Of All The Sidewalks - Gailey

193 Words

where did you go to end up right back here?

Bailey let out a very girlish squeak when he yanked her into a bigger hug, but she laughed and hugged him back. "It's just a nursing gig, Gabe. I'm not a doctor. Put me down!" She laughed again and poked his stomach, "Yeah you aren't the only hot shot around these parts. Better recognize." She fluffed her scrubs and smirked. It had been grueling and awful, but worth it. She loved being a nurse and she loved working with her best friend because it made everything easier.

When her mind drifted to Halley, Bailey's stomach clenched. What was she going to tell Halley? She had mentioned Gabriel several times, maybe not by name, but by the dreaded ex term. And although she'd been mad at him, she hadn't really said anything bad about him. It was probably sickeningly obvious how much she still adored him. Halley was going to adore him, too. She could already tell.

"What about you? Where were you headed?"

when did you start to forget how to fly?

289 Words

where did you go to end up right back here?

It took all she had not to melt in his arms when he spoke French. She might not have understood it exactly, but she knew it enough to know that he said something cute. Her eyebrows pulled together and she poked his cheek, "You know I don't know what you're saying when you do that." But she had never minded, she just automatically took it as something good. Otherwise she'd drive herself crazy on google translate after she left.

Bailey snorted, "Why am I not surprised? My guess is you probably don't even remember how to get around Oregon." She chewed on her lip and made the decision that she'd help him out if he was open to it. But before she could offer, he ran his fingers through his hair and she got very distracted by how jealous she was when he did it. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair. She'd always loved his hair, it was so soft and pretty, just like him. She shook her head to keep from being too dazed.

"How about this; we go to my apartment so that I can change and grab my scissor kit and then we go grocery shopping for your apartment, you can show me your apartment and I can cut your hair and help you unpack. Deal?" It was a lot, she realized it was a lot. But it was just what they did. She was such a care taking type of person that it made sense for her to help where she could.

when did you start to forget how to fly?

310 Words

where did you go to end up right back here?

She was hooked. Minutes, that's all it had taken for him to come back and sweep her up like nothing had happened. She was back to taking care of him and making sure that he was settled. And he was making her dizzy and mushy like she was twelve years old with her first crush. He had been her first crush and her biggest crush. The very fact that he'd paid her any mind had astounded her then as much as it did now.

The very fact that he could lead her to where she was living was proof if anything that he hadn't completely forgotten her while he was away. She laced her fingers through the hand that was draped over her shoulder and she walked with him, trying not to overthink how colossally wrong this could go at any moment. "You've always been so bad about keeping your things situated. I think your mind goes berserk on your living quarters and you're just too busy to notice it." Which would have made sense for her to be the same, but she was quite the opposite.

While her words often gushed everywhere, her things were all placed in specific spots that did not leave those spots. It wasn't that she was a neat freak, she was just paranoid that she'd forget something if it was out of place. Her mind often got in the way and with the way her things were arranged, she didn't have to think about it. She looped her free arm around his waist and leaned into him, "No judgment about the fact that I still live in the same place as when I graduated?"

when did you start to forget how to fly?

223 Words

where did you go to end up right back here?

As he began to list all of the incredible things he could do, Bailey rolled her eyes back in her head and scrunched her nose. She knew all of what he could do and she was impressed, obviously. But she also knew he liked to toot his own horn and she was not the type to do the same. Who could blame him though? He was perfect. "Oh golly, I'm so impressed. That brain of yours also goes a little nuts, if I recall correctly. You're looney tunes, love." But so was she.

Bailey grinned up at him and nodded, "That and I dunno, call me sentimental, but there's a lot of stuff that I remember from that apartment. I wasn't ready to give it up." She wasn't ready to give the memories of him up if she were to be honest. She turned her head into his chest and took a long breath. He always smelled so nice, she just wanted to flood herself in it.

"You're gonna die when you see Rufus. And I think he might die when he sees you, too. He's become a bit of a biter though."

when did you start to forget how to fly?

388 Words

where did you go to end up right back here?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," She waved a hand dismissively before erupting in giggles when he tickled her. She curled into his side and groaned, "You're such a pain." But she loved it, in every single way. Bailey tried not to focus on the fact that she was incredibly sentimental. It was hard not to be with the things he'd left behind for her. She still slept in many of his t-shirts that he'd left behind in her apartment. They'd lost their smell only months after he left which had been meltdown central for her. However, she hadn't stopped sleeping in them still.

She couldn't help but worry that he'd be a little weirded out by that. That she had his shirts and so much of his stuff still. Outside of his shirts though, she had put everything else neatly in boxes labeled with his nickname that were kept in her closet out of sight. It was still not out of mind, but at least wasn't at the forefront. He wasn't the judgmental type, at least, he never had been with her so she knew her worries were silly.

"He's a stubborn little thing, I'll tell you," Just like they were.

Once they made it to the apartment, she dug her keys out and she pursed her lips as she wiggled the key in. After a firm kick on the door, it opened and she pushed the door so that she could walk in and stumble to find the light switch. Her apartment was shabby, it wasn't fancy by any means, but it was quiet and warm. Placing her key on the ring beside the coat closet, she turned to look over her shoulder, "I'm just going to go change, Ruf is in the same spot he's always been and uh, so is everything else. I'll be right back!" She scurried down the hall to her room and slid in on her socks, shuffling through her drawers to find something cute that she could wear.

When she emerged, she was just wearing typical Bailey fashion, jeans and a cute t-shirt with her hair still a frightful mess of curls, "Gabe?"

when did you start to forget how to fly?

230 Words

where did you go to end up right back here?

Bailey grinned when she found him near where she'd told him he'd find their pet. It was surreal, like a strong sense of deja vu washing over her because she could remember so many times walking out of her bedroom to the very scene in front of her. He looked slightly older now, matured, but his smile was still the same and the way he made her home feel homier was also exactly how she remembered it.

He tugged on her shirt and she locked her arms around his waist, pursing her lips and looking at the ceiling in thought, "You know, you're probably right. Which kind of worries me that my wardrobe is severely outdated. Looks like a shopping trip is in my near future." This time, however, she'd at least have a girl that could help her out in that department. Bailey was all about the quirky t-shirts with funny sayings and crazy sweaters. She didn't know much else.

Bailey dropped her eyes from the ceiling down to his and she tilted her head to the side, "So, how weird is it that I haven't changed a damn thing about this place? I told you, sentimental. It's gross."

when did you start to forget how to fly?