The Other Side of Someday by T. K. Leigh Page B

past few weeks of asking questions hadn’t been too personal, but this one hit deep. I didn’t know if I was ready to share this part of my life with him yet…or ever.
    “Remember our deal,” he added, seeing my hesitation. “I get to ask you any question I want and you have to answer it truthfully.”
    “Yes, but—”
    “But nothing. Judging by your reluctance to answer, I know I’ve hit on something you probably haven’t talked about in years, if ever. Sometimes, we really want to talk about it, but have no one with whom to do so. I’m your guy.” He beamed. “I’m more than interested in learning about this side of the intriguing Baylee Morgan.”
    Drawing in a long breath, I glanced down at my bag where the journal was. I liked keeping it close in case I needed a boost.
    “It was my mother’s journal.” I swallowed hard. “She died a few days after I was born. I never got to know her.”
    Closing his eyes, Sebby hung his head. “Baylee, I’m sorry.”
    “Before I headed out here, my uncle gave me her journal in the hopes that I’d have some guidance on this big adventure of mine.” I reached into my purse and pulled it out, showing him. Flipping through the worn pages, I continued. “I’ve only read a few entries, but she definitely had a unique outlook on the world. She…” I stopped abruptly when I noticed a folded up piece of notebook paper shoved in between a few of the pages toward the back of the journal.
    “What’s that?” Sebby asked, noticing my reaction.
    “I’m not sure.” Unfolding the piece of paper, my eyes scanned what appeared to be a list, some items scratched out with a date next to each one.  
    “Looks like a bucket list,” he commented.  
    “An unfinished one.” I stared at it, swallowing through the lump in my throat. “She wrote about making a list of things she wanted to do before she died. That’s what she documented in this journal, I guess.” I ran my fingers along the worn cover, silence engulfing us. Turning to Sebby, I asked, “Do you have a bucket list?”
    “Is this your question for today?”
    Pausing briefly, I nodded. “Yes. Today’s question for you is whether you have a bucket list.”
    He reached down and scratched between Gidget’s ears, considering my question. “Well, I don’t really have a bucket list, per se. I have things I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve never written them down and made it my mission to check them off.”
    “Like what?”
    He glared at me in a playful way. “I’m pretty sure you already asked your allotted question for the day.”
    “It’s a necessary follow-up,” I quipped. “You can’t get off that easily.”
    A sly grin crawled across his lips and he slowly turned to face me. Replaying my words in my head and hearing the double entendre, my cheeks turned red.
    “Given the right person…” He raised his eyebrows, chuckling.
    My mouth curled into a small smile, despite my brain shouting at it not to react. “Just tell me what would be on your bucket list,” I demanded, trying to ignore how carefree and comfortable I felt whenever I was around Sebby. “Perv.”
    “Learn to fly,” he replied without missing a beat. “There’s something so romantic and nostalgic about flying. I’ve always been fascinated with air travel, even when I was a little boy. My room was full of model airplanes, and I dreamed of learning to fly one of them.”
    “So what’s holding you back now?”
    He stared ahead. “You know how it is,” he said after a comfortable silence, the wind whipping around us. I could see rain beginning to fall over the ocean. I knew I should hurry home to avoid getting stuck in a downpour, but I couldn’t leave. I didn’t want to waste any opportunity to spend time with Sebby. “Life gets in the way. I finished high school, went to college, then became obsessed with making a name for myself in this industry. Everything else in my life was put on the back burner.”
    “You should do