Barry Allen

I sat down on my bed in my room before opening the gift from Clarity. But when I saw that there was another box inside the box, I was confused. On top of the second box was a note folded up plenty of times.

Barry,

So obviously we fought. I realized how much I had hurt you, and I didn't mean to. There is a reason for me forcing you to tell Iris and breaking up with you. I doubted your feelings for me because my heart has been broken for a while now. More like shattered, actually. You know the story of Will and the baby I was supposed to have. What you don't know is how broken I was after I woke up from the coma and found out that Will was gone.

I had discovered my speed the day I woke up. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the chemicals and matter in the Particle Accelerator had given me super speed. But it also didn't take a genius to figure out the the thing that gave me powers, also took two of the most important things away from me. I had tried getting rid of my speed. I created serums and ran often, pushing myself past the limit. I was trying anything and everything to get rid of the thing that killed the love of my life. It ended up being a distraction. When I had realized that I couldn't escape the speed, I decided to embrace it. I used it to help people and keep them from suffering the losses that I did.

Even after I found you again, my heart was never whole or completely put back together. I know this sounds cheesy and pointless, but you were the one picking up the pieces of my heart. But what I hadn't realized for a while was that you were picking up the pieces and gluing them back together while trying to steal someone else's heart. It was a one sided relationship. But one person brought it to my attention that maybe you do actually love me and I just can't see it because I'm still blinded by the loss of my old life back in Florida.

As I write this with super speed while Iris is walking down the stairs and I'm acting like I didn't just pour my heart out to her, I hope that you were not thinking about her. And I know that what I'm about to say probably won't happen because I've been such a bitch lately, but there's something I want to ask you...

Give me another shot?

When I unwrapped the other box inside the box I was greeted with the sight of a silver locket. One that I recognized from 14 years ago. It was a locket I had given her for her birthday before she left for Florida. I opened the locket and saw that the picture of Iris, Clarity, and I had been replaced with two pictures. There were three total pictures in it, all crushed together. I took out the three and looked at them. The oldest was of Iris, Clarity, and I. The next one was of Clarity and a man. His nametag read Will Park. Clarity had started to show as pregnant. But the newest one was a picture of her and I on our first date since she had returned to Central City. I didn't realize that she still had the locket. To be honest I had completely forgotten about it until now. I went to reach for my phone to text her when I saw the time. It was past midnight. She was probably already asleep.

I walked into STAR Labs the next morning and realized that I was the only one there. It was around six in the morning, the earliest I've ever been. So for half an hour I waited until Clarity sped in. No one else was there yet, and Clarity usually like to run on the treadmill made for us for about an hour. "Barry," she said in surprise, phone in hand. "Why are you here so early?" She had mentioned that she was normally alone when running, but what she hadn't mentioned was her attire. She was in shorts and a sports bra, a backpack hanging over her shoulder that contained her clothes.

"I came to talk to you," I replied, trying to keep my gaze on her face. She quickly threw on a jacket, noticing my reactions.

"Sorry about that. I forgot that you haven't seen me in anything less than tank top," she told me awkwardly. I nodded. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Um, your note." She frowned slightly.

"Oh." She sounded disappointed. Almost like I wouldn't say yes.

"Wait. What do you think I'm going to say?" She shrugged.

"I mean you confessed to Iris. I figured you wouldn't like me anymore," she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. I sucked in a deep breath before walking towards her and planting my lips on hers. She kissed me back and it was like sparks flying.

"My answer is yes. I'll take you back. I always will," I whispered. She grinned and kissed me again before her gaze fell on the treadmill. "I'll let you do your morning run." She smiled gratefully at me before walking over to the treadmill. I watched as she started out in a jog before speeding up. Next thing I knew I was only staring at a blonde and purple blur. I had never really watched a speedster run in interest. It was only to keep up with them or chase after them. I studied what the lightning looked like, and how I could just make out a person in the blur.