Present Day
A few days had passed and Barry was sat at home watching movies in his room but his mind was stuck on Caitlin. He had no idea why but she was just there. She was usually on his mind a lot, he couldn't help it she was his best friend. But now it was more than ever before. Every time he closed his eyes to get rid of the thoughts of her, he saw her face and smile in his mind. Her beautiful face and smile. Not to mention her big brown eyes that he often found himself lost in.
When he was a little younger, when they first met, he was worried that he had some kind of... thing for her. Feelings, maybe? But he quickly moved on from that notion as soon after he began to date Iris and he had real feelings for her, at least he thought he did. Caitlin would always have a special place in his heart, she always has, but it was just platonically of course.
They were only friends but at times even he could almost see the line between friendship and... and... and more fade and blur. Sometimes they both crossed those lines and he had to admit that often it was his doing. He did not know why but it always just happened. Especially when they were alone, just getting lost in being able to talk and be himself around her always laid a pathway to... some routes that really they shouldn't be going down. Gazing into each other's eyes, holding hands, him calling her beautiful...
Beautiful.
Why had he said it so often?
She was incredibly beautiful and he would have to be blind to not see it and if he would on;y be denying it if he lied and said that she wasn't. She always had been beautiful and occasionally staring or feeling his breath catching when she entered the room couldn't mean anything. Every guy must do it, she is just beautiful, right?
He was snapped out of his trance by the sound of his text tone. He grabbed his phone from his bedside table and checked his messages. Caitlin. "Night, Bar xoxo," she wrote and he could feel heat rising to his cheeks. Wait, what? Why was he blushing? She always texted him before she went to bed with a message every day. So, why was he acting so differently today? Why had his reaction towards such a simple message changed?
He quickly sent her a short reply then sighed, placing his phone back on the table and turning off the TV before burying his face in the pillow. What the heck was going on? He turned back onto his back groaning and running his hand down his face trying to figure out what was making him... malfunction. Deep down he knew that it had everything to do with Miss Caitlin Snow. His best friend... Or... No! No, no, no there was nothing else. Just friends... Or were they...
Yes, they are just friends, of course, they are. What else would they possibly be? That's what they have always been and what they always will be and that can't change.
Deciding to go to sleep, Barry changed into his PJs and got into bed and tried to fall asleep but his mind was stuck on Caitlin. He tried to make it go away but it kept on coming back to him. She had been completely stuck in his mind for the last couple of days and had no idea why but today it had been the worse it's ever been. He had no idea what was happening inside of him but whatever it was it couldn't be good. Not when his brain was tearing his whole reality apart and turning it completely on its head. He couldn't get his best friend out of his head yet his girlfriend was all he wanted to forget.
He had relationship problems to deal with as it is and he really didn't need some kind of crazy feelings malfunction to mess with him even more. Plus, he needed Caitlin's friendship, she always knew how to comfort him and help without even trying. She was his light in the darkness and getting any kind of malfunction over her would not be good and could easily interfere and potentially ruin what they have. And he couldn't lose that, it meant too much to lose; she meant too much to lose.
After tossing and turning and mulling over and gathering his thoughts, he finally fell asleep allowing him to have the strangest of all dreams he has ever had in his life. It was like he was seeing everything that was happening but had no control of his emotions or actions. But his mind was still asking all sorts of questions about the scene unfolding in front of him.
"Hey Cait" he greeted to Caitlin who was sitting on a park bench waiting for him, early as usual. For some reason, he got butterflies when she looked and smiled at him making his heart pound in his chest. He smiled weakly and sat beside her.
"I love you, Barry," she stated, taking both his hands and gazing into his eyes and shifting closer to him so there was no space between them. He could feel his heart warming at her words and his cheeks flush crimson red. But in his mind, everything was going crazy, he had no idea what was going on. Caitlin just said she loves him. She loves him?
"I love you too, Cait," he replied and before his mind could even begin to comprehend what he had just said, things became even crazier as they both leant in and... kissed.
In his dreams, he had just kissed Caitlin Snow.
Her lips were... soft and warm and everything he had ever imagined. Wait, what!? He had never imagined kissing Caitlin... well, maybe he had once or twice. Whilst kissing Iris, he often thought of her. He always looked past it at the time but now... but now... he just didn't know. But kissing her... he had to admit that it felt amazing. He knew that it shouldn't be thinking it at all but he couldn't lie that it really did feel... just perfect.
And that was when he woke up in a cold sweat. He could almost still feel Caitlin's lips on his. He ran his hands up and down his face, rubbing his eyes then running a hand through his hair. What the hell was going on? Did he really just dream about Caitlin? Kissing her? Did he really just dream about kissing Caitlin, his best friend?
He let his head fall back down to the pillow dejectedly and groaned staring at the ceiling hoping it would hold some answers. But, of course, it didn't.
...
The next morning, Barry and Caitlin agreed to meet up and just hang out. They met up at their usual spot, the park. Barry had been trying his hardest to fix whatever was going on inside of him with his stupid feelings. He tried to push that crazy dream out of his head and convince himself that it was just some trick of his mind. He was tired and stressed. But he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. What they said. They loved each other. That kiss.
He really shouldn't be thinking about it that much and move on and pretend like nothing ever happened but he just couldn't. That one stupid dream had made his malfunction even worse and now... and now he had no idea.
"Hey Cait!" he greeted, shrugging off his nerves in order to greet her without giving away any kind of inkling to his malfunction. But somehow, for some reason, when she looked at him and smiled butterflies flew in his stomach and his heart stopped beating for a moment to take in her beauty. In his mind, he tried to play it off as just anticipation from seeing her but he knew truly that deep down it was all due to his... whatever he was calling it now.
"Hey, Bar," she replied with a wide smile. She too was feeling the butterflies. She could tell that something was off with him. He was acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. "Hey, are you alright? You look a bit flustered," she asked worriedly, taking his hand making him swallow hard as he felt heat rise to his cheeks and his heartbeat increase from her touch along with chills that shivered down his spine.
"I-er I'm fine," Barry stuttered, blushing even more as he waved his hands around in front of him trying to be at least a little convincing but he knew he had completely failed as she looked at him with an amused expression attempting to stifle a laugh that was threatening to escape her lips which were now quivering.
What was he doing? Can he not even talk to his best friend now without completely embarrassing himself? This "malfunction" was becoming worse and worse and was slowly seeping through his whole body and affecting him in every way possible. Honestly, he had no idea what it all actually meant but all his current actions had one thing in common. One common denominator. Caitlin.
He still had no real idea what it all was and what it meant let alone how to fix it. His whole world was turning and it had something to do with Caitlin. Something had triggered inside of him and it was something that he did not understand one bit. Before you can understand something you have to at least know what you are supposed to be understanding and then once you understand you can seek a solution and fix the problem.
But was this, in fact, a problem? Could it be a good thing? He still didn't know.
"Seriously, Cait I'm fine,"
"Okay... You know that you said that Ronnie Raymond likes me. Well, he asked me to the prom," Caitlin stated, changing the subject.
Something about this sentence he loathed. Ronnie had made a move on Caitlin. He knew that he had a thing for her but didn't think he would ever actually ask her out. And at this statement, he felt his heart constrict in his chest then break into a thousand tiny pieces as if she had taken a hammer and smashed it leaving it broken and dead on the floor.
There was something about this statement that made him want to cry and run away and hide in a corner. He had been replaced.
Caitlin was never his and never has been but they always hung out at prom. They never went together and Barry himself was always supposed to be with Iris but always left her to be with Caitlin and dance with her. But now Caitlin had someone of her own to dance with and it went with him.
And that broke his heart.
He didn't want to say it but he knew deep down that he was... he is... jealous.
"I said no of course. I don't like him that way and we always spend prom together... I mean not together, together, but you know..." she blushed from embarrassment restoring some hope inside of him.
She said no and now his shattered heart healed slightly, the pain and sting of her being with someone else lingering.
Not to mention how cute and adorable and beautiful she looked as she caught herself, looking all flushed and cute. Her cheeks turning crimson red and she bit on her lower lip which was a sign he knew very well. She always did it in a situation like this. He could not help but stare at her swollen lip and the way she cutely and innocently bit down on it.
It was so cute and adorable it al most hurt.
Oh God, I am...