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Chapter 13

Giddy. Nervous. Butterflies. That's what Iris felt as she sat at the back of the car with the file containing Barry's information on her lap. It was a new experience for her. She never felt nervous. The only time her heart beat that fast was when she was either angry or aroused. This nervousness was different. It was a form of anticipation, a need to see him. To be held by him. To have him want to hold her and never let go. To make him be as nervous as she was. The more she tried to shake it off the more she realised that she didn't have any control over it. That unsettled her further. The car stopped at a red light and she watched the hustle and bustle of the city outside the window.

Her hand subconsciously stroked the folder, as if he would somehow feel her caress wherever he was. Before she got it he was just a face with a name. Barry Allen, the green eyed hottie from the cemetery. Somehow learning more about him like where he lived, who he lived with and what his passions were made all the emotions she'd been trying to ignore real. He wasn't just a realistic fantasy anymore. On the contrary he was fantastically real. When she sat by her vanity and touched up her make up in preparation for their meeting, her grand plan was seduction. She wanted to finish what they'd started in the miniscule restroom. Her curiosity was sensory, she wanted to know what it would feel like to take him all the way. To let him explore her, inside and out. But as she sat in the car waiting for the light to turn green and drawing nearer to her destination, that plan seemed to fall out of focus. It was as if the folder were a blurb to a book she couldn't wait to read. Now her curiosity was emotional, a want to get to know him on a personal level. What made him smile? What made him tick? What was his favourite colour? What type of woman was he into? Did she fit that mould?

Those were the questions rambling through her mind.

She opened the folder for what must have been the fifth time and read through his job application form. At the very bottom was the question,
"What do you hope to achieve at S. T. A. R. Labs?"
His reply : "To discover the impossible."
She smiled as she read over it, she'd practically memorised all the information on that form but seeing it all written down made it more concrete. She was confused, a little scared that she didn't understand what she was feeling but also inexplicably happy. The light turned green and she was once again in motion. Her heart beat quickened, she was getting closer. The driver stopped outside a moderate looking building. The paint on the building was chipping and darkened by one too many rany days. The streets were packed with parked cars and the sound of children's laughter echoed through it on occasion. It wasn't a lavish neighbourhood but it was brighter and more full of life than hers. However, that was to be expected because her estate was located miles away from civilization.
The driver began to leave the vehicle so as to open her door for her but Iris stopped him,

"That's alright John, I'll get it myself, I just need a minute." She said softly and he silently complied.

Iris took a deep breath, preparing herself to go in, but her hand froze on the handle when she spotted Barry across the street walking into the building with, who she assumed was his roomate. He was smiling and his eyes sparkled with the action, making him a little more charming than she remembered. She waited for him  to go inside then sat back in the car seat and stared at the ground. For the first time in 16 years she second guessed herself. She wondered whether delivering the invitation in person was the right choice. Closing her eyes against the turmoil of emotions stirring within her, she  took deep breaths and pushed it all down. It took a lot of will power but she managed to calm her self and only then did she return her hand onto the handle of the door. With one final reassuring nod to herself she opened it and stepped out of the car.
...

"Dude, whatever drug it is that you're taking you seriously need to stop." Cisco warned as he unlocked the door to their apartment and walked inside with Barry following behind him.
The love struck scientist had a concrete smile on his face and raved about Iris all the way back to the tiny apartment.