It was a new year, the second year of their arranged marriage, and everything was so different from the first. They were relaxed around each other. They shared their differences and interests. No longer was Barry silent and saw their interactions as a chore. No longer was Caitlin walking around eggshells unsure of what she could or couldn't do.
They were two friends, who could appreciate the different sides of one another. Their flaws, their strengths, their vulnerabilities. They could confide in one another, disagree, and respect their differences —
"Absolutely not," he stressed with finality.
"I don't understand why not," she said with defiance, "Wonder Woman is a demi-god, she could beat him."
"No. Superman is Superman," he said as if that explained his whole argument, "there is no way he's losing against an Amazon."
"But—"
"Even if she is a demi-god."
She crossed her arms around her chest in protest, "You're just a —"
"No, I'm not being chauvinistic, misogynistic, or any of its variations, I'm just stating facts," he drank his coffee calmly.
"When are you going back to work again?" she asked annoyed.
He let out a small laugh, "Monday."
"Can't come soon enough," she said under her breath.
She was such a sore loser, he said to himself. "That reminds me, are you doing anything special now that your vacation is ending?"
"Actually," she reviewed her internal to-do list, "I have to do some shopping. Get something for the guys, Marcos, Dr. Stewart, definitely Jessie, she puts up with you the most," she joked and was a recipient of his signature glare, "and something for the ladies."
The ladies? She hadn't talked about female friends before, "Are you friends with the female staff at the hospital?"
She shook her head, "I barely have time to get out of the engineering cave when I'm there. It's my boss and a co-worker from my previous jobs. We weren't close friends or anything, but they were very kind to me and I haven't visited in a while."
He looked at her intently. She generally said that; that she wasn't close to other people. Perhaps that's why John had alluded to her spending an inordinate amount of time as a volunteer, instead of other people her age. Caitlin didn't allow people to get too close. He understood why.
"Would you like to come with me?" she asked with a bright smile.
He took another slow sip from his coffee. He could make much better use of his time than shopping. Like reading, catching up with emails, researching market trends, working on that article he's been wanting to publish…
"Sure."
{-}
She had purchased a few pieces of clothing for the ladies. Some memorabilia, shirts, key chains, and wallets for the engineering trio. A purple wallet-purse for Jessie. Now she was only hunting for the perfect gift that will make little Marcos squeal with glee.
"How many more do we have left?" An exasperated Barry, who was carrying all of the gifts, asked from behind.
He was starting to regret his decision to come and wanted to kick himself for offering to help her with one bag, which quickly turned into six.
"Only one more," she said as she entered the eighteenth shop.
"That's what my wife said three stores ago," he heard a man next to him say with humor. He was in a very similar situation.
"Come on Clark, the gifts will not carry themselves," a woman stepped out of the store Caitlin was entering with a few additional bags. "I cannot believe we had to travel to Central City to get the last sets of The Flash action figures," she said with an air of victory, "those kids better be grateful," she smiled in triumph as she handed her husband the bags with the sacred gifts.
"Yes ma'am," Clark said playfully, "it doesn't get better over the years," he shared that piece of advice with the doctor, "but you love them anyway."
Barry nodded at the man and saw the two strangers walk next to each other laughing at something the woman said. You could tell from miles away that the two were clearly in love and had been for a long time. It was a nice sight. He turned to look at Caitlin, comparing Superman action figures, and wondered if…
"Barry!" she motioned for him to join her, "Which one do you think Marcos would like more?"
The two figures were almost the same, save for a few changes in the costume. Yet, Caitlin was treating the matter as if it was a life or death situation.
He smiled, typical Caitlin. "Cait, honestly, I'm sure he will be happy with either."
She furrowed her brows, "I'm not aiming for just happy. I want oh-my-God-Caity-that's-the-best-gift-ever-I-love-you-so-much happy,"
He rolled his eyes. As if that wasn't the reaction the boy would have for any of her gifts.
"Which one do you like more?"
"The one on the right."
She nodded and examined the figure in detail, "The one on the left it is."
{-}
It was a slow day at Jitters, and the sky was gray. Surely it would snow later that evening. Perhaps more people will stop by for a hot sweet beverage. Too bad Caitlin didn't work there anymore. Life was much quieter and boring since she left.
The little bell rang, signaling incoming customers and Magenta turned around with a professional smile, "Welcome to —Caitlin!?"
She practically skipped to hug the woman, "I'm so happy to see you!"
Caitlin returned the hug, "Right back at you Pinky."
When the woman separated, Magenta took notice there was a young man next to her friend and eyed the two curiously.
"Well Magenta, this is Barry," she motioned to this mysterious man, Magenta was analyzing in detail. "Barry this is Magenta, she kept me sane during my time at Jitters."
Magenta giggled, "Trust me, it was the other way around."
Barry could already see it. Despite Caitlin's childishness at times, she knew when to be serious. Obviously, she was the sanest of the two. The hair alone of the barista was a dead giveaway in his opinion.
"We brought you this," Caitlin said with a bright smile and handed the woman a pretty gift bag.
The We didn't go past Magenta. "You shouldn't have," she said politely but squealed in delight once she actually saw the present. "Oh my gosh! I love this band! I can't believe you found this shirt," another hug was in order.
"I'm glad you liked it."
"Was it hard to find?" She'd been trying to hunt for this shirt for months to no avail.
Caitlin gave Barry a funny look, and before he said anything, she answered, "Nope, piece of cake," she could forgo the story of how she fought a teenager for it. "Now, if you excuse me, I'll be right back," she excused herself.
Now that Caitlin was out of earshot, her ex-colleague took the opportunity to talk to this mysterious man, "So, Barry right?" She started innocently enough.
"Yes."
"How do you and Caitlin know each other?"
"We're married," he said as a matter of fact.
Magenta burst out laughing. Recalling a few occasions where Caitlin mentioned a husband, but surely she was joking. The girl didn't even have time to date. There was no way this was him. Sure he was easy on the eyes, but he was way too serious to be with Caitlin. She continued laughing until she realized she was laughing alone.
Meanwhile, Barry observed her as if she was some sort of lunatic. He didn't understand what was so funny.
The pink haired girl regained her composure and looked at him dead in the eyes, "No, seriously. Are you college buddies or something? Because I can give you some tips."
Out of politeness Barry refrained from scoffing, "Caitlin and I are married," he re-stated, "we've been married for a year now."
Magenta furrowed her brows. The joke was being taken too far, "This is a prank right?"
"No," he wasn't sure in what language he should explain this.
"Pinky be a darling and get us two caramel Frappuccinos could you?" Caitlin said upon her return, but stopped on her tracks when she felt that air of tension, "Did I miss something?"
"Caitlin, did you tell her we were married?" Barry asked.
The woman in question nodded, "Yes. A few times actually," oh, she had forgotten during her introduction, "Sorry Pinky, this is Barry, my husband. Forgot to add that little tidbit of information earlier," she said apologetically.
Magenta was frozen in place. So all this time she thought Caitlin was joking it was true! Well, now she felt dumb. "I'm going to go get those frappes," she excused herself.
"Huh, wonder what happened," the auburn haired woman mused.
The doctor shrugged.
{-}
One gift down and another one to go, at least for today.
Caitlin walked in and gave Barry a quick run down of the place, "And over there we have a comics section, can you believe it?"
"A comics section in a college library, now I've seen it all."
"Hey, just like social media marketing is a thing now. Superhero lore and pop culture is highly relevant in some disciplines," she stated sagely.
"Like?" He challenged.
"Film for example."
Before he could agree a female voice interrupted them.
"Caitlin?" Her former boss asked.
"Ma'am!" Caitlin greeted happily.
The woman laughed and shook her head. "How many times have we gone over this?"
Caitlin grinned, "Not enough apparently."
"What brings you here, the semester hasn't started."
"Well I wanted to stop by and say hello," she outstretched her hand, which was holding a black bag, "and Barry and I wanted to bring you this."
Barry gave Caitlin a side glance, why did she keep saying they wanted to bring gifts? He only came as a favor to her.
"Well that's very kind of you both," Leslie said but still gave Barry an analytical look, "I don't think I've met you," she addressed Barry.
"Barry Allen," he outstretched his hand.
"Leslie Jocoy."
"Should have started with an introduction," Caitlin said to herself, "ma—Leslie, this is Barry, my husband," she ended with a smile.
"That husband that never came to pick you up?" Leslie asked in shock.
Caitlin cringed a little, "He is a busy man."
"There is a public transportation system," Barry stated casually.
Leslie narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "You also have a car don't you?"
"Of course."
"Then I don't see what would be more important than ensuring the welfare of your wife."
Caitlin looked from her husband to her former boss, almost as if it was a ping pong match.
"The public transportation system of Central City is one of the best and safest in the nation," he argued.
"True," Leslie conceded, "but the crime rate is highest around this area because of the college scene."
"Perhaps, but I trust Caitlin's ability to take care of herself."
"You shouldn't trust the rest of the people though. A lot of men and drinking around the area, who knows what might happen," she said with exaggerated concern.
"So!" Caitlin pitched in, seeing imaginary lightning clashing from those two, "Leslie, why don't you open your gift, we hope you like it."
Barry and Leslie shared one last glare, before the woman's demeanor changed completely when she turned to her former employee, "Don't mind if I do," once she opened the gift she gasped in delight, "Oh my GOD, this is so adorable!"
"Glad you liked it, we took trips to seven different stores to find those."
Barry gave Caitlin another sideway glance, it definitely had been more than seven stores. Not counting the torture he had to go through to secure those gifts.
"And they look like the perfect sizes."
"We struggled a bit to get Dr. Kenyon's one, but Barry was a good sport and tried them on before we gave the okay."
"Thank you," the older woman said a bit forced. "I'm so glad you came to visit, and thank you so much for the gift, I'll be sure to have Keith put it on tonight," she gave Caitlin a hug and another handshake to Barry before excusing herself.
"Well that was interesting," Caitlin mused.
"Tell me about it," Barry was not amused.
{-}
They drove back home after dropping off the gifts for Caitlin's former colleagues. She placed the remaining bags in her room before coming back to the living room to join Barry.
"What an eventful day," she said as she flopped on the love seat. "I'm beat."
"That makes two of us," Barry said as he laid on the L-shaped sofa.
After a moment Caitlin spoke again, "But I have to say, I'm happy we spent the day together, I had fun."
Barry remained silent for a few seconds, "Not sure I would classify shopping as fun."
"That's not the fun part," she clarified.
"What would you say it is?"
"Spending time together," she said casually while looking out the window. "And seeing you carry all of those bags."
He rolled his eyes, but a smirk escaped him. "Or seeing you more focused on choosing an action figure than studying for your finals."
"Or seeing you try on those hideous couple shirts."
He snorted, "I wasn't the only one," he forced her to try them on as well. He would not go down alone.
She burst out laughing, "The one with the cat was hilarious though."
He joined her and laughed along, "I can't believe they make those atrocities."
"They are pretty popular in some places," she jumped up from her spot, "I almost forgot, I got you something."
He shook his head, but a small smile escaped him.
"Close your eyes," she said in a sing-song voice as she approached.
He did as was told and felt her come closer. She was right behind him.
She bent down and whispered, "You can open them now."
He blinked his eyes open, "I can't believe you got this."
"I know you wouldn't be caught dead buying it," she giggled behind him, "but I saw you looking at it, quite fondly might I add."
"Doubtful," he said seriously, but raised his hand to capture the gift. "Thank you," he ended up saying sincerely.
"Don't mention it," she smiled.
She was mere inches away from him, he could feel her warmth and her breath right next to him. If he turned around now, they would —
"There's also something else," she pushed herself away from the sofa and went around the couch to be in front of him, "I, uhm," she began nervously. "Well…" she trailed off.
He cocked his head to the side and raised a curious eyebrow, "Out with it."
"I think it's best I show you," she breathed out, "come," she said as she pulled at him and led him to his room.
He followed without complaint. Curious as to what she could have for him that would be in his room. As they walked over, he fought hard to push away thoughts he shouldn't be having, and knowing Caitlin he really shouldn't be having those thoughts. Then again, he wasn't made of stone either.
"Barry I really don't know where to start."
"Cait, whatever it is it'll be fine," he gave her hand a small squeeze.
In return, she gave him a big smile, "I'm glad you think that way," she took a step forward and raised herself on her toes to whisper into his ear, what this mysterious gift was all about.
"Absolutely not," he said firmly, and once she was done he took a step back, "it's not happening."
Her eyes were disappointed, but she hadn't given up yet, "Please, please, please, pleeeeeeeease," she said like a child.
"Caitlin, there is no way I'm doing that," he crossed his arms around his chest and gave her a stern look.
"Barry, only this one time, and I'll never ask for anything else, I promise," she begged.
He shook his head, "Like that's ever happening. I'm not doing it."
She changed tactics, "Why don't you want to? You love Superman."
"I don't —" she gave him a look, "fine, I love the character. But this has nothing to do with what you're asking me to do."
"Dressing up as Superman to visit Marcos is not the end of the world," she rationalized, "I think this is the best gift we could give him, and I find it so cute that the both of you like the same superhero."
"I thought his action figure was his gift," he completely disregarded her last statement. Being compared to a little kid...
She shrugged, "Why can't he have both?" She took a step closer and gave Barry an innocent pleading look, "Please Barry, please, can you do this for me?"
He fought his instinct to gulp. She was attacking him with her cuteness, and that was not good. Definitely, not good. However, he could use this to his advantage, and play fire with fire.
A thought occurred to him.
"If that's what you want," he took a step closer, and Caitlin only looked as the distance between them shortened. "I want something in return," he said softly, as he placed a strand of hair behind her ear.
Caitlin's eyes traveled from his lips to his green orbs. "What is that?" She couldn't help herself from asking.
Barry hid a sly smile, how long would she last? He couldn't wait to find out. "You really want to know?" He whispered as he lowered his head.
Her heart was beating a mile a minute. What was he doing? Was he doing what she thought he was doing? Was this one of her fantasies come to life? If so, she prayed no one would wake her up. He was so close, so, so close. Just a bit more. Well she could take the initiative —-No! Bad Caitlin. No!
The agony was cut short by the familiar Star Wars ringtone Caitlin had associated with Cisco. She didn't move, but Barry did and he motioned for her to take the call.
"He—Hello Cisco," she said as she regained a semblance of composure. "Yes sir, aha. Ok, I'll get that. No worries, the brownies are on me," she smiled at the request, "tell Wally and Jax I miss them too."
Barry had walked away to examine the suit Caitlin wanted him to wear.
She hung up and turned to Barry, "The guys say hi," she turned to him watching as he made interesting faces at the suit.
"I have to say, this doesn't look like a cheap knock off."
"Right!? I thought the same thing," the tension from earlier had vanished. However, she still had yet to calm her heart completely.
He grimaced but nodded in the defeat, "Fine."
"Huh?" She was confused.
He sighed and massaged his forehead "Fine."
"Fine what?"
"You're really going to make me say it," he said more to himself than her, "I'll wear it."
She blinked in confusion for a few seconds, and slowly the biggest grin he had ever seen on her started to form, "Oh my God! I knew I could count on you!" She sprinted towards him and threw herself at him with her arms wide open to give him a hug.
Barry was caught off guard and the two landed on his bed, with her squarely at the top.
"You're the best Barry!" She smiled into his chest, "I know Marcos is going to love it."
Barry didn't move. He didn't like this. He didn't like the position they were in. And he definitely didn't like how he was reacting to her nearness.
She pushed herself away and sat on the bed, "I have these ideas for you to make this huge entrance, with the music playing in the background…"
He set the costume to the side and also sat up, looking at her intently as she spoke about her grand ideas.
"And then BAM!" She said as extended her hands, "you come in, in all your Superman glory, how about it?"
He'd miss most of the things she said, and just nodded mechanically.
Her excitement from moments ago mellowed out, "I can't thank you enough," she said genuinely.
"This isn't free, you know?" He smirked. Sure, he teased her earlier, but that didn't mean he was doing this out of the kindness of his heart.
She returned that same smirk, "I know."
There was something in the air. Both of them could feel it.
Caitlin was the first to do something about it. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Barely brushing the corner of his mouth. It had been totally intentional, but she couldn't help herself. Had it not been for Cisco's (in)opportune call, she probably would have been the one to do something, if Barry didn't.
She pushed herself off the bed and headed to the door.
Before leaving she said, "I'm looking forward to it."
Barry opened his eyes in slight surprise. Did she just say that?
{-}
Once Caitlin closed the door behind her, a red hue took over her face.
Did I just say that?
What was wrong with her? How could she be this forward? What would Barry think? Then again it wasn't as if he was completely innocent, she told herself as she headed to her room. Earlier, she was sure he was going to kiss her. What was worse, was that she had absolutely no problem with that. In fact, if she was completely honest, she wanted him to kiss her.
That realization scared her senseless.
She shook her head. They were just friends. Only friends that happened to live together. There was no mistake with the type of relationship they had. They were far from a real couple, and she couldn't fool herself into believing otherwise.
At least this time, she knew full well the relationship she was in. She didn't need those misunderstandings. She didn't need another heartbreak.
A pang of pain ran through her, and memories she thought long forgotten flashed in her mind.
A happy young Caitlin. A Caitlin that was in love. A Caitlin that had been disposed of. A Caitlin that was played with.
That was a version of her she wanted to forget. A version she never wanted to see again. She was never going to be in that position again.
Never again.
{-}
He looked in the mirror with a somber expression. Someone walked out of a stall and looked at him briefly trying to contain a chuckle. Barry glared in response. When the man left the doctor asked himself for the millionth time what had possessed him to agree to this. A few moments earlier, Caitlin had left to meet Marcos and give him the figurine they had picked out for him. He was certain the boy would be happy with that alone. Did he really have to go this extra mile?
Briefly, Caitlin's dazzling grin flashed through his head, and he figured it wouldn't be that bad.
"Not bad Dr. Allen," John said as he entered the men's room. "Caitlin sent me over, in case you got cold feet."
Of course she would. "Just call me Barry," he said casually.
The elder doctor nodded, "Fine by me, now let's go out there and give the little guy the surprise of a lifetime."
Barry was grateful there wasn't malice or mockery in John's words. Rather, there was a genuine sense of gratitude.
As they approached Marcos' room they were able to see the boy playing animatedly with Caitlin, as he showed off his new action figure.
"And then Superman comes in and shoots lasers off his eyes, and —"
"Knock, knock," Dr. Stewart was the first to step in with his usual kind smile, "what are you up to?"
"Caity brought me this new Superman, and, and, and I'm showing her what he does," the little boy could barely contain his excitement.
"Is that so?" Dr. Stewart said amused, "Should we ask Superman himself what he does?"
The boy looked from Caitlin to the doctor not fully comprehending what he was told. He saw Caity press a button on her phone and Superman's theme song started to play.
Then he looked towards the door, his jaw dropped in awe. Next to Dr. Stewie there was his hero, in person, with his suit and cape. A huge squeal escaped him and he dropped everything to run at him.
"Superman!" He tackled his hero, who easily captured him in his arms and lifted him. "I knew you were real!" He had the biggest grin at that moment, "Look Caity look!"
"Oh I'm looking," Caitlin said with glee as she continued recording the whole thing.
"Superman, you are my most favorite hero of all time," the boy said as a matter of fact, "I told everybody that you were real and the other nurses didn't believe me, but Dr. Stewie and Caity did," he said a mile a minute, "but even if Dr. Stewie likes Green Lantern, you're still the most favorite!"
He gave his hero a tight hug.
"Thanks buddy," Barry— erm, Superman said. "I heard from Dr. Stewie and Caity that you've been a good boy,"
He nodded with force, "Yes! I eat all of my medicine, and even the veggies."
"That's great!" He gave the boy a high five, "Keep staying healthy, and you will be a superhero when you're older."
The boy's eyes began to shine in awe, "Like you Superman?"
"Even better than me," he said with a gentle smile.
John approached Caitlin, "You blew it out of the park Caitlin."
She shook her head, "This is all Barry."
The two looked ahead as the Superman clad doctor and the little boy played and talked as if they were the best of friends. Marcos' led Superman to his toy box where over half his toys were all Superman themed figures. The boy also asked his hero about secret missions and his super powers, and the hero explained in detail in addition to giving his little fan a few demonstrations.
"I have to say," John began, "this is a side of Barry I don't think I've ever seen, or even imagined he had," he noticed a loving smile made its way to the woman's face.
"That's Barry for you, a box of surprises," even though she'd seen different and kind sides of the man that was her husband, she had to agree with Dr. Stewart. It's like Barry was transforming in front of her very eyes.
Barry was carrying Marcos on his shoulders, lifting his arms and pretending they were both in the air. Until the inevitable happened…
"Superman," the boy began, "why do you look a lot like Barry?"
The superhero stopped dead on his tracks. John and Caitlin froze. Sure this was to be expected, but they hadn't prepared for this scenario.
"Uhm, well," the woman started unsure, "you see Marcos…" she trailed off and turned to Dr. Stewart but he was just as lost.
Barry put the boy down and knelt down, he lowered himself and whispered something into his ear.
The little boy's eyes went wide in surprise then he brought his hands to his mouth and nodded.
"You got it Superman!" he gave Superman a thumbs up and looked at Caitlin with a mischievous smile. Like there was a secret only he knew.
{-}
Barry finished changing back into his suit and was adjusting his tie. As he looked at himself in the mirror a small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He still had his Superman hairstyle intact. He finger combed his bangs to the side, and remembered fondly the happiness Marcos had received him with while he was in costume.
Children, they could be so innocent and unflinchingly believe ability to believe in the impossible was enviable to Barry. It was something he had lost long ago, but today had been different. Just a year ago he would not be caught dead doing something so ridiculous. Yet here he was, and he didn't regret a second of it.
He stepped out of the men's room, now dressed as his usual self, only to cross paths with a face he hadn't seen in years.
"Iris…"
The woman in question looked at him in surprise, "Barry?"
"It's been a while."
"Time flies," she said with a hesitant smile, "are you here to visit someone?"
"Actually —"
"Barry you're not going to believe what —" Caitlin stopped as she eyed the pair. There was tension in the air between Barry and this beautiful woman. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"
"No, not really," Iris said. "My name is Iris," she extended her hand.
"Hello, I'm Caitlin," the auburn haired woman shook the hand and gave Barry a brief glance.
"I just stumbled upon this guy," Iris began with an easy smile, "Barry and I met in college. Are you a former classmate too?"
Caitlin could answer that question easily and honestly, however, despite Barry's calmness, there was something else there that she couldn't decipher just yet. She shook her head instead, "Not exactly."
"Iris," Barry took the lead, "Caitlin is my —"
"Personal assistant," Caitlin finished. "I'm Barry's personal assistant."
Barry furrowed his brows, what was this woman doing?
"And, I'm going to excuse myself," Caitlin said with a smile while waving away.
"She seems nice," Iris said out of nowhere. "Maybe we can catch up some other time?" she asked.
The CEO nodded, but left in the same direction his "personal assistant" had taken.
{-}
The drive back home was silent, and uncomfortable. Everything was going great, the costume, the visit, even all that came before that. Yet for the life of him, Barry didn't understand why Caitlin would say that to Iris. Why would she deny their relationship? Was there something he wasn't seeing?
"Thank you," he heard Caitlin say from the passenger's seat. "It meant a lot to Marcos, and it meant a lot to me," she said sincerely.
Somehow hearing her voice brought him a bit of relief, "It's not that big of a deal."
Caitlin suppressed a smile at his words, "Maybe to some people. To me, and definitely to Marcos, it was a big deal."
"Just don't tell Cisco. I won't hear the end of it otherwise," he said trying to lighten the air, but his joke only garnered a forced smile on Caitlin's side.
She didn't say anything for the rest of the ride.
They got out of the car in silence and once they walked inside Barry couldn't stand the tension any longer.
"Hey Cait."
She turned around waiting for him to continue.
"Is something wrong?" he asked tentatively. He didn't want to ask if he had done something wrong. Frankly, he didn't see what or how.
She looked a bit confused, "No. Should there be something wrong?" she asked instead.
He wasn't going to play this game, "I think we are above this push and pull," he looked at her intently, "why did you tell Iris you were my personal assistant?"
"Ah," Caitlin nodded, "that."
"We both know that isn't true."
Caitlin took a seat in the living room and Barry followed, "Can I be completely honest with you?"
"I wouldn't expect anything else."
She took a deep breath, "I kind of got the feeling you didn't want her to know."
"What?" It took all of his effort to not pronounce that in a high pitch of disbelief.
"I feel like there is something unresolved. The air was tense, maybe I'm reading too much into things, but that's what I gathered from the interaction."
"Caitlin you were only there for like a minute, how did you come up with all of this?"
"Emotional intelligence?" she said with a shrug, "Was I wrong?"
He opened his mouth to refute her words, but quickly closed it. The worst part of this was that she wasn't completely wrong.
She gave him a resigned smile, "Barry, you and I had lives before entering into this agreement. I'm not naive enough to believe there wasn't at least one woman in your life before me."
"That was years ago."
"You don't have to explain anything to me," What right did she have to ask for any explanations? It's not like they were a real couple. "It's your life."
She stood up and was walking right by Barry when she heard him speak.
"You weren't this understanding when we were discussing my mom," he said.
She cringed. "They are two completely different situations," she said defensively.
He stood up and they engaged in an intense staring match.
"Are they? They are both related to my life," he said a bit on edge, "Clearly I didn't want to talk about my mother, and you kept pushing," he continued, "now I actually want to talk to you about Iris. Which apparently, you have some sort of problem with."
"I don—"
"—And you don't want me to 'explain' anything?"
"Barry I…"
She stopped and remained silent but didn't budge against his intense green orbs.
What was happening? This was supposed to be a great day. A happy day. Things had been beyond perfect. Then why were they arguing? What were they even arguing about?
A realization dawned on Caitlin and her eyes softened. Barry noticed and his gaze also lost some of it's flare.
"You know what?" she began, "Today is our last vacation day, how about we do something fun instead?"
Barry raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want to do?" They had already done a lot of the things she wanted to do, it was only fair he had some fun.
So who even won this pseudo-argument? Was his question. "It's already eight, not sure there is a whole lot we can do,"
"Nonsense," she looked around, "I think there's a lot we can do," but before anything else she had to get something out of the way, "Uhm, if you want to talk about it, we can do that too," she said, "about Iris I mean."
He smirked and instead answered, "I think a movie night is in order."
He must've said the right thing because Caitlin grinned but quickly regained her composure, "You know we are going to regret this tomorrow morning, right?"
He shrugged, "I'm the CEO, it's not like anyone will tell me anything for being late."
She rolled her eyes, "Oh almighty one," she mocked, "yeah, not all of us are that fortunate."
"I doubt anyone will tell the wife of the CEO anything either," he said casually.
Caitlin cleared her throat, "Some of us don't abuse that power."
"Sure," Barry said dismissively. "Speaking of abuse of power, the popcorn ain't gonna make itself."
{x}
Thank you so much for your amazing support for this story!
A special thanks to the reviewers of the last chapter: Rosewellostcause, John Robinson, & Shyesplease [heart!]
