see Iris behind the counters but she was nowhere to be found. Asking her co-workers was not an option since jitters was really busy between the hours of 6 and 12. He took out his phone and decided to give Eddie a call to ask him for his usual order since Iris was apparently nowhere to be found.
Although her absence was unusual, he felt relieve in that he wasn't quite ready to face her just yet. He was scared and wished the other night didn't happen so they could go back to being Barry and Iris; the very best of friends.
He turned and decided to take his leave when he heard.
"Barry!" he turned to se Iris smiling and rushing towards him.
She was wearing a pair of high waisted blue jeans that hugged her frame and accentuated her long legs, paired with a cream white turtleneck short sleeved knitted top and some black ankle booties. He also noticed her hair was up in a messy bun, allowing some strands to fall down her temples. Iris had never worn her hair up for as long as Barry could remember. He never thought she could look any prettier but seeing her right then and there changed that. He also noticed she wore the replica of her mom's wedding band he had given her for Christmas. He tried to hide his smirk as she hurried past the customers towards him.
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" She was happy but also surprised to see him. Barry couldn't even get himself to work on time, let alone stop for morning coffee.
"I accidentally spilled coffee on Eddie cause I was ru ..." Eddie started but was interrupted.
"... nning late. And you're here for another one?" Iris smiled and continued for him.
"Exactly." He smiled and nodded. All he could think about was how effortlessly gorgeous she looked. She had no idea what she was doing to him.
A beautiful redheaded girl walked up to them and turned to Iris, "Iris I have to get going, but it was very nice seeing you."
The girl was regular height and had long red hair that went perfectly with her green eyes.
"Oh, so soon?!" Iris turned to her and said with a saddened look on her face. "It was really nice catching up and I'd love for us to meet sooner than later at a more desirable setting next time." She said jokingly.
She noticed Barry was looking into space. "Oh! I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Eden, this is my best friend, Barry." She motions to Barry. "And Barry, this is Eden, the roommate AND ZBZ sister I've told you about." Iris motions to Eden.
Iris and Eden both met as pledges in ZBZ, the most elite sorority at their university. They became roommates once they moved into their sorority house and became close friends until Eden decided to travel abroad to France during their junior year.
Barry and Eden both smile and shake hands.
"Okay, you two get acquainted while I get Eddie's coffee ready. And Barry, don't take this the wrong way but you really look like you could use a cup. So what's it going to be sleepyhead?" She asks.
"Very funny Iris." He grinned. "Just plain black." He replied.
"How about you, Eden? Would you like anything to go?" Iris asked.
"I can't believe you forgot." She replies disappointedly.
"Shut up! I thought that was just a phase." Iris says shockingly. She then turns to Barry and explains. "Eden decided to go vegan during sophomore year. She banned all caffeinated beverages and non – organic foods from her diet. I just never thought she would stick to the healthy eating lifestyle for this long." She gives Eden a surprised look.
"Iris, I'm right here you know? And I can be quite committed if I want to." She defends herself.
"I'm so proud of you Eden." Iris smiles. "And trust me when I say, it shows. Your skin is basically glowing and you have the body of a professional yoga instructor. I'm seriously reconsidering my eating choices now." She tells Eden.
"Okay, enough chattering, two cups coming up!" She says and hurries away.
Barry felt nervous as Iris left him with Eden. It was kind of awkward until he decided to break the ice first.
"So, Eden, where you named after the garde..." He starts but Eden quickly finishes for him.
"The garden of Eden? Yes. My parents are very pious folk. Shockingly, you and Iris have been the only people to figure it out. Most people usually assume I was named after a Vegas striper." She tells him and giggles.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Barry." She smiles at him. "Iris wouldn't shut up about how much she missed you when we roomies." She laughed. "Something about you leaving her for blood and bones?" She inquires.
"Yeah, I work in the forensics department at Central City's Police Station." He smiles at her. "Oh and Iris mentioned you abandoned her for cheese and croissants?" Barry told her with a raised eyebrow.
"She actually said that?!" Eden giggled. "I can't say I'm surprised. Iris has always had a unique way with words. She could always WOW all the professors. Journalism is indeed her calling." Eden continues.
"She really does, doesn't she? I'm surprised she needed me to tell her that." Barry smiles to himself. Then catches himself and says, "So France huh?"
"Yeah! France was great. The culture, music and atmosphere seemed like a recurring daydream. After two weeks of exploring French Literature at Lycee Descartes, I had an epiphany. Every night I would go to the Bibliotheque, and instead of reading there, I would go to the different restaurants and just get completely lost in the menus." She started.
"It slowly became a problem when I realized I was reading more restaurant menu's than books. It then became clear that I was more invested in French cuisine than French Literature. So, I spent the rest of my time there interning with multiple souse chefs and taking nutrition classes." She smiles and nods at Barry.
Barry laughed. "Wow, who would've thought? I'm glad you found your niche. Too bad you had to go all the way to France to find it." Barry tells her.
Eden explains passionately. "No, Paris was phenomenal. The people there were more than inspiring. The art, the culture, the food, it was all very different but in a very good way. Paris will always have a place in my heart."
"Two cups to go!" Iris walks up smiling and hands them to Barry.
Eden says to Barry. "It was really nice to meet you Barry."
"And Iris, call me." She turns to Iris and hugs her tightly. She then walks and exits out of Jitters.
"So...?" Iris presses. She's now playfully hitting Barry's arm like she always does when she's excited.
"Ahhwwww! That hurts. And what do you mean?"
"You know what Barry ... never mind, we'll talk later. The coffee's getting cold and if you're late again, I swear my dad will kill you, so scurry off!" Iris reminds him but still continues to slap his arm.
"Alright! Alright! I'm leaving!" Barry replies as he turns around and leaves.
He waits until Iris goes behind the counter. He stands outside the window and watches her move around taking orders. She greets every one of them with her signature bright smiles and even the grumpiest of them couldn't help but return that smile back. He just stood there in awe of how beautiful she is. Her smile had a certain charm that even science couldn't explain.
For two minutes, he stood there admiring her. To him, it felt more like forever.
Thanks for reading.
Are you guys liking Eden's character? She was inspired by Eden from Nip/Tuck.
What do you love? What are you hate?
Let me know in the comments! I appreciate every single feedback I get so please, please, please leave me some
I'm sorry I didn't write at all last week.
This was by far the hardest chapter to write but I'm trying my best.
Anyone who would want to co-write this storyline with me should let me know.
Until Next Time. Remain Blessed.
XxxxsplendidjanieXxxx