Chapter 1.4 - Alone No More

That last encounter with Ayden had riled Amber up something fierce. Ever since that morning she had completely ignored him. Not just because of what he thought of her way of life, but because of what she had said to him. Had she really changed so much? There was a time that she would have sneered at somebody in her position, when she had never done a single chore in her life. A time when she was...well...like Ayden. But now, was she proud of her life, or was she proud of her dreams? She needed to take some time to reflect, so she ignored all of Ayden's calls. It seemed his spell over her was broken when she defended herself.

Amber was still determined to do her evening runs after work. Her fitness was rapidly improving and she was really finding her way around the town of Moonlight Falls. Recently, in her attempts to avoid Ayden, she had taken to running outside of the main town, in particular, she liked running along the country lanes and looking at the beautiful landscapes, and of course, running along the quiet beaches in the middle of the night.
She often wondered whether her fitness obsession actually had anything to do with her career, or just the fact that she still wasn't completely at home when she was alone indoors. Was she running from her worries, or towards her goals. Could it be both?
She often had long periods of self reflection while she was on her runs, being alone surrounded by nature made her feel safe enough to zone out and have a serious think about her life.
"It's so strange." Amber thought to herself as she ran towards the beach, "I am completely comfortable being alone when I am running, but when I am at home, I find the loneliness exhausting. Maybe I need to find someone to spend my life with."

She was so glad that she had her swimming costume on under her running gear, she had been meaning to go swimming for a while now, which is why today, she ran towards the beach. She hated the idea of public pools, and seeing as she didn't have a pool of her own, the beach seemed as good a place as any to swim. At least she could access the water here anytime, unrestricted by opening hours, and if she timed it right, there would be nobody else around.
She got changed into the only swimming costume she owned, it wasn't exactly designed for working out in she only brought it to lounge by her parents' pool. As she pulled it on, she shrugged off the thoughts of that life and walked towards the water. Dipping her toes into the water she was pleasantly surprised to find out that the water wasn't freezing cold.
It wasn't long before she was deep in the water. She was happy with the exercise she had done this evening so she lay atop the water, floating and watching the sky, she felt so free, so calm. Nothing could spoil this feeling.
Except going home, alone, again...

Eventually, Amber had enough of loneliness so she looked in the local paper for any pet adoption ads. She found one family who's cat had just had a litter of kittens, they couldn't possibly care for all of them, so Amber called them.
She met up with Miriam Hoppcraft, and explained that she wanted a pet for company, that she absolutely adored cats and wanted to be alone no more.
She started, for some reason (probably loneliness), telling Miriam all about her romantic life. Keeping names out of it, she explained that her romantic life was not really getting anywhere and she needed company at home desperately.
She told Miriam that she had no family here, hadn't made any true friends yet, and just wanted a pet to cuddle and play with.
Miriam listened politely, it was so obvious that Amber needed an ear to vent her thoughts into.
"Well, Amber, I think out of the kittens we have here, this one is perfect for you."

The kitten's name was Simon.
Amber was delighted, he was a little ball of fluff, very playful, and house trained. The moment that Amber picked him up, she fell in love with him, stroking and nuzzling him. Feeling him purr against her brought a smile to her face.
"You're perfect." Amber said to the little cat in her hands.
She had already brought everything she needed for him, a litter tray, a scratching post, toys and a food bowl. She thought about buying a bed, but when he grew big enough to climb furniture, he could share the bed with her, nobody else was going to. Not anytime soon.

It wasn't long after she adopted Simon that she got some other unexpected news. She had been so busy focusing on work, exercising and caring for her new kitten that she hadn't realised how long it had been since Ayden had spent the night.
Amber was pregnant, she had been to the doctor for a check up, and received a call to say that she was with child.
Amber didn't know what to think. What to say.
She wasn't ready for this!
She didn't even know if she wanted children. And if she did, she certainly hadn't planned on having one so soon!
The only thing she did know, was that she was tough, and she didn't just make things go away. She might have run from her own thoughts, but she never ran from life. And that's what this was. Life. Growing inside her.
She went to the shops when her clothes started feeling too tight, she picked up some affordable clothes from the maternity section, they really weren't her style but they were comfy.

"Well, Simon, a week ago I was so sure I was going to be alone for the rest of my life, now I have you, and this...baby." Saying it out loud seemed strange. But Amber needed to adjust to the idea and quickly too.
"Do I tell Ayden? I'm not sure I want him around the baby." 
"Would I even be able to hide this? Word will surely spread, and he is such a prominent member of the community."
"What about work? I can't work like this! It's too dangerous!"
There were so many things to sort out, she needed to prepare.