Emotional Rollercoaster

Chapter 11 - Claire

The next few days that followed were very different and unexpected. Claire had never felt so cared for or accepted by anyone before. Tyler, Lee, Stacey, and surprisingly, Bob and Katie had been fantastic - so supportive and had turned into valuable friends virtually overnight.
Having been back to the house, briefly, for the rest of her and Liam's belongings, she left, closing the door on it, feeling somewhat resentful - sad that it had come to this. Just when she'd thought there had been vast improvements in their relationship, then this had to come to light. Martyn had been deceiving her for only God knows how long, and although she felt sure he had genuinely wanted her to stay, felt, as far as she was concerned, it was all too little too late. His affair, fling or whatever he'd had with Roxy had changed everything. It was a total game-changer, and it saddened her further to think that the future she had been so looking forward to, running the Bed and Breakfast with him, was now never going to happen.

The first thing Claire knew she had to do was look for work, so she could find a place for Liam and herself to live, having not wanted to rely on Lee and Stacey for any longer than she had to.
Moving in with them hadn't been as easy as she had anticipated. Firstly, sharing Liam's little bedroom and sleeping in his single bed with him on a blow-up mattress on the floor had been fun, a novelty in itself, although a challenge, certainly not practical for any length of time. But she fully appreciated their hospitality and thoughtfulness. And secondly, even though she had managed to put the past behind her and had come to terms with Lee and Stacey's relationship, she had found it extremely difficult once she saw how truly happy they were together. The bond they'd forged was unbelievably strong, and it brought back old feelings she didn't want to have. Despite the fact she was happy for them, she found, being exposed to their happiness at this point was too much for her, having had her own relationship end so horribly and abruptly.

Sensing Claire's lingering feelings, Lee tried distancing himself from her, which hadn't proved easy while living under the same roof, and realising that Stacey, in her good nature, was blissfully unaware of it, he fully intended to keep it that way. They didn't need any complications, for Liam's sake. The main thing was that Claire was trying her hardest to change and be a better person and knew how difficult it must have been for her to see how he and Stacey were together in their own home. So when Bob and Katie suggested that Claire and Liam stay at their place instead, as they had a large spare room with a queen-size bed that they could both comfortably share for as long as they needed to, Lee encouraged her to accept it, which she did with gratitude, and couldn't thank them enough. Claire had no idea that Lee had noticed her inner struggle, and Lee was glad to see her go. He knew what she was like, as, as soon as he showed her an ounce of kindness or sympathy, she was likely to construe it to be something more, and he didn't want her latching on to him again and spiralling back to her former self. He didn't think she would this time around, but he wasn't willing to chance it while things were working out quite nicely as they were – and that had been all thanks to Stacey. So, after just four days, Claire and Liam moved in with Bob and Katie.

*Bob and Katie*

Claire had felt somewhat nervous moving in with Bob and Katie. Liam was deliriously happy. He loved his Uncle Bob to death, and seeing him respond to them both so positively, made her feel more at ease. But the feeling that struck her as she walked through the door was one of sorrow, as she remembered the countless times she had been there when it had been Lee's flat, either dropping Liam off or picking him up. She would try to linger there for as long as possible in the hope that Lee would see they could be a happy little family together and suggest she moved in. But that was when he had hated her most, and it was never going to happen. And reminding herself again that she should be grateful, not only for newfound friendships, thanks to Stacey, who Claire thought she could never befriend in a million years, but she could now co-parent with Lee more amicably. And at last, they were able to be civil to one another, something which had been impossible in the past. That in itself was a blessing.