Small Town Crazy || Bailey Zimmerman

Chapter 4 - Fall In Love

Bailey's POV
Harper was able to convince her brother and Hardy to sign merch for my sister and do a video call with her.

Morgan seemed hesitant when his sister told him she was going with me to Illinois to see my family, but he still allowed her to go.

It takes roughly four hours to get Louisville from Nashville. I told my mom I was bringing Harper with me and she got really excited. I had to tell her that Harper is just a friend and nothing else more than that which disappointed my mom somewhat.

When we arrive, I can feel my stomach tying up in knots. It's been a while since I've been home.

My mom runs out to greet us. She gives me a hug and a kiss before walking over to greet Harper.

"Hi. You must be Harper Wallen," my mom says with a smile. Harper nods.

"Yep. That's me. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Zimmerman."

"It's nice to meet you too, Harper. Why don't you come in? Bailey and his brother'll get your stuff for you," my mom says. Harper smiles.

"Okay,"

Harper's POV
Bailey's family is all so nice, but I can tell that Bailey doesn't seem to want to be there. He doesn't say much and he eventually ends up going outside on the back porch to be away from everyone.

His mom seems worried about him and I figure I should go check on him. He's my friend and I want to know what's wrong.

I go outside to the back porch and sit next to Bailey on the porch swing.

"Hey. Everything alright?" I ask. Bailey nods.

"Yeah. I'm good,"

"You sure? 'Cause you don't seem fine," I say. Bailey sighs.

"Harper, if I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone?" He asks. I nod.

"Yeah. I promise. I won't tell a soul," I say.

"Okay," Bailey says, looking over at me. "When I was a senior in high school, I fell in love with this girl at my school. Her name was Kate. We dated for two years and I honestly thought we were gonna get married, but I was wrong."

"Oh. What happened?" I ask. Bailey bites his lip, looking as though he's fighting back tears.

"She, uh, she cheated on me with another guy. When I found out, we fought and ended up breaking up. It hurt my heart so much because I loved her more than any other girl I had dated before," Bailey explains.

I place my hand on Bailey's and look into his eyes.

"Oh my gosh Bailey. I'm so sorry. Is that why you don't want to be here? Because there's too many memories surrounding this place?"

"Yeah. That's why I don't like being here," Bailey replies.

"Well don't worry. I'm here if you need anything," I say. Bailey smiles and gives me a side hug.

"Thanks Harper. You're a real friend,"

Suddenly, I feel a little sick to my stomach when he calls me his friend. I don't want to admit it, but I think I might be falling for Bailey. Only thing is, I don't think he feels the same.

Bailey's POV
It was great spending the weekend home with Harper. She's a great friend and having her in Louisville with me really helped me relax and enjoy my time home.

I still can't believe I told Harper about Kate, but I'm glad I did. Harper had been so supportive and I know she cares. Plus, unlike her brother and Hardy, we won't "drink our weight in whiskey" as Hardy says in one of his songs.

With Harper there, I almost completely forgot about Kate. Plus, I was able to write a few songs while I was home which I'm truly thankful for.

It feels a bit odd, this feeling I have for Harper. I don't know how to describe just yet, but I feel like I will know what it means soon since I'm going to spending a lot more time with her on her brother's tour.

The thought of spending more time with Harper makes me really excited. More excited than I've ever been for anything, in fact.

Harper's POV
At work, Memphis and Morgan are working on a song together and I watch them, being extremely quiet. Memphis and Morgan realize it too.

"Why are you so quiet, Harper? It's almost weird that you're so quiet," Morgan says.

"I'm fine," I mutter.

Memphis looks into my eyes and studies me. She stands up and grabs my hand.

"Let's go take a walk," she says. I nod and follow Memphis out of the room. "So what's going on?"

"I think I fell in love with Bailey while we were in Louisville," I say. Memphis smiles.

"Really?! That's awesome,"

"No it's not. Bailey is still hung up on some girl from his past and I just know he doesn't feel the same way," I explain. Memphis's eyes grow wide.

"Hold on. Did he tell you why he writes such sad songs?" She asks. I nod.

"Yeah. He did, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it."

"Okay. You don't have to tell me. How'd you know you were in love with him?" Memphis asks.

"When he called me his friend and it made me feel sick to my stomach," I say. Memphis smirks.

"I used to feel the same way with Morgan when we were younger,"

"I figured as much. What should I do, Memphis?" I ask.

"Just try to get to know him more. Hopefully you'll get to know him even better while we're on the road for the tour," Memphis says. I nod.

"Yeah. Hopefully. Please don't tell Morgan about this, okay?"

"Okay. I won't," Memphis says. I smile and give Memphis a hug.

"Thanks girl. You're the best. We should probably go back to the studio before Morgan gets suspicious," I say. Memphis laughs.

"Definitely. Let's go,"

Sorry this chapter is so short. I just don't have a lot for this one.