[ he cracks a smile. he suspects if he talks about iris, he'll end up saying her name — and though talking about iris west is something he enjoys doing very much, he's keeping in the back of his mind that he doesn't know her anymore. the iris west he loves doesn't exist, because he changed one small factor in his life that had inevitably modified hers. ]

[ it's a thought he has never given much oxygen to. he's living the dream, and he's going to ask her out — and start all over again. he doesn't tell sarissa that iris hadn't been enough for him to stay put on that porch. ]

You know, for someone who's got a lot of strength and gets thrown out of bar windows, you're kind of gooey on the inside. I promise I won't tell anyone.