Even in Death (#Wattys2015)

Trust

Author's Note: in the panel you will find a picture of Becca Carter who plays Bailey. The next few chapters will show the rest of the cast so you can get a feel for how I picture them! :) thanks for reading!
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"Just spit it out, Bailey. How. Do. You. Know!?" I balled my fists up at my sides and took a deep breath. I should've known better than to trust some random person I had just met.

"Your brother stopped me coming out of the store that day. He saw us talking. He asked me who the hell I was and gave me a little background. I think he was trying to scare me away..."

I sighed my relief immediately. This was very typical overprotective big brother Hunter behavior. "I'm sorry. For my brother, for me freaking out, I'm sorry."

I noticed that the air around me was still very chilly, but I couldn't see, feel, or hear Carson. Bailey smiled at me and scooted against me, grabbing my hand. "It's okay. There's something about you, Willow. Your hair, your smile, and my goodness those eyes. But you also have a lot of fight in you. I can see sadness when I look at you, but I also see a determination to get past it."

Just then Carson decided to make her presence known. She was standing behind Bailey, rolling her eyes. "She's....full of....shit....don't buy it....baby..."

I jumped slightly and Bailey tilted her head with concern. She asked me what was wrong as Carson wrapped her arms around me and I jumped more.

"Don't.....tell her....nobody will.....understand...." And just like that the temperature in the room returned to normal, but for some reason I couldn't shake the feeling of Carson's arms wrapped around me.

"If I tell you, you'll think I'm crazy. I don't want you to think I'm crazy."

Bailey chuckled and my heart melted a little bit. I can't figure out what it is, but she just captivates me. "Willow, tell me. You can tell me anything. I can see that you don't trust me yet, and that's okay darlin'. I'm gonna prove that you can."

I took a deep, shaky breath and released it in a huff of hot air. "Okay, well...what did Hunter tell you?"

"He just told me you lost your girlfriend in an accident and it was the first time he had seen anybody get you to talk since the accident happened. He said you were with her when..." Her voice trailed off quietly, leaving me to remember that night.

"Okay. So, Carson surprised me with this," I pull the engagement ring from my neck and tug it into the light.

"I never felt more alive than when I was with her. It was a breeze. After she proposed, she had another surprise for me. She took me out to the place we first met, and had a lot of firsts in our relationship. We drove to the lake and spent the night dancing and kissing and just celebrating the fact that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. After a few hours we left to go back to my place, and she asked for a kiss, and suddenly..." I had been crying, but now full-fledged sobs were crippling my speech. I tried taking deep breaths, but it just made things worse. Bailey grabbed my hand tenderly and squeezed. I looked up at her and she had the most genuine look on her face, her eyes full of concern.

I took a moment and then continued. "The impact was so quick. I maybe blacked out for a minute or two, but the first thing I remember doing is screaming her name and reaching for her hand. But I couldn't find it. The next thing I know I'm waking up in the hospital and my brother is telling me she was flung from the car and died on impact when we were hit. Less than four hours after we got engaged some stupid, drunk idiots just killed her!" Angry tears were now making their way down my face.

"It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that she was gone. My wardrobe somehow faded to nothing but black everything, and the only friends I had left was my family. The day I met you, Hunter had coaxed me out of the house with shopping. I had a great day. I was starting to feel more like myself. I met you, and you definitely left me curious, because nobody has ever rendered me entirely speechless before. But when you left, I turned and boom: Carson."

I paused to let Bailey process what I said. She still had a sweetly sturdy grip on my hand. Her eyebrows scrunched together and I couldn't help but giggle a little bit because she looked utterly cute and confused.

"Go on, darlin'."

I looked down at my lap and silently cursed myself for having a spazz attack. "I know I sound crazy, Bailey. But you have to believe me. She just started showing up everywhere. I can tell when she's around me. I get really cold and then I'll either see her face, or feel her touch me, or hear her. She left me a note in a book...and it scares me. She wrote me a song for the night we got engaged, and it was called 'Even in Death'. And the note she left me was a reminder that she wouldn't leave me...I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm finally learning to move on and now she's all I see and hear and feel and I can't do it anymore."

Bailey looked at me for what felt like an eternity with an inexpressive look on her face. After three long minutes - I counted - she gripped my shoulders and gently tousled me.

"Willow, I believe you, darlin'."

I closed my lips in on hers and pressed myself against her and whispered "thank you."

We made out for a few minutes and I looked at my phone and noticed the time. It was 6:37, which meant my parents were both up and would soon notice I was missing. Bailey noticed me nervously glancing at my phone and patted my back gently.

"Let's get you home, gorgeous."