《Dear Bailey》Part 22
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Bailey
It had been three days since I had any reception on my cell phone. I couldn't wait to get out of that campground and back to a shower and a clean bed. My dad had kept his promise to take me camping and if I was being honest, spending a few days alone with him was actually fun. We made the long drive to the campground on Friday morning. It was the first time in a long time that I could remember him actually taking a day off to be with me.
After setting up our tents, we walked down to the small lake and fished for our dinner. It was so nice to get his undivided attention. He wasn't distracted by what my sisters needed or busy doing things around the house for my stepmom. We were able to talk about my upcoming move to college. I caught the first fish, but of course the fish he caught was bigger. We took them back to camp and cooked them over the fire. It almost felt like we were doing something that should have been done a long time ago.
That night as I lay in the dark in my small tent, I was left completely alone with my thoughts. I wondered where Lucas was and what he was doing. Ever since meeting him in that airport, my thoughts tended to wonder to him often. I'd be helping wash the dishes or getting my sisters ready for bed, and I'd find myself thinking of him. That night was no different.
There were so many things we didn't know about each other, but at the same time we both knew things about each other that other people didn't. I felt my mouth smile, like it usually did when he was on my brain. His plan was working. He was becoming a friend. I was trusting him with parts of my life that I didn't even share with my close friends back home. There was something about writing to him that made me feel safe.
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I imagined him as a teenager having to care for his mother. He wasn't much older than me, but he lived through so many things already. I was spending a weekend away with my dad, while Lucas was spending the night with a family that wasn't his own. He didn't have any choice in it really. He didn't have anyone—any adults at least. That realization made my heart ache. Not only was he on his own at such a young age, he had a younger brother who was still in his life. It must have been so hard for him to be so far away from the last person he knew that shared his blood.
My dad started snoring in the tent next to mine and I couldn't help the little giggle that bubbled up from my chest. I'd felt so resentful towards him for having left me, but this visit had been different. He was treating me differently and I was curious if maybe he finally saw me as a young adult. Maybe he felt like he didn't know how to talk to me before and now that I was becoming my own person, he was gaining in confidence when it came to connecting with me.
Did Lucas ever think about his dad? I don't know how he couldn't. He must have reached some point in the last few years where the lonely crept in. I know that I would be desperate for some sort of connection—even if it was a father who had left. I would have to ask him about it some time.
I pulled my phone out from my bag and checked one last time for any reception. No luck. I was glad I'd told Lucas about the camping trip, but I still had anxiety worrying that he would just think I wasn't responding to his email. It was important to me that he knew I wouldn't let him down. I wanted him to know that I would be there for him. He didn't have to be on his own anymore. Even if we never got to see each other again, I was determined to be someone he could count on and stay connected to.
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***Please remember to vote. I love having you interact with the story. If Bailey and Lucas posted a picture on Instagram, what would their #Hashtags be? #Cute #Friends #Kiss........
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Ticket to Verona ✔️
{MAFIA ROMANCE}"You, Aria, are like a piece of music that I could listen to, over and over again, and never get tired of hearing." Aria Remington was sitting alone in an empty airport gate waiting for her flight home when she first met Leonardo. Little did she know what she was getting herself into.Leonardo Romano is the Capo of the Italian mafia and never shows any emotion, weakness or care in anyone. Until he met her.But was he selfish enough to bring her into his world?~~~{excerpt}Aria.She was here. Right here.She didn't hear me come through the door, too engrossed in the book she was reading. I could hear her humming along to a song, similar to the way we first met. I walked right up to the desk, a gentle smile on my face. She still hadn't realised that I was there so I cleared my throat. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, how can I help-" she looked up and she froze. Once it had sunk in, she smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen. "Leo!" She leaned over the desk and tried to give me a hug but because I was so tall, she only ended up hugging my torso."Hello, amore."~~~Started- 10/3/22Ended- 29/7/22#1 - loving {12/7/2022}*contains strong language and some violent scenes*
8 224The 212° Crisis
The innovation of the steam engine kickstarted the industrial revolution, but the Savery Company took it much further than that. Close to a hundred years later, steam-powered automata are a common sight on the streets of London and automation is begining to replace workers in the factories and even on the street corners. Alan is the child of a middle class familiy whose father is a manager at a plant building high-performance military automata. Mary is the daughter of a plant worker, a poor but happy and healthy family. When the newest Savery Automata eliminates the vast majority of jobs in factories, Alan and Mary find themselves trying to deal with the new world before them and struggling with the idea of a future in a world that changes faster than they can keep up.
8 165Drowning In Depression {COMPLETED}
May be triggering. If you are triggered easily please do not read.
8 118His Angel Aurora ✔️
"Aurora, you and I are not so different. ln fact, our similarities are quite stunning.""Is that why you do this?" A wry laugh slips under his breath, sheer arrogance in the sound of his own personal, fucked up amusement. His ring covered finger rubs along his bottom lip."I guess so." (Arlan is pronounced ARE-LIN).Highest Recognitions!! :#1 in Ruthless (march 9 2021)#1 in Mafia Love#1 in scary (March 13, 2021)#3 in Horror
8 199The Gang Leader
"What are you doing on my territory?!" He snarled in my face in anger."I don't see your name anywhere" I say looking around.------------------------------------------- Cecilia Adams Was walking down the dark streets of London, after that long, hard shift at Sainsbury's, meeting Reece Dennings was the last thing on her mind. All she wanted was to go home, and sleep. But nooooooo she had to run into the gang leader of one of London's biggest gang. One encounter leads to another.9th in teen fiction (highest rank)BE WARNED THIS BOOK IS REALLY CHEESY!!!!Cover By : LUCIJA1409
8 194Reason for Being (Ikigai)
A 23 year old, already graduated, an animator that got the opportunity to be sent to Tokyo for a project. 🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼"I've always wanted to go to Japan since I was a teen. Now that i FINALLY stepped in the Land of the Rising Sun, Met the Japan men's national volleyball team including the duo that i always adore... Ishikawa Yuki and Yanagida Masahiro.. What could go wrong?".....
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