Frozen Hearts

Chapter 9

[Iris]

"Well this outta be good," she exhaled as she took a seat. Barry directed a curios glance at the man who was casually sipping his cup of coffee. Iris guessed that Barry was as surprised as she was, and just as egure.
"Allen. Take a seat." Snart suggested, his voice a chillingly calm sound. The only seat available was the couch she was seated on, and he looked at her nervously. She sighed out in defeat and scooched over, giving him silent permission to sit next to her. He did so but his entire demeanour was tense, Iris was glad to see that he realised his place regarding her.
"Can we please get this over with so that I can return to nursing my maddening migraine?" she huffed, folding her arms and leaning back into her seat.
"Are...are you alright?" Barry asked, clearing his throat in between and she held her laugh in as she realised just how nervous she made him.
"I'm fine. I just want to go back home, crawl into bed and forget the world exists."
"But you stayed, which clearly means you're interested," Cecile sung and Iris tensed up for a brief second. She hated it when her aunt used her actions to judge her emotions. Why couldn't she be like normal people and wonder what things meant?
"It's not interest, it's merely curiosity," Iris lied.
"Well, enough with the chitt chatt here's the deal. Cecile and I signed you both up for the CC figure skating sectionals. As a pair."
"What?!" came Iris and Barry's collective protest before they exchanged a glance that confirmed the obserdity of what they'd just heard.
"Now, now hear us out," Cecile tried to appease her but Iris was already up and storming her way towards the door.
"Iris honey, please. Just..."
"No Aunt Cecile! You more than anyone know why I can't get on the ice. And I'd rather take my chances with a snake then skate with him. Atleast then I'd know what kinda of danger I'd be putting myself in!"
She yelled without slowing her step nor turning around. Her heart was pounding in her ears out of pure fear and frustration. Fear of the possibility of having to step onto the ice and frustration at the thought of having to do it with him. Fool her once shame on him, fool her twice...you get the picture.
She jolted in surprise when a hand wrapped around her forearm and stopped her in her tracks.
It came as a shock to Iris that even after seven years her body still had embedded in its very core the memory of his touch.
"Let go Bartholomew." she commanded and he did as he was told, taking a small step back to give her some space.
"Iris I know that they had no right to go behind our backs like that and I'm not condoning it but shouldn't we atleast hear them out?" he tried to convince her but she turned around to face him with her features set on a determined expression and her arms folded across her chest.
"Well if you're so interested in their proposition then please, by all means, go a head and listen. Have fun performing a pairs routine solo." she snapped then turned on her heel and marched on.
"Iris please! Wait!" he chased after her.
"Not gonna happen Allen!" she screamed back while picking up her pace.
"Why not?! Just answer me that. What have you got to lose?" he challenged.
"Everything!" she screamed stopping to face him.
"Everything that I've worked for, for the last seven years! Do you have any idea what I've gone through since you left?" the words catapulted out of her but she caught herself just in time to keep her dignity intact. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of relishing in her pain.
She still remembered the day she'd given up on them. The day she decided to push Bartholomew Henry Allen out of her mind for good...

[Flashback]

She turned this way and that infront of the full body mirror and had to admit to herself that she looked pretty darn good. Linda had come over and introduced her hair to a curling iron then Caitlyn had helped her with her make up. Then she sat down for half an hour and watched the two debate between a pair of black leather shorts or a pink leather mini skirt. Finally they both agreed that pink was way too sweet 16 and put together a look consisting of the winning shorts, a red loose fit crop top, a black blazer and some black high heeled sandals. She looked scandalous but then again she'd only turn 18 once so she might as well enjoy it.
"I am so glad your father and mother are out of town. Mr West would surely bam you from seeing us after this." Linda chuckled while her eyes gave Iris an approving once over glance. Iris tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. The whole "out of town" story was just that, a story. The truth was that her mother's illness had worsened. The cancer had spread to her other breast and all the doctors in Central City weren't too optimistic about her condition. Joe and Francine were in Keystone seeking a fifth opinion. They'd purposely scehcdueld the appointment to match her birthday (despite her protests) because her mother wanted Iris to have fun for the night, not worry about whether or not she was in pain.
"Are you OK hun?" Caitlyn chirped and Iris blinked fast not to ruin her make up.
"Um yeah, yeah totally. I just really can't thank you both enough for this," she said, thinking on her feet for an excuse to cover up how emotional she was.
"Awww. We love you too hot stuff," Linda teased getting up to give Iris a hug which she gratefully received. It wasn't the hug she needed, or rather from the person she needed, but it would suffice.
"I want in on all this." Caitlyn chuckled before she got up and joined the hug.

The door bell rang, interrupting their bonding moment and Iris looked out her window to confirm who it was. The car parked out front told her that Eddie, Scott and Ronnie were at the door, and not a moment too soon either. Iris was beginning to feel like it was all a huge mistake.
"Time to go!" Linda squealed, clapping her hands excitedly.
"You two go ahead I'm gonna phone my aunt and see how she's holding up with Wally." Iris said, it wasn't a complete lie she simply omitted part of the truth. The two girls agreed and left giving her a moment of privacy.
She looked down at her phone and scrolled through her messages till she found his name.

*We had to leave early this morning, sorry I couldn't say goodbye. We should really talk about last night Iris, I'll call you once I get my new phone number in London.*

And then almost as if it were an after thought he added:
*I miss you already.*

That was it. No silly joke, no heart eye emojis, no calling her by her nick name but the feature that bothered her most of all was that for the first time since they'd started that tradition he hadn't ended the message with "I love you". That was the real slap in the face. The one detail that told her that the kiss they shared meant nothing. Her suspicion was agrivated by the fact that, that was the last time she'd heard from him. He didn't even remember her birthday. A single tear slipped from her eyes and she quickly blinked the rest back, not wanting to cry over it anymore.
That chapter of her life was in the past. She was going to go out with a group of friends that loved her and a boyfriend that was drop dead gorgeous and from that day on she wouldn't think about him ever again. New age, new her.
After a quick call to check up on her aunt and brother (both were surprisingly fine) she met up with her friends and they drove into the night.

The evening was eventful, they club hopped, had their fair share of alcoholic beverages, danced till the room began to spin and in the dark and early hours of the next day she gave herself to Eddie, officialising her status as a grown woman. Part of her new that the thoughtless decision was a consequence of one too many tequila shots. But the other part of her, the part of her that insisted on hurting her with the truth, new that it was simply her trying to forget about Barry...