𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕃𝕖𝕗𝕥 𝕋𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕤

Six

"Okay, Bailey, spill it! What's the deal with you avoiding me?" Chase's voice sliced through the tension of the empty parking lot, his frustration palpable.

Bailey's steps faltered as she heard his demand, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She felt the urge to flee, to escape the confrontation brewing between them, but she knew she couldn't evade Chase forever.

"Chase, we're not doing this, not right now," Bailey responded, her voice barely above a whisper, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"We're going to talk about this, Bailey! Why have you been avoiding me?" Chase's tone grew sharper, echoing off the surrounding walls.

The pressure of his insistence made Bailey's emotions churn within her, a mixture of anger, fear, and desperation bubbling to the surface.

"Chase..." Bailey began, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

"TELL ME!" Chase's voice boomed, his frustration reaching a crescendo.

Bailey's sadness morphed into a fiery rage, her pent-up frustrations exploding like a dormant volcano finally erupting.

"You want to know why I've been avoiding you?" Bailey's voice rose, her eyes flashing with intensity as she turned to face him. "You want to know why I've been avoiding you?"

"Yes!" Chase's voice echoed, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern.

"I've been avoiding you because I don't want to lose my job!" Bailey's words erupted like molten lava, searing through the air. "I don't want people to think I slept with you to get this job! I refuse to be reduced to some pit girl who's seen as nothing more than a groupie chasing after drivers like they're prey!"

Tears streamed down Bailey's cheeks, her emotions raw and unfiltered as she unleashed her pent-up frustrations.

"Do you seriously think I don't reciprocate your feelings towards me?" Bailey's voice cracked, her anger giving way to vulnerability. "Of course, I like you! But I know I can't act on it because if anyone were to find out, I'd be fired immediately! I'd rather not have you and keep my job than have you and lose everything I've worked so hard for!"

As her words hung in the air, the weight of her confession settled heavily upon them, the silence between them deafening.

Chase stood before her, stunned into silence by the raw honesty of her outburst, his own emotions swirling within him.

Bailey's chest heaved with each ragged breath as she turned away, her resolve crumbling beneath the weight of her confession. Without another word, she dashed off into the night, her tears leaving a trail in her wake.

Left alone in the empty parking lot, Chase was left to grapple with the tumult of emotions raging within him, the gravity of Bailey's words echoing in his mind like a haunting refrain.

~~~

"Hey, Stephanie. Have you seen Bailey at all today?" Chase intercepted the woman passing by him in the hallway at Hendrick Motorsports, his tone laced with concern.

"No, I haven't. I heard she took a couple of days off to go home and visit family, but I'm not sure if that's true," Stephanie responded, her brows furrowing in puzzlement before continuing down the hallway to her office.

Chase nodded in acknowledgment, a knot of worry tightening in his stomach. He needed to see Bailey, to talk things out, to set things right.

With a sense of urgency propelling him forward, Chase made his way to the parking lot, his thoughts consumed by the need to find Bailey.