Page 6 of Too Good to be True

I want to break away from Mr. Touchy-Feely. I’ve never felt comfortable with guys that over-touch. They make me nervous. Always have. It's one of the things I enjoyed about being with Corey. He'd hold my hand or put his arm around my shoulders when we were out in public, but that's it.

He never made a big to-do about public displays of affection. He never pushed me into scenarios I wasn't comfortable with. I'm struck by a pang of sadness. I never truly appreciated the little things Corey brought to the relationship until now.

My shoulders slump. He was supposed to be here. He should be by my side, not Mr. Hands-all-over-me. If Corey were here, this jerk wouldn't still be invading my personal space.

But Corey’s not here. He dumped me.

"You know, I'm really tired," I say, taking a step back, away from the man and his octopus hands. "I think I'm going to get my room key and get to bed."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you off."

"Don't be silly," I say as I head over to the conference table. "I'll see you around."

"Count on it. After all, we’re going to be in the same social group and hotel."

I know he's trying to be friendly, but his words send an uncomfortable shiver up my spine.

I know I'm overreacting. I'm not used to guys flirting with me anymore. Maybe I should throw caution to the wind and meet up with him in an hour or two. After all, he is cute, and why not make a new friend?

I give him a last glance. Guess Mr. Touch-me wasn't all that interested in me after all. I'm not even out of the room, and he's moved onto Francesca’s friend from work. The smile on Kiara's face makes it look like she's enjoying his company much more than I did.

I shouldn't care. I don't care that some creep I don't even want moved on to another woman seconds after I rejected him. I mean, it would be crazy for me to be upset. That would mean I'm jealous, and I'm sure as shit not jealous. I don't even like him. Not too much, anyway.

What the hell am I thinking? I don't like him at all. It's not like I have any time invested in him, or like we even had a real or meaningful conversation. We didn't even share a genuine laugh. But seeing him so cozy with another woman already, smarts. I’m that easy to move on from.

It stings and burns because, once again, my mind races back to Corey. I couldn't very well hold the attention of a man who supposedly loved me, so how can I expect to hold the attention of a complete stranger? One that I just turned down, no less?

After the bellhop takes my luggage off the rolling cart and leaves, I change into an oversized t-shirt and climb into bed. The down pillows are soft and fluffy. I'm not sure if it's because my body is so tired or because I'm so emotional, but lying in bed feels like Heaven. Like I'm floating on a cloud.

I close my eyes, and images of Kiara and the handsy man downstairs flood my mind. They go from innocent smiles and touches to passionate kisses. Before I know it, the man starring in my imagination isn't the one I just met, it's one I know well. Very well. Corey. Corey and various other women. Touching. Kissing. Fucking.

Tears stream down my face as I turn the television on, hoping to find something, anything to distract me.

Chapter 4

My buzzing phone jarsme from my semi-conscious state. With my heart pounding, I grab it. There's a part of me, a big part, that wants it to be Corey. I'm angry at him and hurt, but I want him to want me back, to come crawling back asking for forgiveness.

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