Cold to the Touch

Chapter Two

(Barry's POV)

I got home within seconds. I hesitated before I unlocked the door to our loft. I knew Iris was going to be upset with me but I was starting to care less and less the more she got upset with me. I know how that made me sound, but it felt like I couldn't do anything right anymore with how she reacted to everything.

When I finally unlocked the door and walked inside, Nora was curled up on the couch, writing in her journal. She looked tired and upset. I felt bad for her, this had been her default mood since she came to live with us. Iris hadn't been the most accommodating.

"Nora?" I called out softly. She jumped a bit, looking up at me. She must not have heard me come in.

"Hey, dad." She smiled up at me. I was still getting used to being called dad, to being a father in general. I noticed that I was slowly starting to love being her parent though. Being a dad, having a family, it was something I had always wanted. To know that I finally had this in the future was something to look forward to.

"You okay?" I walked around the couch and took a seat beside her. She looked up at me and then slowly closed her journal and set it on the coffee table.

"Not really. There are a lot of things I can't share with you because it'll mess up the timeline. I've already done enough of that." Nora sighed and hesitantly leaned toward me. I pulled her in the rest of the way, softly rubbing her back. She seemed to need comfort and I was willing to provide. I was her father after all.

"Is there any way that you can talk to me about things without letting on to too much? You need to get this off your chest, I can tell." I heard her sniffle but didn't mention it. She clearly needed to let this out.

"I left because I found something out. I wasn't happy about it. I blamed you and it wasn't even your fault. I went for a run, just to blow off some steam and accidentally ran back in time. I have been here since." She explained. "I just want to let you know that when your feelings start to change, and you'll understand when it starts happening, that it's okay and not to stop yourself from feeling that way."

"Okay?" I said, looking down at her, all curled up in my arms. I was confused but I let it slide for now. What she said made no sense, but as she had said, I would know when it started happening.

"Don't feel guilty about it either." She said firmly. "I understand things now."

I nodded even though I knew Nora couldn't see it. I maneuvered us until we could both lay comfortably on the couch. I held her close as we fell asleep, hoping that she would feel better the next day.

I woke up the next morning to my phone buzzing against my leg. Nora was still asleep against my chest so I carefully reached into my pocket to grab it, pulling it out to check who was texting me this early

Caity Frost//8:07am: I'm so sorry she made you come over last night, everything was perfectly fine.