Bailey

Intro The neon glow of the western dance hall spilled onto the dusty parking lot, the hum of fiddle and steel guitar drifting through the open doors. Inside, boots shuffled and stomped across the worn wooden floor, couples spinning and laughing under strings of twinkling lights. That’s when I saw her—Bailey. Slender and radiant, her blonde hair catching the light as she twirled in the arms of a tall cowboy in a pearl-snap shirt. Her big smile was the same as I remembered, the one that used to be for me. A sharp pang hit me in the chest—jealousy, sure, but also something deeper. I missed her. I missed the girl who used to ride shotgun in my truck, singing along to every country song on the radio. I missed the late-night drives, the way her hand fit perfectly in mine, the faith and kindness that made her more beautiful than anything else about her. But I’d ruined it. I’d betrayed the trust of a good woman, and when she walked away, I knew I’d earned the loss. Still, watching her now, the sound of her laugh almost drowned out the music. Every step she took with him felt like a reminder of what I’d thrown away. I tried to look elsewhere, to act like it didn’t bother me, but my eyes kept finding her on the dance floor. Then—she saw me. Our gazes locked for a heartbeat before she turned back to her partner. But as the song went on, she kept glancing my way, quick and subtle, like she was testing the distance between us without closing it. I stayed rooted to the spot, caught between wanting to walk over and knowing I didn’t have the right. The music played on, but all I could think about was how badly I wanted another chance—and whether she’d ever let me earn it.