Of Reverse Love And Stuff

Good news, bad news

Eobard had a big smile on his face when his eyes fell on her in the middle of the crowded bar, and before she could say anything, he closed the gap between them and kissed her gently, clearly taking his time and enjoying every moment of their reunion. He was in a good mood, better than he usually was in when they met for their monthly dates, and Nina suddenly felt guilty for what she was about to do tonight.

“It’s gonna be cruel, I know that, but it has to be done tonight. I can’t waste more time,” Harrison had told her on the phone earlier that day, seconds after he warned her about Eobard’s expected arrival in the afternoon.

So she was now sitting across from him in a secluded booth, nursing a cocktail that was too bright for her current mood, but since his boyfriend decided to pick her favorite, she didn’t complain, only flashed a thankful smile at him. Her foot was tapping furiously from the nervousness that took over her system, and it was hard to pay attention to the small talk he began with.

She knew he had something important to say, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it could be. His bright smile and generally happy attitude made her curious, which is exactly why she put her feelings aside for a second to focus on him. Nina reached out to put her hand on his and she even flashed a smile at him when he looked at her.

“Why don’t you tell me what got you this excited?” she asked him.

“I found him. I found out what time period the Flash is from,” Eobard replied with an incredulous laugh. “After all those trips, I finally found out, and you know what? I found him only a few years from now.”

That was good news. He had been trying to pinpoint his enemy’s location in the timeline for a while now, but knowing he finally succeeded made her proud. “Congratulations, I guess. What now?”

He intertwined his fingers with hers as he thought about the answer. “I need to find out who’s behind the mask. That’s gonna be a tough one,” he admitted, but she could tell he kept the second half of the sentence to himself so he wouldn’t sound too arrogant.

Nina let out a short laugh at this. “You’ll figure it out. If anyone, you can do it,” she told him with a reassuring smile.

“I know we can’t meet as often as we should, but I’m trying. When I travel in time, getting home is usually the tricky part, but I do my best to keep this relationship alive,” he told her, though she couldn’t really understand what it was all about. Eobard only stopped for a second to raise her hand he was holding and place a soft kiss on it. “I love you, Nina. I know you love me, I will never forget that, and I want you to know that I’ll always be there for you.”

It was strange. Eobard wasn’t the emotional type, something must have happened that made him say things like this. “What’s gotten into you?” she asked with a chuckle.

Eobard leaned back into his seat with a satisfied smirk on his face. “Nothing, I’m just in a good mood. Is it a crime?” She shook her head with a smile as she did the same. “I missed you, darling. I always miss you, especially when I go home alone,” he explained, his words only leaving more question marks behind.

“Then don’t go,” Nina said out of nowhere, going against everything Harrison had told her. She was supposed to break up seemingly, not ask him to stay with her.

“You know I can’t stay.”

It hurt her. Sure, she had his older version all to herself now, but that wasn’t the same. She wanted this version of Eobard, her boyfriend, the man who had saved her life a few months ago. She wanted to be selfish, a part of her wanted to ask for more of his time despite knowing full well he was busy trying to identify his greatest enemy.

Her phone buzzed on the table and she took a quick glance at the phone. It was a message from Harrison, he wanted to know if she had told him the news. With a groan, she turned off the screen and returned her attention to her boyfriend. But Eobard wasn’t stupid, he knew something was up.

He watched her with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds, but when he realized she wasn’t about to tell him, he leaned closer to ask, “Nina, what’s going on?”

“I need to tell you something,” she began hesitantly, having no idea where to begin. “We… I can’t be with you. Not publicly, I mean,” she quickly corrected herself when she saw the look on his face.

“What do you mean by we can’t be together publicly?” he asked, the anger in his voice easily detectable by now.

“You–an older version of you–told me I officially have to be with Harrison, not you. I’m just doing what you told me,” Nina added nervously.

Eobard took a deep breath then exhaled slowly as he thought about what to say next. It was clear he was mad, probably planning his escape from her by now, but he behaved because he wanted to know more. “Why would I believe that?” he asked.

“You told me that’s how you would react. You said something like you should trust me because I’m not Rose. Whatever that means,” she added.

He licked his lips as his hazel eyes were fixed on her. “Let me get this straight. My older version wants you to break up with me so you could date Wells? What’s in it for me?”

Nina shrugged. She wasn’t allowed to say more than this. “I have no idea. But I’m apparently allowed to see you in secret,” she pointed out.

The air was heavy with tension and she didn’t know what else to say. By now she knew how hot headed he could be, and hearing this must have been hard for his ego. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would jump out of his ribcage as she waited for him to finally say something.

But he only shook his head and stormed out of the bar without saying anything. Nina let her forehead hit the table with a loud thud once he was gone, and it was a tough battle to fight back her tears. Her phone buzzed again. And again. It drew a groan out of her as she reached for the device and looked at the notifications.

Harrison was losing his patience at home. She sent him a text to calm him down, saying she would stop by later to tell him about this meeting, but he insisted on meeting her as soon as possible. So she collected her jacket and bag, then went outside to call a taxi. After the conversation with Eobard, the last thing she wanted was facing his other version.

Once she got out of the car in front of his house, she had to take a deep breath to convince herself to go inside. “I can do this,” she said to herself.

Harrison let her in through the gate without a question, and already waited for her at the front door with his arms folded over his chest. Nina stopped a few feet away from him, keeping a comfortable distance for now. The disappointment could be seen on his face, but there was something else too, something she couldn’t quite decode yet.

“How did it go?” he asked her softly.

“What do you think?” she snapped, surprising him with the reaction. “He just left. I don’t know where he went, for a moment I even thought of the possibility of him coming here to punch you or something.”

Silence fell between them but she wasn’t worried about it. For the first time since she had known him, silence felt nice. But then he ruined it by opening his arms and taking a step closer to her. “Come here, sweetheart.”

“You fucked everything up, Harrison. What if I never see him again?” she asked him worriedly, fighting back her tears for the second time in a matter of hours.

“You will. He loves you, Nina, he will always come back to you,” he assured her as he pulled her into a hug, but she couldn’t believe him. “Trust me, he’ll return. He just needs to calm down a bit first.”