Irish Getaway

Chapter 31

Evelyn stared out the window of her private jet, her vision blurred by the tears that streamed down her face. The script she had been trying to read lay discarded on the seat beside her, forgotten in the wake of the emotions that had finally overwhelmed her. She covered her face with her hands, silently letting the tears fall as she tried not to think about her last moments with Claire.

The memory of their last embrace outside the house, just before midnight, replayed in her thoughts. Claire’s eyes had been misty as she held Evelyn close, whispering that she had to go. Evelyn could only nod, her throat too tight to speak, as she let her hand slide out of Claire’s. She watched, her heart breaking, as Claire got into her car and drove out the front gates of the estate.

Now, somewhere over the Atlantic, Evelyn felt the full weight of her decision to leave. She knew she had made the right choice for her career, but the pain of leaving Claire behind was already worse than she’d imagined.

Evelyn unlocked her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she navigated to her photo gallery. She flicked through the seven photos she had of her and Claire.

The first photo was from the pub, both of them holding their pints of Guinness as they leaned in, smiling. The rest of the photos were taken in July and August, after they had gotten together, most of them taken while they were out on a drive, but there was one intimate shot of them cuddled up on the couch, Claire’s head nestled in the crook of Evelyn’s neck, her eyes closed. She didn’t think Claire had even realized she’d taken that photo.

And then it struck her that Claire had never asked Evelyn to send her any of those photos, that Evelyn was the only one who had them. Claire had respected her privacy enough not to even ask, knowing that Evelyn might not want the photos to leak. More tears fell as Evelyn realized just how patient and understanding Claire had been with her.

Claire had been there for her when she’d been reluctant to go sightseeing, afraid of being recognized. She had held Evelyn’s hand and listened without judgment when Evelyn struggled to tell her that she was gay. Even the fact that Claire hadn’t slept with her that first night, despite the obvious attraction between them, spoke volumes about the kind of person she was.

She forced herself to focus on the task at hand, picking up the script again. Even though this was a role of a lifetime, one that could reinvigorate her career, she’d hardly looked at the script these last few weeks, her time with Claire more important than memorizing her lines.

Evelyn forced herself to focus on the script, pushing thoughts of Claire to the back of her mind. She knew she had to move on, to immerse herself in this new role and the challenges it presented. As much as she’d want to reach out to Claire in the coming days and weeks, to hear her voice and tell her how much she missed her, Evelyn knew it would only make things harder for both of them.

She had been the one to insist that they couldn’t stay in touch, that a clean break was best. Claire had looked at her with those beautiful blue eyes, a flicker of hurt passing over her face before she nodded in understanding. Evelyn knew it was for the best, but that didn’t make it any easier.