Within Seconds // Barry Allen

Interrogator Iris

Frequent buzzing vibrated the couch cushions Parker's face was smashed into. Lazily, she swatted the air, hoping for the noise to silence. Continuous ringing from her phone brought her to. She tried to ignore it.

One more text and I'll get up...

She wasn't anywhere near returning to dreamland when her phone begged for her attention once again.

One more and then I'll get up...

Parker whimpered when her phone buzzed. In that specific spot on her couch, it felt like the planets were aligned, like everything was at peace in the world. However, the world, or whoever texted her, decided her heavenly sleep was over with.

Two separate buzzes made her cell phone shake its way closer to the edge of the couch. She reached up and grabbed it before it could pull a Sherlock Holmes and fall from the ledge.

She dragged a thin finger across the screen. Iris had sent more than twenty text messages to Parker, each of them following the same guideline. Iris demanded her attention at Jitters. According to the woman, it was urgent.

Worried, Parker wasted money on a cab. She was barely finished tying her shoes when the cab came to a stop. Hopping into the cafe, she spotted Iris, then rushed to the table.

"Why don't you look like you're dying?" panted Parker. "You called me at nine in the morning, you said it was urgent, and you look fine. Why?"

Iris cleared her throat. "Parker, we are gathered here today--"

"Iris, what is this?"

"--to discuss my best girl friend and my best boy friend."

Parker stared at Iris. The woman sat with her back as straight as a nail. Her hands were folded on the table. Her head was tilted an inch, portraying utter inscrutability. A mischievous gleam in her brown eyes matched it. Iris summoned her for one thing and one thing only.

"Oh, hell no," said Parker. "Guess who's going back to bed?"

Iris squealed. She flew around the table to hold Parker down in her seat. "No, no, please! Give me ten minutes, and then you can go."

"I don't like Barry. There's your answer."

"You don't know that! Not for sure!"

Parker wasn't able to escape Iris' hold. "Fine!" she shouted, groaning. "Fine. I'll talk about Barry for ten minutes, and then I'm gone."

Iris scurried to the opposite side of the table. She resumed her interrogation. She pulled a notepad from her purse, then demanded Parker to explain her previous relationship with Barry.

"We barely talked throughout school. When I saw him getting beat up, I stepped in. Every time I slept over your house, we excluded him," said Parker. "Uh, I don't know... When you mentioned he was still here, I wanted to see him, see how he turned out, I guess. Then, I saw him, and for some reason, I wanted to be around him more often. Couldn't tell you why."

"A second chance? You were the one who found him after he was struck by lightning. It must have been terrifying to find him almost dead. Maybe you felt the need to stick around him, " tried Iris.

"I don't have to," said Parker.

Iris nodded. "You're right."

"But it's not like we're going to get together," insisted Parker. "There's not an attraction between us."

Iris stared at Parker, squinted, then scribbled something on her paper.

"What was that? What did you write?" asked Parker.