The Curves Ahead - Wattpad Award Winner

Chapter 20

There were many weekends in my life that would stand out in my memory as amazing, but none so idyllic and relaxing as the one I spent with Heather in Byron Bay.

The rented beach house was an aging mansion right on the sand, only a few minutes' walk from the city centre. We fell into bed early on Friday night, so we could wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturday and head for the farmer's markets on the beachfront. We bought baskets of organic grain bread, freshly caught seafood and vegetables grown to the sounds of classical music, then attired to a nearby vegan café, eating pesto on sour-dough for breakfast.

We swam in the ocean and napped for the rest of the day, then walked up to the iconic Byron Bay lighthouse for sunset. As we wandered back past the shops, Heather insisted we pick up a few bottles of wine, and then we grilled our marinated prawns on the back deck, talking about everything and nothing.

"So, what do you want, red or white?" Heather had ducked inside to grab forks and returned with bottles and glasses as well.

I wrinkled my nose. "I'm not really drinking much at the moment, but I'll have a small glass of whatever you have."

"White to match the seafood." She poured two glasses, making one significantly larger than the other. She slid the smaller one towards me, while I tilted my head, trying to figure something out.

"You know, I don't think I've ever actually seen you drink anything before..." I processed a dozen moments in my head from her ordering history: non-alcoholic cider, lime and soda, juice, mineral water – I couldn't remember a single time she'd actually consumed something alcoholic. I'd simply been too wrapped up in my own dramas to pay attention. "Heather, is every okay?"

She sipped deeply from her glass before sinking back into the sling chair. "Ah... That's good. God, you miss it when you can't have it."

"Can't?"

"Well, can't is the wrong word, I just choose not to, well, chose not to." She rubbed her belly pensively. "We really don't have to get into this."

Sensing something deep, I pushed my plate away and swapped to the chair closest to hers. "We don't have to. You're my friend and I want to. In fact, you're probably my best friend. So, please, tell me, what's going on?"

"It's not really a big deal." She rolled her eyes to the heavens, as if searching for the right words. "So, Andie and I decided to have a baby this year. She's wanted kids for years, actually; she's the maternal one in our relationship and she's always dreamed about being pregnant, but she has severe endometriosis. It broke her heart, but we've got a way better chance of conceiving if I carry the baby."

She shrugged her shoulders a little, as if to convince herself of the unimportance of the subject. "We've had the perfect donor lined up for ages, a mutual friend who is smart and gorgeous and sweet, and our finances are stable, and we're not getting any younger. So, I was artificially inseminated just before fashion week."

"Heather... You've been pregnant this entire time?"

"No, not pregnant, just inseminated." Her ever-present smile was only as little mournful as she said, "But, it didn't take. I got my period last week while we were in Sydney."

"Oh my God... I'm so sorry." I folded my hand over hers.

"It's okay, seriously. It was our first attempt, so I can't be too upset, you know?"

"You allowed to feel sad, though, you know that, right?"

Her amber eyes glistened a little. "I know. Thanks."