Waiting at the airport

Amanda sat down in the seat just outside the boarding area for her plane and took in a deep breath. Trying to come to terms with everything that was happening. She was getting ready to board a plane with Derrick Connors Regional Manager for Mega Corp, a man she had been semi dating… and sleeping with and somewhere along the way he became her boyfriend… and now they were going to a wedding together for his admin. Then because of his connections she is going to an executive training seminar for a week and she has a chance to rise to a director. Her thoughts were like a run on sentences, a train that just kept getting longer and longer. She let out the breath she had been holding slowly with her eyes closed to try and compose herself.

“Are you okay?” Amanda opened her eyes when she felt Derrick’s hand enclose around her own and gave him a small smile.

“Everything is going just so fast and all at once. This morning Bailey is not feeling well, and she asked me to stay. I know part of it is just how she is, always wanting to be babied when not feeling well. Part of me wonders if she was not really okay with the two of us going away together for the wedding.” She seemed okay with it before, but this was not exactly a normal situation, she added mentally.

“Would you like me to just listen, or do you want my opinion?” IT had been a long time since he dated, but he remembered his wife just needing to vent and wanted little more than his presence, a smile and his reassurance she wasn’t crazy. Well crazier than normal.

“Both.” Amanda looked away from him, and pushed her bottom lip out with her tongue. She felt unsure of things, with so many changes coming so quickly. She had known of Derrick for a long time, but he had only been in her realm for two weeks or there about. Even as she looked away she gave his hand a little squeeze. The man was a rock in an ocean that she could use to steady herself, unfortunately the rock's appearance seemed to be what caused all the recent chaos.

“Just listen, say nothing and also give you my opinion. Hmmm” He pulled his hand away from hers, moved his arm around her shoulder, then retook her hand with his others as he pulled her closer. Both pressed near one another with the uncomfortable airport chair’s armrests pressing between them. “Everything will be okay, you are an amazing woman and not crazy at all.” He said kissing her forehead at the hairline and giving her a tighter squeeze for just a second.

She didn’t pull away, just breathed in the scent of his cologne and enjoyed the comfort he was bringing her. “What do you mean I am not crazy at all?”

“Trap, that question is a trap. I do not see how it is sprung, but I am not going to walk into it. Instead I will say this about everything that is happening. You taking this promotion is not sudden, you have been working for it for a long time. You are overshooting your target, though in the best possible way, but again you have worked for this. The reward for everything you have done that you thought no one noticed was not in vain. Us? I don’t know how to describe it. It hasn’t been long and yet I feel like… it sounds silly, but like when I hold you like this that it is like two puzzle pieces fitting together.”

“I would not call that silly, a bit cheesy, but very sweet.” Amanda broke the embrace, mostly to stop the metal of the armrest from digging into her side, but gave him a pick on the cheek for being so sweet.

“Cheesy and sweet, the perfect snack!” Derrick said beaming.

“Are you talking about something to eat or a snack like how the girls use it?”

“Hmm, well I don’t like to blown my own horn, but I have been told that I’m at least okay to look at. Even heard I was handsome once or twice.” Puffing his chest out, Derrick pointed at the center of his chest with his thumb.

“Who could possibly describe you like that?” Amanda couldn’t hold back her smile, but could keep herself from laughing at his mock performance.

“My mother and daughter, but I think they still count.” His face sobered a little as he looked away from the beautiful blonde sitting next to him for just a second. “I don’t think Bailey wanted you to stay because she didn’t want us to go off to a wedding together or because she doesn’t want us together. This morning she asked me to stay as well. Even took a page out of Candace's book to try and guilt me into staying. In fact, and I am no sleuth, but I have reason to believe she wants me to see about making you my bride.”

Him saying that wasn’t as surprising as say if she told him who Bailey truly was, but it was awfully close. “What makes you think something like that? As the surprise faded she felt blood going to her face and knew her cheeks had to have a natural light pink cast to them at that second as she thought about him asking for her hand in marriage. It wasn’t like she was some love sick girl, but she had given up on marriage and the possibility relit that candle of hope deep in her.

“This morning again, Bailey held me tight and said..” Derrick coughed a little and pitched his voice in a mock high pitched girls voice. “Daddy, I wanted you to know what Mommy’s ring size was.” He gave a shrug of his shoulders. “It was either the fact that this wasn’t the first time that she referred to me as such or something else that I just can’t put my finger on that tipped me off. Hmmm, it will come to me.” He tapped his left ring finger to his chin as he pretended to think.

The memory of the previous night with being asked out her ring size came to mind and she found it astounding Bailey would not only tell Derrick that information, but with the timing it had to have been the purpose of the question. She was trying to test Bailey if she really was enjoying herself as a teenager, and while she wracked herself with guilt before about being intimate with Derrick, Bailey had been the one to say it was okay. Now this… it was like Bailey was letting go of her old life in favor of one where she had a family. She truly needed to have a conversation with her about all of this. “Still I should give her a call, make sure she is feeling okay and all that.”

Derrick shook his head as he pulled out his phone. “Let the girl rest, I can understand the need to want to check up on your teenage daughter when you are leaving town, but let me show you this. It will help you feel connected with her, at least it does for me.” Derrick pulled up youtube on his phone and went to one of the channels he had recently subscribed to by the name of BaBest. He thought it might have had a different name before, but he wasn’t sure. Clicking on her most recent uploads he handed the phone over to Amanda, and leaned in close to rewatch it with her.

The video started with a pink plastic barbie sized car rolled to the center of the frame. A girls hand with long painted nails opened the car door and moved the blonde doll out of the vehicle. The Skipper doll was dressed in a little bkacl sparkly party dress and was posed so it was leaning on the roof of the car. It’s head tilted as it look directly as the camera and a cutesy voice spoke “Hi, I’m Skipper!” The doll was then moved to wave as continued in the chipper voice.

“I’m Bailey’s best friend and…” The talking doll was cut off as the familiar voice of Candi could be heard off camera.

“She is not your best friend!” The interruption made Amanda chuckle as the doll seemingly looked off to where the voice came from and tapped its own forehead, or was posed to do so as if to say my mistake or oh bother, before it started over it’s introduction.

The doll got positioned in front of Bailey’s pink book that Amanda had seen her writing in from time to time. She realized this was an online video about what was written in her diary. Bailey was putting online her inner thoughts and it amazed her. The Bailey she knew kept all of that locked away, keeping it all bottled up and while she had been curious about what was in the book, she would never have brought herself to invite Bailey’s privacy. Yet, here she was telling the world about what was in her diary for the day of her eighteenth birthday party.

She listened to Bailey call April, her Auntie April and how April had given her tips to take things further with August. No not August, Bailey had called him Auggy and stressed how she wanted to take things further with him. Amanda’s eyes widened and she felt her head was going to spin right off. Bailey loved woman, he didn’t have some of the best views for woman at times, but she never had a single doubt about where the sexual prefrence was. Now, hearing that she also liked men was just crazy, yet it was Bailey herself saying it. Her Bailey was Bi, and that was okay, but she just had a hard time believing it. The next spark of surprise when Skipper mentioned in a mock whisper that Bailey was jealous of how she looked the night of the birthday.

If she had any doubt of Bailey liking boys as the video went on they were laid to rest. “Bailey was dancing with Auggy, so wish I could.” The doll often interrupted the flow of the story with its own commentary. “She tried to not step on his feet, and was totally surprised when he kissed her. Kissed her on the lips folks, while dancing. Totally romantic! Well Bailey thought she shouldn’t be surprised as they have kissed before, but and I’m quoting here… he is the best kisser. Though she does claim to not have a lot of practice with other boys, but she totally still thinks he is the best at it. She could tell how her Auggy wanted more, but others started to come out to the dancing area so she had to be a good girl and not go behind the bush and do more like she wanted.” The doll turned slightly to look at it’s handler. “Seems a little fast, I hope she knows there are rooms for that.”

Amanda had learned more in this video than she had in a long time about the inner thoughts of her Bailey. The video continued going over the gifts she had gotten and when it came to after the party she learned more.

“So there my girl Bailey was leaving the party when my Mommy’s boyfriend, I mean Bailey’s Mom’s boyfriend. I gotta totally remember I am skipper not Bailey.” A light giggle was added to the end before Skipper continued. He asked her if she wanted him to be her Daddy, like for realz! You have to totally understand because like Bailey wished right then that she didn’t like him or that he was a huge jerk. But she totally couldn’t because he was so nice, he found her pony Cherry! She just doesn’t think she could ever repay him for that one thing alone, but he says he has fallen in love like I have… Bailey has with Auggy. Thought he did totally say the love Bailey felt for Auggy was real, but different than what he was feeling. I will totally note Bailey has not ever said she loves Auggy, so if you are watching this don’t like get any ideas.”

In a more solemn tone the doll added. “If Mommy, Bailey’s Mommy gets married she is worried that she wont have any time for her any more. That she is already almost always working and is afraid what little time she has with her will go to him and that she feels like a well she doesn’t say a bad word here.” The dolls head looked down at the book. “Bailey feels bad for not saying yes to him, like she is being selfish.”

The doll moved and used both hands to close the Diary that was about the same size as it. “That is all we have for now, Bailey has to run and do some of her homework. I hope you all enjoyed today’s story! Until next time! OH and like if you want to see more of me, let Bailey know in the comments!

Reached over Derrick tapped the screen to stop the video and took back his phone, aware of the shock on Amanda’s face. He hadn’t told her he loved her, but he was sure she was aware, he just didn’t want to scare her off. She needed to know, deserved to know his feelings and hoped it delivered this way be okay. “She is happy, and her telling me about your ring size. Well I took that as the answer to the question.”

“Derrick are you asking me too..”

He shook his head, and reached out to put his hand on her cheek before leaning in to give her a light kiss on the lips. “I’m not asking anything, I just want you to know how I feel, how I know.” He tapped his chest just over his heart. “That you are the puzzle piece I fit with, but I’m also patient. So when I tell you this, I want you to listen and feel no need to respond. “Amanda Rose Best, I love you.”

Her hand came up to cover her mouth as her face started to turn red, she looked into his soft green eyes and felt any words she might say freeze, even as her brain threw about fireworks in celebration and sounded the alarms in warning. “You love… me?”

For of his fingers touched gently to her neck as he ran his thumb across the back of her jawline. Derrick looked into her blue eyes as his smile increased in volume. “I will say it again, and again so long as I can draw breath. Amanda Rose Best, I am in love with you.”