Letters Not Sent, Voices Not Heard {A One Direction Fan Fiction}

Chapter 15 ~ The Girl's Fresh Start

January 2013

Bailey’s P.O.V.

“Bailey, can I see you for a moment?” I heard my boss say from the doorway to her office.

“Yes ma’am,” I said standing up and straightening my blouse and jacket. I couldn’t wear what I wanted anymore. It was winter, which for me usually meant printed skinny jeans, t-shirt, jacket, and combat or riding boots. Now, I was wearing professional black slacks, white blouse, and black jacket with black heels. The second I walked in on my first day, which was last week, wearing dark denim heeled boots, and a nice shirt, they said I had to change what I was wearing. Which sucked since I wanted to look like a hipster.

“Have a seat,” Mariann said as I entered.

I sat in the chair that was in front of her enormous wooden desk. It was covered in papers, post-it notes, Starbucks cups, and her make-up as she touched up.

“OK I have something for you to do,” she said.

I straightened up, sitting with my back straight to look even more professional.

“I need you to go down the street and grab something for lunch for everyone,” she finished. “I have a list somewhere around here.”

She began rifling through papers as my heart sank. I had been expecting to come here and do work relating to the magazine so I could grow in my knowledge of the industry. I knew that was the first step to becoming successful. But I had come here now I was just an assistant. I got lunch, coffee, copied papers from time to time and took the finished magazines to the loading truck so the glossy pages could be delivered to stores and sent to teenagers’ homes. I wasn’t doing anything that would help me in this industry. I didn’t even know where they actually took pictures for the magazine.

“Ah here,” Mariann found what she was looking for. “Just use the company credit card. And pick up something for yourself too.”

“Will do,” I smiled before I stood up.

“Are you grabbing lunch?” Heather asked as I began to walk to the door.

I nodded, hoping she’d offer to help me.

“Can you make sure mine doesn’t have bread in it? I’m on a gluten-free diet,” she requested.

“Sure,” I smiled stiffly before leaving. Heather was a size 2 and I was here in my size 4, why is she on a diet?

I walked down the street to the lunch bar. They basically had small lunches packed in plastic cases that were perfect for any business that needed lunch for a lot of people. I checked my list that had the things every girl hated or was allergic to. This was ridiculous. Wait until I told Niall this was what I was doing.

Niall.

Somehow, everything that happened while I was in New York brought me back to him. I would see something in a store, or something on the street, and I would think “Oh I have to take a picture for Niall,” before I would remember.

Niall had been the most important person in my life after my mum and dad. I wanted to share my experience here with him, but I couldn’t.

I hadn’t talked to Niall since that night in his flat when he’d told me he loved me. I was so angry at him, still, even after three weeks. I couldn’t believe he had just told me and thought I could be OK with it.

I had laid in my bed for the longest time that night, reliving that minute over and over again. I had heard him come up the stairs and go to his room and then, I made the decision to leave. I couldn’t sit around for another week knowing what I knew and be OK with it. And this was Niall for crying out loud. This was my best friend, I had to share experiences with him, but I couldn’t.