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

Chapter 29 ~ Time Changes Everything For Her

August 2013

Bailey’s P.O.V.

Whispers followed me as I walked passed all my coworkers to my desk. Between my drunken clubbing night and now, they’d all found out because apparently the guy I hooked up with was one of the girl’s brother. So now the entire office thought I was a slut.

Heather gave me a dirty look as she passed me, not forgetting to bump me hard so I stumbled in my heels. I took a deep breath and hitched my bag farther up my shoulder and continued until I got to my desk.

I set up my laptop and powered it on. I had gotten more work in the last month or so. Now, I was cataloguing things and doing research on our competition as well as all my stupid duties I had before. It was ridiculous. I knew I had been quite clear when I had been interviewed that I wanted to be in photography so I wasn’t sure why I had only been to that department to relay messages.

I had talked to my boss on a few occasions asking about photography.

“There is a policy about transferring departments when you’ve been working here less than two years,” I always heard. “It could take up to a year to move you there, maybe even more.” So I stayed put, hoping that maybe I would be surprised one day and end up moving.

I had my laptop set up to just sign straight into my account, so I was surprised when it took me to the main screen where I had multiple account logins. Mum had used my laptop before so there was her account, mine of course, and one for Niall. When was the last time Niall had been on my laptop? Probably before he’d gotten his when we were 16.

I clicked his profile and typed in his password that I remembered for whatever reason. I smiled as I saw his background. It was a collage of the day we’d gone to the lake with our families. There was one of us holding hands jumping in the water from the dock, one of us sitting at the table, grins on our faces with nearly empty plates of food, one of him covering his head with his arms as I reached out to hit him and one that was my favorite. It was taken right as we got there. It was right around the time when I began to dress as a hipster so I’m in ripped and studded highwaisted shorts with a white tank top that says “Wild Kisses” tucked into it and tribal print flip-flops. My hair is in its natural waves and I’m wearing my Aviators. Niall’s in a regular pair of shorts with a navy t-shirt and his Aviators as well. His arm is around my waist and mine is across his shoulders. The lake is behind us and the sun is sending rays at the camera and giving the picture a really cool effect.

I smile at the memory. That was right before he went to X Factor bootcamp and was formed in One Direction. It was one of the best days of my life.

I opened his picture files and scrolled through his albums. BAILEY! :D one read. It had over 1000 pictures in it, understandable considering how long we’d been best friends. I scrolled through quickly and looked at the best ones. I watched us grow up and I watched us go from a little boy and girl to a man and woman. We were always by each other’s side then and now…we were half a world apart.

The reality came crashing down. For those 2 hours I spent looking at pictures, everything felt like it was back at the beginning. Like we were back to our old friendship. But now, now everything was back to where life just sucked. I was back to feeling so miserable without my best friend and feeling like nothing was ever going to make me happy.

I logged out of Niall’s account so I could actually begin to do work, but as soon as I got home that night, Marley sat on my lap as I looked through all these pictures. I laughed at the stupid ones and at all the memories. It felt like Niall was back and that was what I wanted.

I was starting to get butterflies every time I scanned the picture and I saw his face. Probably because I hadn’t seen him in person in so long. I had a seemingly perpetual smile on my face and I was laughing whether I wanted to or not.