Barry watched Oliver as he shuffled through the crowd, not making eye contact with anyone as he maneuvered his way to the door. He couldn't help but allow guilt to set in. He knew he could not blame himself for Oliver's actions. His feelings were evident yet Barry still managed to force this wedding onto him.
He started to chase after Oliver but Iris held him back. The attention had went away from the couple as guests started to venture and socialize amongst themselves again. She pulled Barry aside and away from the large crowd of people.
"You cannot leave this room, Barry." Iris told him stately. "These are our guests."
Barry shook his head. "I just need to check on, Ollie. Make sure he's okay."
"Can you focus on this wedding for once this week?" Iris started. "If he doesn't want to be here, that's his problem. Not ours."
"I'll be there and back in under five," Barry assures her.
Iris sighs. "We are having a conversation about this tonight."
Barry acknowledges her request with a smile before running off to catch up with Oliver. He saw him walking towards their rental car, his head down with his hands resting in his pockets.
"Ollie!" Barry yells, catching his attention.
He stops in his tracks, not looking back at Barry. "Why can't you just let me brood alone?"
"I wouldn't be a good friend if I did, now would I?" Barry retorts as he approached Oliver's backside.
Oliver turned to him and smiled. "That's debatable."
"Are you alright?" Barry asks with concern.
"I just needed to get out of there." Oliver tells him. "I can only take so much."
"Ollie. . ."
Oliver puts his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Barry. This is what you deserve. I'll be alright."
"Oliver-"
"I'll see you in the morning." Oliver says with a grin before walking away. Barry tried to get his attention but he continued to walk in the opposite direction. He got into the vehicle and drove off, leaving Barry alone on the sidewalk. He watched him as he went farther and farther from him, nearly symbolizing the trajectory of their relationship at the moment.
He had so much he wanted to say. He had so many words that remained trapped in his mind, begging to come out. They were screaming at him, tearing at his heart. Yet he couldn't speak them. They would only complicate things.
Oliver would not accept them either. He would continue to push. He wouldn't listen to his pleas for him to understand how he felt. He insisted this marriage more than Barry himself. And that made no sense to him.
He walked back into the restaurant, putting a facade on for his guests that displayed contentment. Yet every feeling inside of him remained the opposite. He longed to speak with Oliver. To see Oliver. Yet, he was nowhere in sight. Instead, he had to continually talk about his life and the new life he was about to begin with Iris.
His mind continued to be on one thing, one person. As it had been for the past twenty four hours. Things got complicated quickly. Suddenly new feelings were thrown into the picture. But in the midst of the complications, everything became abundantly clear for Barry as well.
It was Oliver. It was always Oliver. Every doubt, every fear, every second guess Barry felt about the wedding stemmed from his feelings about Oliver. It all made sense now. But there was nothing that he could do about it. He just allowed the thoughts to consume him and eat away at his sanity.
The last guest walked out the door, leaving Iris and Barry alone. His face immediately lost the artificial smile and sunk into a look of emptiness. He felt it as well. As soon as the guest was out of sight, Iris grabbed her things and walked out. Not saying a word to Barry. Just giving him a look of disdain as she walked past him.
He sighs as he slowly walks behind her, giving curtesy waves to the employees of the restaurant as he left. He follows her out the door, nearly running into her as she abruptly stops on the sidewalk.
"Oh right," Iris states angrily. "We don't have the rental because you decided to let Oliver drive it. Without even talking to me."
"He didn't have a way around town. . ."
"He can fucking walk!"
Barry picks Iris up off her feet and runs her back to the loft. As he sets her down beside the entrance door, he grabs his keys to unlock it. "And I can fucking run."
"What has been your problem?" Iris continues to yell. "Ever since Oliver came into town, it seems like all of your attention has been on him."
"He's dealing with a lot." Barry replies sternly. "I'm just trying to be there for him."
Iris clenches her fist in the air. "We are getting married in less than twelve hours, Barry! I need you!"
"Why are you so worked up about Oliver?"
"I saw how he looked at you." Iris began, tears slowing building up in her eyes. "I saw. And I saw how you looked at him.
And I know you better than anyone. I know how you look at someone when you love them."
"Iris, where did you-"
"You were with him last night. Weren't you?"
"What do you mean?" Barry asked, faking oblivion.
Tears begin to fall down Iris' cheeks, making Barry feel worse than he already did. "Don't you dare lie to me, Barry Allen."
Barry looked at the ground below him. "I've been having doubts, Iris. Doubts about this. Doubts l about us." As Barry spoke, he watched Iris' entire demeanor become one of distress. Her shoulders were sulking, her eyes had dimmed. It tore at his core and he felt as if he should quit talking. But she deserved to know. She deserved better than to be fronted falsely. "I never could understand where they were coming from. Because I love you. I've always known that.
But there was a moment last night," he continued. "I looked at Oliver and suddenly everything made sense. I couldn't deny the feeling. So I kissed him." He took a deep breath and brought his attention to the ground. "And it went on from there."
Iris covered her mouth with her hand, trying to repress the sobs trying to leave her system. "Barry."
"I'm so sorry, Iris." Barry began, choking on his words. "I never wanted to hurt you."
Iris removed her hand from her mouth and took Barry's hands, clasping them tightly. She speaks through tears. "You're my best friend. First and foremost. I want you to always be honest with me."
"I will always be honest with you." Barry says, trying to hold back tears.
Iris sighs. "Do you still want this? Do you want me?"
"I love you." Barry tells her. "But-"
Iris begins to cry again. She shakes her head. "But I'm not him."
"That's not what I meant." Barry tells her. "These feelings are all so new to me. I don't know what to do with them."
Iris places her hands on his cheeks, muscling up a smile as she begins to speak. "You owe it to yourself to see what you have with Oliver." She squeezes Barry's fingers and pulls them to her chest, forcing a smile. "You need to allow yourself to try."
"Iris. . ."
"I want you happy, Bear." Iris speaks through tears. "That's all I want."
Barry takes a hold of her head and lightly kisses the top of it. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you."
"You would've hurt me far worse had you married me, full well knowing your feelings for him." Iris assured him.
Barry smiles at her. "I love you."
"I love you too." Iris says with a smile. "And by the way, since when were you into men?"
"I've always had a thing for men honestly." Barry replies with a shrug of the shoulders. "But it wasn't until Oliver that it felt real and genuine."
Iris kisses his cheek softly. "Then go get him."
The pain was evident in her expressions and tone. Yet her sincerity was prominent. She truly wanted Barry to go after Oliver. It was obvious. Even though it signified the end of their relationship and the cancelling of their wedding, she pushed Barry to fight for what he wanted instead of settling for her. It was a true act of selflessness.
Barry began to run to Oliver's hotel, his heart racing. Doubt came over him. Fear followed. All he longed for was Oliver to accept his own feelings as well as Barry's. Oliver, being the stubborn man he was, may not be easily convinced.
He dashed through the lobby, up the stairs. No one noticed. He hesitated before knocking on his door. As he did, he felt as if he had stopped breathing. He spoke as he knocked. "It's Barry."
Oliver opened the door with a look of disbelief. "You really can't leave me alone, can you?"
Barry walked in and shut the door immediately. He pulled Oliver in for an embrace, holding him tighter than he ever had. "I will never leave you alone, Ollie."
"What's this for, Barry?" Oliver asks while hugging him back.
"This is for you." Barry begins, continuing to keep his arms around him. "This is me, holding close to you." He embraces him tighter, getting choked up as he continues to speak. "Because I care about you. So fucking much."
He stops and takes a breath. "So much that I told Iris."
Oliver pulls away, looking at Barry in shock. "You what?"
"I told her," Barry began. "I told her how every time I look at you, suddenly everything makes sense. My doubts, my worries, my fears, they disappear. You make sense to me, Oliver.
This makes sense."
Oliver laughs in awe, as he slightly chokes up. He grabs Barry's face and begins to speak softly. "Are you sure?"
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life." Barry says with a smile. "I want this. I want you."
"You've got me." Oliver whispers, pulling Barry's head towards his and presses his lips against Barry's.
For the first time, Barry stood in this moment with Oliver in serenity. No feelings of guilt or hesitation filled his mind. All he felt were the emotions to be expected. With every passing second, he fell deeper into a trance. The world around them felt as if it had stopped. There were no distractions. No barriers between them. Just the two of them, reminding each other the love and admiration they shared with one another.
They had never felt so free. So themselves. In this moment, they realized that these feelings were the ones that didn't just last for a brief moment. These were the ones that could last them a lifetime.