Unrequited

7 - Away

Clara sat on the beach at Byron Bay, turning her face to the sun and enjoying its' warmth.
Like many mornings since her arrival two months ago, she'd enjoyed the ritual of a run and swim and then sunbathing to while away the mornings and afternoons. She especially loved her particularly secluded spot where she could do so topless.

She untied the sides of her bikini bottom to allow as much of her tan lines to disappear as she dared and thought about the third date that she had later with her new neighbour. She smiled, tonight he was doing a beach BBQ and had a surprise installed for her.

Jason was cute. He was friendly and outgoing, a typical local surfer boy. He'd recently moved back from Sydney and was hoping to carry on with his building business and enjoy some surfing at the same time. They'd been neighbourly for a while but he'd teased her endlessly about a date. A few weeks ago, Clara had finally decided to accept and they'd gone out to dinner.

Having sadly spent her entire life loving and bound to one man, Clara had rarely dated. And even when she had, it was never done in earnest or with intentions that it would eventuate in anything. She didn't really know what to expect and how things were meant to progress. Nonetheless, it was nice to have someone who looked at her with admiration and desire in his eyes. Someone who seemed genuinely interested in her. She didn't tell Jason much about her background other than that she was taking a break and at some point, would head back home to the UK. He seemed to accept this and was happy to just enjoy her company, both of them acknowledging the transient nature of their relationship.

Being away and meeting Jason had done her a world of good. She felt like she was making progress and forgetting the hurt that had threatened to overwhelm her in the first few weeks of her arrival. Leaving had been the right thing to do - made easier by the events since her wedding. It made her realise that the love was truly one-sided and would always be so, their situation was irreparable. She didn't understand some of Luca's comments and accusations but had reached a point where she neither cared to know or wanted to know. It now made very little difference either way.

Clara looked down at her breasts as they absorbed the heat of the sun. Her figure hadn't yet changed noticeably since her doctor confirmed she was pregnant. Her breasts were heavier but her waist didn't yet show any indication of her pregnancy. She was both ecstatic and melancholic about her baby. Regretful that her child wouldn't have the same experience of having a loving father as she'd had.

When she'd told Macy and Bella separately about her condition, they'd both practically begged her to head back to the UK. However, Clara felt that she could manage for a few more months before her complete isolation would be too challenging for her to manage her pregnancy alone. Macy was so happy about being an adopted grandmother that she had started knitting booties and baby items already. While Bella had already sent her a list of boy and girl names. Clara smiled to herself at the thought of having a little dark-haired blue-eyed boy or girl. She couldn't wait to do all the fun things with her child and was determined to give it all the stability that she was capable of providing.

Getting up and retying her bikini, she slipped back on the loose crop top to cover her shoulders and headed back down the beach to the seaside bungalow that she'd rented. It was idyllic, right on the beachfront with a wrap-around veranda facing the ocean. She'd spent many hours sitting outside reading and painting - something she hadn't done since she was in her early teens.

Musing to herself at the prospect of doing some more sketches of her cottage this afternoon, she reached her house and saw a figure stretched out in her lounge chair, facing away from the ocean, on the veranda. She smiled at the probability that Jason had decided to finish early and join her for afternoon refreshments before they headed out later.