 
One Week to Win Him Back

Catherine Wooden

Published by Catherine Wooden at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Catherine Wooden

# One Week to Win Him Back

### Dedicated to the one that I'll love forever.

### Table of Contents

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday/Epilogue
**Monday**

"Tami! Let's go! The cab is here!" Corinne called, irritated, to her best friend, Tami. It had been like this ever since they had become friends. Corinne was always ready in advance while Tami was rather inept at punctuality. It annoyed Corinne, but it was all a part of her best friend.

Tami emerged from her room with one small suitcase, her book bag and purse which she stuffed into her book bag. Tami wore cutoff jean shorts, a white tee-shirt that left some of her belly exposed and large, silver hoop earrings. Her curled, auburn hair was loose, hanging around her shoulders complementing her yellow-brown skin.

"I waited an hour and a half for all _that_?" Corinne asked sarcastically, while thinking about her choice of clothing and general look in comparison with Tami.

"Oh be quiet Corinne. You know we're going shopping when we get there. So come on! Our plane will leave without us you know," Tami said as Corinne picked up her own suitcase and slung her pocketbook over her shoulder. Corinne smoothed the fabric of her khaki colored halter-dress. Her hair was in an afro in its naturally curly state. She threw on a denim jacket to help block the sun from her already deep brown skin.

They loaded their things into the trunk of the cab and Tami went back to lock up their apartment. Once inside the cab, Corinne sat back as Tami gave the driver their destination. The girls exchanged smiles before Corinne turned away to look out the window.

She allowed her thoughts to drift to Dameon, her ex-boyfriend, as the cabbie navigated through traffic to get to Reagan National Airport. As far as Corinne knew something had happened when she'd gone to Chicago to visit her sister. When he ended it with her he was rude, fierce, and highly inconsiderate of what he'd shared with Corinne. She remained deeply hurt for quite some time and her world collapsed around her when she learned of his "new" girlfriend – Sarina.

Sarina was actually his ex-girlfriend and she was beautiful. She had long wavy hair, almost pale light skin, grey eyes, and was basically flawless. She wore expensive clothing, carried designer handbags, click-clacked around campus wearing the most expensive shoes. She was the polar opposite of Corinne who had kinky curls, dark skin, dark brown eyes, plenty of flaws, and non-Designer clothing.

After her break-up, Corinne had to really fight with herself to survive until the end of the semester. The one thing that helped her through the rough time was the trip to Myrtle Beach that she and Tami planned.

Tami had never seen her best friend so upset and depressed thus Tami hoped the trip would give Corinne the space and atmosphere to relax and get over Dameon. However unknown to Tami, Corinne had chosen Myrtle Beach specifically because she knew Dameon would be there.

In spite of everything, Corinne wanted Dameon back. At times she couldn't believe she was the same girl in high school and even in college who never competed for anything, much less a boy. She couldn't believe she was the same girl who let other guys go that she'd truly cared about and was now determined to hold onto Dameon. In her heart, she just knew Dameon was the one for her because being without him had been pure hell. She had to talk to him and convince him that they belonged together.

He and Sarina had ended it before. Obviously Dameon loved Corinne because otherwise why waste almost a year together? Corinne was determined to remind him why he loved her. She knew in her heart that their time together couldn't amount to nothing over a weekend.

Before their breakup, Dameon had accepted an internship doing finance and marketing projects in Myrtle Beach for one of the largest hotels on the Grand Strand. Corinne knew the hotel, Atlantis, and therefore had made reservations there. She knew Tami would be livid when she discovered that Dameon was going to be at Myrtle Beach, but the dream she had of being with Dameon made it worth the risk. The girls would only be there a week. _One week to win him back_. Corinne thought to herself.

They finally reached the airport. Corinne paid for the cab while Tami unloaded their luggage from the trunk. They headed to their airline terminal and checked their baggage.

Corinne frowned noticing the code orange sign. It never changed no matter what day she flew. After going through the typical security protocol, she and Tami headed towards the gate.

"You've been pretty quiet Corinne," Tami commented.

"Oh, I'm just a little anxious about flying," Corinne said biting her lip. True, she got butterflies in her stomach each time she entered an airport, but she was more anxious about seeing Dameon and doing something she'd never done before – fighting for a man.

"Don't be nervous. What are you afraid of?" Tami questioned.

"Well, I'm not afraid. It's just that all the security and stuff makes me a little anxious," Corinne explained.

"It's all just to make you vigilant. Relax." Tami said, putting her earphones in her ear. Corinne closed her eyes and leaned back into the plastic, uncomfortable chairs. She could've listened to her mp3 player, but she decided she should figure out what she should say and what she should do when she saw Dameon.

Their flight was called a little over a half-hour later. Once in their seats, Corinne peered out the window while Tami removed her headphones and leaned back into the seat.

"Thank you for flying our airline, please pay attention to the flight attendant showing safety procedures in the aisle..."

Corinne buckled up after taking a brief look at the flight attendant demonstrating the safety procedures. She went back to looking out the window as the plane began to move from the gate.

Taking-off was her absolute favorite part of the flight and so as the plane ascended into the heavens, Corinne enjoyed the light feeling in her stomach. Suddenly she was no longer nervous; she was excited, very excited. She couldn't wait to get Myrtle Beach. Sand, sun, and love -- with Dameon.

When the plane was preparing to land, Corinne nudged Tami awake. Tami stretched and took in her surroundings.

"What?" Tami yawned, groggily.

"The plane is going to land," Corinne explained. Tami sat up a little to peer around Corinne out the window and promptly went back to sleep.

Corinne rolled her eyes.

After deplaning and claiming their baggage, Tami and Corinne headed to the car rental counter. The young, dark-haired man behind the counter seemed to give a little extra attention to Tami. Corinne almost laughed, considering Tami's shorts and belly shirt she had been receiving a lot of male attention.

"How may I help you ladies?" He asked, politely giving Tami his attention. His smile was a little too wide, and his looks a little too inviting. Though Corinne certainly wasn't jealous Tami received the attention, she did wonder why guys never seemed to flirt with her.

"We have a reservation for a rental car," Corinne explained. She handed him the confirmation she'd printed out. He handed her paperwork and took her credit card.

"Now you can get a larger car for just twenty dollars more, would you be interested?" He asked, hopefully.

"No thank you," Corinne stated firmly.

"Alright then, here are your keys," he said, disappointed.

"Thank you," Corinne said, picking up the keys from the counter.

After walking through the garage in the stifling heat, the girls were surprised to find a Ford Escape in the designated space. Corinne pressed the remote and the doors unlocked. They exchanged surprised looks again.

"I thought we got the cheapest one!" Tami asked, confused.

"We got the next cheapest, but oh, I like it!" The Escape was white with a sunroof. The interior was clean and there would definitely be enough room for shopping bags and such when they went to the various malls and outlets. Corinne tossed the keys to Tami and then searched her purse for the directions she'd printed to the hotel.

"Where are we staying again?" Tami asked starting the engine.

"Atlantis," Corinne said, stifling a yawn.

"You have the directions right?" The engine roared to life and Tami pressed the button for the sunroof. Corinne rolled down her window to get air circulating through the car.

"Yeah, but you have to navigate your way out of this garage," Corinne said with a laugh.

When they arrived at the hotel, Tami waited in the car while Corinne checked them in. Luckily it was after three o'clock and their room was ready. They had to park across the street, but they had packed light and did not have much to carry across the street into the hotel.

The room was beautifully appointed. There were pictures of the ocean and the beach on the wall. There were two queen-sized beds in the room with a TV sitting on the dresser across from them. The bathroom had new all white fixtures and a huge mirror across the sink. Corinne opened the door to the balcony and stepped out. _What a beautiful view._ She admired, gazing down at the people playing in the water or laying out on the sand. She took a deep breath of salty sea-air. Tami joined her on the balcony.

"Oh this is so nice! It's beautiful Corinne!" Tami sat down in one of the plastic white chairs on the balcony. "I could just sit out here forever, but I'm kind of hungry."

"Me too, should we unpack first?" Corinne knew the answer to her question by the frown that appeared upon Tami's face. She laughed. "Ok, so where are we going to eat?"

"Let's go ask the front desk," Tami suggested.

The girls ended up at Chili's. They ordered margaritas and ate outside. Tami took a sip of her margarita and suddenly smiled.

"You know, I think this is going to be a lovely new beginning for you. We'll spend the whole week relaxing and having fun and then we'll get back to D.C. and you'll feel renewed and definitely moving towards being over Dameon."

Corinne didn't respond. The waitress brought them more chips and salsa. Tami took a handful and munched away.

"Have you seen anyone that you're attracted to here?" Tami suddenly asked, looking around. "I'm serious; the best way to get over a guy is to fool around with another guy!"

Tami looked around. There were quite a few families present in the restaurant and a few guys dining with girls and then Tami spotted one guy eating by himself. Corinne followed her line of sight and her eyes landed on the balding, older man with the beer belly.

"Don't _even_ think about it," Corinne hissed at Tami. Tami cracked up laughing.

After dinner, Corinne talked Tami into finding a Barnes and Nobles so she could grab a book of Sudoku puzzles.

"Why do you need Sudoku puzzles? You're not going to sit around all day!" Tami complained, rolling her eyes.

"I like Sudoku puzzles. Besides, they help me relax," Corinne said, sticking her tongue out. "I thought this trip was to help me relax!"

"Well, those puzzles with all their numbers stress me out," Tami retorted. Corinne rolled her eyes as Tami pulled up in front of the store.

"I'll be quick, I promise! Just drive around the lot and I'll be out shortly!" Corinne called before shutting the door and going into the bookstore.

Corinne walked around the store, searching for the magazine section that would have the Sudoku puzzles. As she walked past an aisle, she noticed a slender, Indian guy looking through a book. She paused at the end of the aisle and picked up a book, not bothering to see which book it was. She flipped through a couple of pages and pretended to read, waiting for an opportunity to sneak another peek.

His skin was almost a rust color. He had dark, straight hair and wore glasses. His glasses made him all the more attractive to Corinne. He was dressed in an orange polo shirt with khaki pants. _He's so cute!_

Though she knew Tami would have written him off as a nerd and probably a loser, Corinne felt something inside her click and she realized that he was the kind of guy she'd always wanted and never realized it. She was certainly an intellectual (or nerd) at heart and she knew she hadn't always been as "cool" as she was now. The only difference was that she didn't dress like a nerd. Her mother and Tami helped her step outside herself a little in regards to fashion.

He must have felt Corinne's gaze because he looked up and Corinne immediately redirected her eyes to the book she was pretending to have an interest in.

Corinne felt her palms begin to sweat a little, embarrassed that he might know she was staring at him. Hell, she was ashamed of herself for staring at a guy.

He was the first guy she had experienced the slightest attraction to since she and Dameon had broken up. _Wait a minute, Dameon!_ Corinne thought to herself.

She was supposed to be focused on Dameon not this guy. She scolded herself, but didn't move towards the magazine section. _No harm in looking_.

When she thought he was reading again, she took a peep, this time only to see which book he was looking at. The Catcher in the Rye. _Good choice_. Corinne mused. She loved that book. She'd read it so many times she could practically quote it word for word.

She closed the book she had browsed and glimpsed the title. He's Just Not that Into You. For some reason Corinne's heart skipped a beat. She placed the book back on the shelf and headed off towards the magazine section.

Something in her hadn't wanted to leave. Something in her had wanted her to speak to the guy, but she hadn't. She couldn't imagine the courage it took to approach someone. He was _cute_ with good taste in literature, but Corinne had never met an Indian guy who had the slightest interest in a Black girl. _Oh well_.

She picked up a book of Sudoku puzzles and made her way to check-out. When she passed the aisle again she took a peek, but he wasn't there. She shrugged and got into line. As she waited, a new thought struck her flooding her with fear. If she couldn't muster up the courage to say hello to a guy could she even dare to fight for Dameon?

Corinne swallowed her fear. She didn't know if she could, but she knew for the sake of her heart she had to try.

When the girls returned to the hotel, they decided to take a walk on the beach. The sun had set, but they couldn't wait any longer to feel the sand in their toes.

The ocean waves reminded Corinne of her sleep CD that lulled her to sleep on her frequent sleepless nights. The warm water felt delightful on her feet and she could already feel the salt clinging to her legs.

"So, since I'm obviously here for rehabilitation and therapy in your world, what are you going to do while we're here?"

"I'm going to have fun and force you to have fun too. You can really be uptight. Just lose control once or at least go with the flow. You don't have to plan everything in life, Corinne. Life will never go according to plan," Tami wrapped her arm around her best friend's shoulder.

"Does not having a plan mean hooking up with guys you meet out?" Corinne questioned, annoyed.

"See! This is exactly what I mean. You won't give anyone a chance unless they can promise you a long-term commitment. Can't you live for the moment?"

Corinne hesitated. What if she met someone who she got along with and was attracted to and had a brief fling? Or, even more risky, what if she shared a mutual attraction with someone and hooked up for the night? Corinne certainly could not see herself knowing how to act after an encounter like that. How could she face a person that she "hooked up" with without feeling easy? She also couldn't stand the thought of connecting with someone only to have them be a temporary part of her life. She connected with too few people as it was, she didn't want to lose anyone she shared a special connection with.

"I can't do that," she said, shaking her head. Living for the moment was too dangerous, she decided.

Tami playfully shoved Corinne. "Think about it Corinne. All I'm asking you to do is take the same approach to meeting guys as breaking up with guys in a way. Take Dameon for instance. You both connected with one another but it didn't work out. Can't you just be happy to have met him? Can't you enjoy the good times you had when he was a part of your life?"

Corinne stooped to examine a shell while she thought of her answer. "I don't know," she finally responded, turning over the shell in her hand. "That's what's so tough."

"What's tough about it?"

"Letting something like that go and trying to find some bullshit peace of mind by saying he hurt the hell out of me but we had some good times. I can't do that!"

"Ah, so there's the problem. You don't like letting people go! Attachment leads to jealousy, the shadow of greed that is!" Tami said in her best Yoda impersonation.

Corinne cracked up laughing and kicked some water at Tami.

Tami kicked water back at Corinne, apparently tired of trying to get Corinne to see her side of the issue.

"It's kind of dark out here now, let's go inside," Tami suggested.

Once inside, Tami began unpacking her things while Corinne took a shower. Corinne admired Tami for being such a free spirited optimist. She went after what she wanted, but she was mature and responsible about it too. Tami never had breakdowns she just took people as they came and kept the good in her heart.

Corinne just couldn't be that carefree. She had dreams and goals and she chased after both with all her heart. When people let her down or life handed her disappointments, she analyzed the experiences for signs and signals to avoid in the future. She couldn't afford to make the same mistakes over and over if she wanted to achieve her dreams.

Sometimes disappointments proved to be too much and Corinne completely fell apart. When it hurt enough, there was no good memory or experience worth keeping. Like when Dameon broke up with her, she lost her appetite and at times her will to live. Every morning was a fight to get out of bed and finish the semester. She closed herself in her room and took her time bandaging all that he'd broken. She had always been this way about most everything, especially dating.

She was very passionate about not wasting time with worthless guys. She was also passionate about her dream to one day get married and have her own family. She couldn't go out with someone unless she saw a future with him. It just wasn't a part of her person to be with anyone unless her heart was in it. Dameon just happened to be the guy she felt the most for.

_I can't let Dameon go because he has my heart and I know we could make it work. I just have to help him realize._ Corinne thought as she rinsed the suds from her body.

The girls watched television awhile before Tami fell asleep. Corinne quickly turned off the T.V. and went outside on the balcony. The air was noticeably cooler, but still nice and warm. She sat in one of the plastic chairs and stared at the stars.

"I've tried to get over Dameon, but my heart won't let him go. Please help me find the right words to say to him," she whispered to the heavens. When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she went back inside.

After sliding underneath the sheets, she curled up and thought of intimate and private moments with Dameon. She felt herself blush thinking of the first time they made love and the few times thereafter. She had been so shy around him at first, so scared and ashamed of her body, but he had soothed her.

When she told him about her flaws, he had told her they didn't matter to him and she knew in that instant he was a one-of-a-kind. Then she didn't even know why she had those flaws, but now she knew why her body looked the way it did. Not long after they broke up, she found out she had Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome was a disease characterized by a variety of symptoms without any other explanation, such as irregular periods, unusual hair growth, diabetes, and mood swings. Corinne was surprised and relieved to find out the cause of her problems and thanks to medication she didn't have to be as ashamed or embarrassed anymore. There was no quick fix to her problems, but the medication was helping at least.

She closed her eyes and remembered his kiss and his touch. The night he'd seen her flaws was one she'd never forget. He'd held her close and said the sweetest things to put her at ease. She had loved him that much more; he'd accepted her imperfections. Not many other guys would do that. His acceptance meant so much to her.

Corinne sighed and resigned herself to sleep, hoping she'd be able to create new memories with Dameon soon.

**Tuesday**

"Corinne! Wake up!" Corinne's eyes flew open in panic, her heart beating rapidly. Tami was hovering over her.

"What? What's going on?" Corinne moaned, sleepily. "What time is it?"

"It's noon! Let's get on the beach!" Corinne yawned and stretched out before rolling out of the bed and heading to the shower. After showering, she put on her one-piece, strapless teal swimsuit that laced up the sides in brown suede. She slipped into a pair of tan flip-flops she'd purchased. She stepped out the bathroom. Tami was wearing a black bikini with pink trim, with the diaper-styled bottom that tied on the sides.

"You look so cute! I love your two-piece," Corinne said, admiring Tami.

"If it's your, you know, _problem_ you're worried about you said yourself it's gotten a lot better lately. Do you want to go out later and look for a two-piece?"

"No, I'm fine. Let's take some pictures though," Corinne suggested eager to get off the topic. She never liked discussing the symptoms of her polycystic ovaries with anyone. She didn't like discussing the two medications she took that occasionally ravaged her stomach. She didn't enjoy speaking about the pain she felt in her ovaries. Even though she now, thanks to the medicine, had regular periods and diminishing hair growth, Corinne was still extremely self-conscious about her problem.

She looked over and saw Tami searching through her suitcase for her camera.

"I'll be back! I'm going to do my hair." Corinne called as she ran into the bathroom.

She ran her hands through her hair and added moisturizer and a few sprays of curl moisturizing oils. She applied light makeup, bronzing powder and a light peach lipstick, and exited the bathroom.

The two girls posed for several pictures, putting the digital camera on a timer so it would automatically take the pictures.

"Let's roll!" Tami exclaimed, excitedly. The girls grabbed their beach towels and got onto the elevator and descended to the ground floor.

They reached the crowded pool area with children running about and senior citizens lounging in the sun. There were so many families on the beach and Corinne couldn't help but imagine herself married with children vacationing at the beach. She wondered if it would be fun or stressful keeping up with the children.

They crossed the pool area, noting the large pool with a lazy river and reached the beach. The sun was shining on the ocean, making it appear a lovely blue-green. The low tide permitted the many little sandcastles built by both amateurs and professionals to be seen.

"This is so beautiful! Ah, I'm so going to relax," Corinne said elbowing Tami. "Maybe we should build a sandcastle?"

"Yeah, right!" Tami laughed. The girls placed their towels on the sand and sat down. Corinne began applying sunscreen while Tami put on her shades and sunbathed.

"So are you tanning?" Corinne asked Tami, half-serious.

"You know, one day the light-skin jokes are going to get old," Tami said, sticking her tongue out and grabbing the sun-block from Corinne.

Corinne scanned the beach, half-hoping to see Dameon. She looked out towards the ocean and smiled thinking about all the times she'd visited the beach as a child. She enjoyed going in the ocean, but ever since she'd seen a sting ray swimming near her foot she was a little hesitant to jump right into the water.

As Corinne refocused, she noticed a tall, nicely built white guy with blonde hair walking on the beach. She turned to Tami to show her the cute guy, but she could tell by the glint in Tami's eye that she had already seen. In a few moments, a shadow was cast over the girls and Corinne peered at the tall guy now standing directly in front of them. He and Tami shared a smile and Corinne kept herself from feeling the slightest bit jealous.

"Hey," he said, nodding at Tami and Corinne.

"Hi." Tami responded, sliding her sunglasses over her eyes.

"So, where are you from?" The stranger asked.

"D.C.," she said with a shy smile. "How about you?"

"I'm from Ohio. What's your name?"

"Tami and this is my best friend, Corinne, what's your name?"

"Brad, nice meeting you both." Corinne smiled politely and tuned out their conversation, knowing that Brad could care less what her name was as long as he knew Tami's. Once again she was the undesirable friend. She felt a twinge of jealousy. She applied more sunscreen as Tami and Brad chatted.

"Hey, Cory, I'll catch you later. Brad and I are going for a walk," Tami said, as Brad helped her up.

"Okay, Tami," Corinne said, waving to her friend who walked away with Brad. Corinne watched the two walk down the beach together, talking animatedly. _She certainly moves fast_. Corinne thought to herself. _So much for relaxing with my best friend._

In ten minutes, Corinne decided to return to the room. It was too hot to be sitting outside and definitely too hot to be sitting outside alone. She got up and folded her towel, shaking off the sand. She reached the hotel and pressed the button for the elevator.

Corinne frowned. This vacation was pretty depressing. Sure she'd done some deep reflection of herself and her ways, but she thought for sure she would have seen Dameon by now. Then again, maybe it was a good thing she hadn't seen Dameon because she had no idea what she was going to say or do. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. It seemed as if time slowed down as the doors slowly revealed Dameon.

He stepped off the elevator and noticed Corinne, who was standing in front of the open elevator too in shock to move. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as if he'd caught her thinking about him. Then she remembered the frown on her face and quickly tried to shift it into a smile.

"Corinne!" Dameon said, smiling. Corinne took a deep breath and found her tongue.

"What's up?" She said putting on a smile. She couldn't see how she looked so she hoped it was the right smile, not one with too much teeth or not enough.

"I haven't seen you in a while! How'd school go? How's your summer going? What are you doing here?" Dameon asked, pouring questions onto Corinne.

Much to her surprise instead of being excited to see Dameon, Corinne felt awkward and nervous. She could feel her body temperature rise and she couldn't think of a way to respond. Seeing him, hearing him, speaking to him, feeling his touch as he wrapped her in a brief embrace was an assault on her senses she was not prepared to deal with.

She also felt hurt; hurt that Dameon would try to treat her as a friend when he'd been so harsh when they broke-up. She had thought she would have to thaw him but instead he seemed so unaffected. Maybe he was over her.

She had to do something though, the doors were closing on the elevator and Corinne knew she couldn't hold a conversation with him. Not the way she was feeling. Corinne gathered all the strength and put her foot in-between the elevator doors so they wouldn't close.

"Everything's cool. I have to go," was all she could manage to say. She stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Somehow she found it in herself to wave and give a slight smile.

At least she hadn't totally blown her first face-to-face encounter with Dameon, but seeing him had been a bit overwhelming to her. As soon as the doors closed tears welled into her eyes. She blinked them back, angry with herself for ruining her first chance at reconciliation with Dameon. She had thought she was done crying over their break up. Once in her room, she scolded herself for seeming so obviously disturbed at seeing him, but she let herself cry a little before falling asleep.

That evening, Corinne and Tami decided to dine at Bennigan's Seafood restaurant. The restaurant was heavily advertised so they decided they had to pay a visit.

Though Corinne and Tami had never been fans of buffets, this buffet was surprisingly delicious. The food was fresh and hot.

"So what are we going to do tonight?" Corinne asked, pushing away her plate of crab legs. "I love our hotel but I'd love to get out of that room."

"Well, Brad suggested we go to the Tiki's. He's been there a few times. He said it was okay," Tami suggested, biting into a hushpuppy.

Corinne reached into her purse to take her medication. _Four freakin' pills just so I can feel pretty_.

"Sounds good enough to me," Corinne agreed as she tossed them back and swallowed, "let's do it."

Tami reached across the table and took one of Corinne's uneaten crab legs.

"Uh oh, here comes the garbage disposal!" Corinne joked. Tami stuck her tongue out at her and continued to munch on the crab leg meat.

"There are starving children all over the world. We're very fortunate to have this much food. I'm making sure none of it goes to waste," Tami explained, eating some of Corinne's leftover macaroni and cheese.

Corinne laughed. She was excited about going out tonight, but also nervous. Tami had no idea that Corinne came here to pursue Dameon. Though she definitely wanted to see Dameon, she half-hoped Dameon wouldn't be out tonight because if Tami found out Corinne was still chasing after him, she would be livid.

"Pometini," Corinne said to the bartender, who nodded and went to fill the drink order. She smoothed the fabric of her jean mini-skirt and straightened out her fitted t-shirt to make sure her belly wasn't showing.

Tiki's was filled with people just as Brad had said it would be. The D.J. mostly played pop music, occasionally some hip hop and even a little Reggaeton.

Tami was on the dance floor with some guy, while Corinne sat at the bar. The bartender placed the drink in front of her and Corinne handed him some cash. She took a sip and enjoyed the sweet taste of the drink. She reminded herself to sip it slowly because if she finished her drink too soon she'd be sitting at the bar looking ridiculous.

In her peripheral vision she noticed someone sit on a bar stool further down. She took another sip of her drink and casually took a glance. Corinne's eyes widened when she realized who it was. Straight, black hair, thin build, beautiful skin... It was the guy from the bookstore. Tonight he was not wearing his glasses.

Corinne intended to take a sip from her drink but ended up taking a big gulp. She coughed and looked around the rest of the club, embarrassed.

"Hi." She heard an even-toned voice say. She looked beside her. It was him. After he got his drink he had moved beside her and now he was speaking to her.

"Hey," she said softly. She half expected him to tell her he was speaking to someone else. To be sure he wasn't, she took a quick look around her to be sure she was the closest person in the immediate vicinity.

"How are you?" He asked. Corinne wanted to melt away. He had an accent and not an Indian accent either. She wondered if he may be from somewhere else.

"I'm alright, how are you?" Corinne asked after a moment.

"I'm good. Um, are you visiting?"

"Yeah, I'm on vacation with my friend. My name's Corinne," Corinne said, offering her hand.

He introduced himself as Aidan and shook her hand.

"So, where are you from?"

"Washington D.C.," Corinne responded. "What about you? Where are you from?"

"I'm from D.C. too. I attend Georgetown University."

"No way! I go to American University!"

He smiled. "Cool."

"Are you on vacation too?" Corinne asked, continuing to drink.

"No, I'm here for an internship. I'm a Business and International Economics major and I'm getting some domestic experience before I go abroad."

"Impressive. I study journalism, I love to write," Corinne explained.

"Well, if you're going to have to do something for most of your life, it may as well be something you like, right?" Aidan commented with a smile.

Corinne returned his smile and nodded.

"Do you want to get a table and chat?" He asked.

"Sure," Corinne responded without hesitation, though she scolded herself for sounding so eager. She just couldn't believe that the one guy she'd found attractive was talking to her as if he found her attractive too.

Aidan offered her his hand and helped her from the barstool. He didn't let her hand go as he led them to a table. Some part of Corinne floated on a cloud in total heaven.

"Here we are," he said, pulling out Corinne's chair and seating her before seating himself. Another piece of her settled onto the cloud. Dameon had never held her hand in public, opened so much as a door for her, or waited for her to sit first. Silence settled between them.

"How's your internship going?" Corinne ventured.

"Oh it's great. I'm learning a lot."

"Cool." Corinne felt someone's arms go around her and received a kiss on the cheek. She turned to see Tami.

"Hey, Corinne!" Tami had taken a break from the dance floor. A new guy was standing beside her.

"Hey! Tami this is Aidan. Aidan this is my friend and traveling mate, Tami."

Aidan and Tami shook hands. Tami didn't bother to introduce the guy she was with.

"You two have fun," Tami called tugging the guy along by the hand. Tami looked back to wink at Corinne from behind Aidan.

Corinne blushed and tried to hide her smile. She could see that Aidan was only interested in her because he hadn't tried to hit on Tami in front of her. It always annoyed her and made her feel insignificant when a guy she was interested in would comment on how pretty Tami was or try and talk with her or sit with her when they all hung out. The fact that Aidan hadn't done any of that was enough to make her night.

"Can I get you guys anything?" A waitress asked.

"Would you like another drink?" Aidan asked Corinne. She nodded.

"Another pometini please," she requested.

"Do you want to split some potato skins with me?" Aidan asked.

"Sure, I'm a little hungry."

"Ok, so pometini and potato skins, I'll put that in," the waitress said before scurrying off.

She and Aidan continued to chat about school, sports, politics, and even a little history until a high pitch noise caused Corinne to jump.

"Aidan!" Corinne whipped around to see where the offensive noise had come from and her eyes landed on Sarina. Perfectly pink thin-lips, straight, silky black hair, now tanned skin, perfect nails, and little black dress by some famous designer Sarina.

Corinne blinked and hoped that she had been hallucinating but when she opened her eyes Sarina was still making her way towards their table. When she arrived she hugged Aidan and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She didn't give Corinne a second glance.

Dameon followed behind her. He looked handsome in a black suit.

"Sorry we're late," Dameon said, shaking hands with Aidan.

"Oh it's okay. By the way, Dameon and Sarina this is Corinne," Aidan provided introductions. Sarina suddenly looked at Corinne. Corinne felt a cold chill cover her and wondered if Sarina knew who she was. Sarina and Corinne had never been formally introduced. Sarina had been out of the country while Corinne and Dameon were together. Corinne knew of her return because her friends had described the girl they saw Dameon with, the girl she'd seen in pictures at Dameon's apartment. She was glad she'd never run into them since she and Dameon broke up because she had no idea what she'd say or do, but the very situation she'd wanted to avoid confronted her now.

"Oh, we already know each other, we used to \--," Dameon was saying when she tuned back in. She looked at Dameon in shock that he would even admit they had been together. She did not want Aidan to know about her past with Dameon so she said the first thing that came into her head.

"Have a class together. We had a class together," Corinne interrupted. Dameon looked at her strangely for a moment, and then a ripple of laughter seemed to echo in his eyes before he nodded. Sarina dismissed all this information as insignificant.

"Aidan, the show was wonderful. I never thought I'd be into the Carolina Opry thing. I've been avoiding it for years, but Martina and Joshua insisted we go with them and it was great! Afterwards we just had to get coffee together. Martina's engaged," she looked at Dameon expectantly, "and I just had to hear her wedding plans."

Corinne rolled her eyes. Sarina still hadn't bothered to acknowledge her.

"Oh, well, good for them," Aidan said. "You two can sit over here and I'll sit with Corinne on the other side of the table."

Corinne looked at Dameon and Sarina. They were such a good looking couple. Corinne was quite sure Sarina didn't have polycystic ovaries. Sarina had the hair Dameon wanted. He used to pressure Corinne to perm her hair and she probably would have if she had thought that she could manage it.

"So what do you like to do outside of school?" Aidan was asking her.

"I like to spend time outdoors. It's a recent thing I like to do. I stare at the stars and meditate. I want to see the sun rise though, oh, and play in the rain. Other than that I love golf and tennis. I like sitcoms and science and history programs on TV, I don't know, and I'm a nerd, kind of. How about you?"

"You've changed," Dameon interjected. Corinne hadn't realized he was paying attention to their conversation. Corinne looked down. She knew he was referring to her new found appreciation for the outdoors. The only reason she'd spent so much time outdoors contemplating the stars and meditating was because she was so upset about Dameon leaving her. Somehow staring at the stars made her feel connected to him since that was one thing he enjoyed doing. "You never liked being outdoors."

"I like it now," Corinne shot back, though she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

"I bet you go camping and stuff. Ew, gross, outdoors is for those sweaty man- girls, like those butch bitches," Sarina declared before bursting into laughter at her own words. Corinne felt angry and embarrassed. "Dameon, I want a drink!"

The waitress arrived at that very moment and delivered Corinne's pometini and Aidan's appetizer. Sarina and Dameon ordered drinks.

"So, Corinne, what do you write about?" Aidan asked, biting into his potato skins.

As Corinne explained the various types of writing she did in addition to regular journalism, she caught Dameon sneaking glances at her, while in deep discussion with Sarina about something. Aidan had just begun to explain what he did for the Preston Group at his internship when she sensed the presence of someone else at the table.

"Corinne, can I see you for a sec?" Dread flowed through Corinne's body when she saw Tami standing at the table.

"Sure, excuse me," Corinne excusing herself from the table.

"Hey Tami!" Dameon said with a smile.

Corinne saw the anger rise in Tami's eyes. Just as her hand went up, Corinne grabbed her by the hand and led her away. She knew Tami was about to flip off Dameon and probably say a few choice words.

When they reached the ladies' room, Tami let loose.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Is that why you were so insistent we come to this beach instead of one in Florida? You came here to chase after Dameon?" Tami was truly disgusted.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you. I knew you wouldn't come if you knew."

"Are you that pathetic? There's no forgiveness that deep. He's a jerk, why would you want to be with him again?

"I love him," Corinne declared.

"You _love_ him, huh? So why are you even bothering to talk to the other guy?" Tami glared at Corinne intensely.

"He's a nice guy, he's just being friendly. How many Indian guys do you know who would be attracted to girls like me? I don't love him though, I love Dameon. Aidan's cool, but," Corinne tried to reason her attraction to Aidan and her love for Dameon.

"Is your self-esteem really that low? A guy like him wouldn't be interested in a girl like _you_?"

"He may be physically attracted to me, but he'd never be serious about me!"

"So?! That shouldn't even matter right now. God, just give him a chance!" Tami pleaded.

"I'll try," Corinne sighed, defeated. She knew she wasn't making sense.

"Ok, well I'm going for a walk on the beach with Ramón." Corinne shook her head.

"Do you really think that's safe? I won't know who to look for or what to do if you go missing."

"I'll be fine. I'll see you in the room," Tami gave Corinne a hug.

When Corinne arrived at the table, Dameon, Sarina, and Aidan were all chatting and drinking. She took her seat beside Aidan and he whispered to ask her if everything was okay. She nodded.

"... Aidan! My dad installed the new spa at the house! You have to come by. Let's all do a cook-out again, that was fun!" Sarina squealed.

"That would be cool," Aidan agreed before turning to Corinne and explaining that Sarina's parents had a summer home in Myrtle Beach.

Corinne felt her jealousy rise a notch. Once again Sarina had something to offer that Corinne couldn't compete with. Though she wasn't entirely sure that she'd want to be used for things she had access to, like a summer house or money.

Sarina continued to dominate the conversation, leaving Corinne out of it until she decided she was ready to leave. She made a point to hug and kiss Aidan on the cheek and purposely not say good-bye to Corinne.

"Nice to see you Corinne," Dameon said, reaching out to give her a hug good-bye. She accepted his hug and felt warmth spread all over her.

"I'll talk to you soon," Dameon whispered into her ear and her ear promptly began to burn. He wanted to talk to her.

After Dameon and Sarina had walked away, Corinne suggested they head back as well.

"I'll walk you back. Where are you staying?"

"I'm staying at the Atlantis. I can walk back on my own though I don't want you to have to go out of your way," Corinne babbled.

"No way," Aidan said firmly. "Even if it were out of the way for me to walk you back I would not let you walk _anywhere_ alone this late."

Corinne blushed and looked down. Dameon never once exhibited any kind of concern for Corinne's safety. Even when someone had threatened her personal safety Dameon hadn't cared – but she didn't want to think about that.

"Thank you," Corinne gasped softly. Aidan escorted her from the club. Along the way they chatted about how much fun they'd had. Aidan didn't try to touch her or make her uncomfortable in any way.

"Thanks for walking me back," Corinne said, sweetly once they'd reached her room. Aidan smiled.

"I had to make sure you got home safely," Aidan said quietly. Before she realized what she was doing, Corinne wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. After a second he pulled her closer to him. She lodged her head in his neck and inhaled his scent. He smelled unlike anyone she'd ever smelled before. So clean and so unique.

As he held her she felt safe and more importantly secure. He liked her, she knew it. A guy like Aidan was attracted to her. She enjoyed the boost of confidence. Instantly she knew if she were with him she wouldn't have to repeat everything he said to her friends so they could help her figure out what he was feeling. Aidan was the kind of guy who showed how he felt with his words, the way he interacted and the way he held her.

She felt him kiss her forehead then he lightly pulled away from her and kissed her cheek.

"Good night, Corinne. I'll talk to you soon."

"Good night," she replied, turning to unlock her door. Once inside, she let out a sigh of relief. Tami was in her bed knocked out sleep. That was one worry out of the way.

Corinne found herself feeling happy even though she was a bit confused. She'd come here to get Dameon to come back into her life, but Aidan made her smile and the security he provided... Corinne had never had so much affection and care directed at her by a man. Then Corinne's mind found a way to rationalize everything. Sure, Aidan was great, but she was after love, Dameon's love.

She curled up in bed and thought of why she loved Dameon, but it was Aidan who she dreamt of.

**Wednesday**

_Ring-ring._ Corinne closed her eyes and willed the distant ringing to go away. _Ring-ring._ Corinne shifted deeper underneath the covers to block out the noise. _Ring--_

"Hello?" She heard Tami groan into the phone. "Aye, despiértate, chica. Aquí está el teléfono. Alguien te llama, mujer. Algún hombre!" Corinne jumped out of bed and cleared her throat as best she could before snatching the phone from Tami.

"Hello?"

"Hey, who was that?"

"If I were racist I'd say housekeeping," Corinne muttered sticking her tongue out at Tami. She heard Aidan laugh.

"Tell _housekeeping_ I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be asleep at eleven thirty on such a beautiful day," Aidan explained. Corinne's cheeks flushed.

"Don't worry about it. She was just being silly. What's up?"

"I was hoping you'd want to go to lunch with me."

"Okay, sure. What time should I be ready?"

"Twelve thirty. Can you do that?" Aidan asked. Corinne felt herself smile.

"Yeah, I'll be ready."

"Alright, I'll pick you up outside the hotel."

"Ok, see you!"

"Bye!" The phone clicked. Corinne looked over at Tami.

"Don't answer the phone like that Tami," Corinne scolded.

"He knows I'm just playing!" Tami laughed, rolling her eyes. "So what's going on at twelve thirty?"

"We're going to lunch," Corinne said, smiling.

"Uh oh! Somebody's got a new boy!" Tami squealed.

"Oh please, Tami, it's just lunch," Corinne explained as she got up and stretched.

Tami started shaking her head. "I don't get it. You're the same girl who was excited about every little thing Dameon did. Dameon blinked his eyes today. Dameon touched my hair. Dameon saw me and sneezed, my dog does that when he likes people, does that mean Dameon likes me? But now, with this guy who you're obviously attracted to and who seems so nice you're acting like you don't even care."

Corinne swallowed and considered what Tami said. She couldn't think of an explanation so she walked into the bathroom.

After taking a nice, long, warm shower, Corinne put on lotion and Jasmine oil. She looked through her suitcase for the perfect lunch ensemble. She ended up deciding to wear a printed dress with plum, teal, and tan flowers on a cream background. She put on her "goddess shoes", which were high heeled, brown lace-up sandals. Finally, she oiled and added styling gel to her hair and added a brown headband to make her afro into a crown. She applied her make-up with care, a recent habit she had acquired after blaming her lack of beauty for Dameon's absence from her life.

"Oh, sexy, sexy!" Tami said, looking up from the television.

"So what are you going to do while I'm at lunch?" Corinne asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'll be fine. You know me, I always meet friends wherever I go," Tami said with a wink.

"Well, I'm off!" Corinne called picking up her purse and cellular.

"Enjoy lunch and no _dessert_ ," Tami said raising her eyebrows and winking. Corinne rolled her eyes and walked from the room.

She took the elevator to the lobby and waited just inside for Aidan to arrive. He pulled up in a white Acura. He got out and opened the passenger side door for her.

"Cute car," she commented, sliding her sunglasses over her eyes.

"You look beautiful, Corinne," he said, "I also think you're the first girl in history who has been ready and waiting for me to arrive."

"Thank you," Corinne said blushing, "Punctuality is one of my things." She seated herself on the tan leather and enjoyed the blasting air conditioner. Aidan got back in on the driver's side.

"So where would you like to eat lunch today?" He asked, navigating his way onto Ocean Boulevard.

"I don't really know the area very well, you can choose."

"Don't say that. What if I end up picking some place you hate?"

"Okay, well, I like everything except pure southern food."

"So KFC is out of the question?" Aidan joked.

Corinne's face bawled up in disgust. "KFC was never an option!" Corinne declared with a laugh.

Aidan ended up parking at Broadway at the Beach's Hard Rock Café. "Is this cool?"

"Yep," Corinne said, unbuckling her seatbelt. Aidan hurried to open her door for her. As they walked to the restaurant, Aidan took Corinne's hand in his.

Corinne felt a small amount of embarrassment for the way Aidan cared for her. She had never been treated so delicately nor had she felt so treasured. It was flattering and a bit overwhelming all at once.

Dameon never opened doors or took her hand in public. She often had wished he would. Then, Corinne realized that she was finally being treated the way she had always dreamed of being treated and the embarrassment began to fade and was replaced with a warm feeling she wasn't quite able to identify.

After being seated and ordering drinks, Aidan reached across the table to hold Corinne's hand in his own.

"Am I freaking you out?" Aidan asked when Corinne jumped at his touch.

"Not really. I mean, I don't mind." They smiled at each other and Corinne swallowed the urge to explain to him that she'd never had a man shower her in affection. Something inside her told her that if she admitted that to Aidan, he'd stop being affectionate. The waiter returned to hand them their drinks and take their order.

"I'll have the blackened chicken pasta," Aidan said.

"I'll take the hickory barbeque chicken," Corinne ordered. The waiter left to place their orders. Corinne sipped her lemonade. She heard the familiar chords on the piano and her eyes immediately fixed themselves on the screen. It was November Rain by Guns N Roses, her favorite video.

"Hey, look, my favorite video is playing," Aidan said. She smiled at Aidan.

"That's my favorite old video and song. It used to make me cry when I watched it. I was younger then."

"I didn't cry, but it has the absolute best guitar solo."

"Yeah, that's true. I remember seeing a special about it. Slash said he was freaking out that one of those copter blades was going to hit him because they came in so close to get those shots."

"Oh, so you like rock music?"

"I love it!"

"Cool," Aidan said. They discussed various groups they enjoyed and gave each other information on groups the other had never listened to.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Aidan's cell phone began to ring. He excused himself from the table to take the call. Corinne looked around the restaurant. She loved knowing she was eating inside a pyramid. The inside was decorated with Egyptian features and tributes to Rock-n-Roll. After a few minutes the food arrived along with Aidan.

"Sorry about that," Aidan said as he seated himself.

"Oh, you're just in time, the food is here," Corinne said, smiling.

"Do you pray?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to pray together?" Aidan asked. Corinne nodded. They held hands and said grace together.

They laughed and talked about news, politics, movies, television, sports, and anything else they could think of while they ate. Corinne was impressed and tried to remember a comparable experience with Dameon. She couldn't. Their conversations were one-sided in that Dameon spoke and either didn't give Corinne a chance to speak or contradicted everything she said.

Aidan took care of the check and drove Corinne back to the Atlantis.

"I had a great time with you, Corinne," Aidan said. Corinne smiled at him.

"I had a great time too."

"So, do you think we could hang out again?"

"Of course. I'd like that very much."

Corinne unhooked her seatbelt, wondering if Aidan was going to make a move. He touched her hand and she looked up. He leaned in across the console and tasted her lips. Corinne opened her mouth to allow his tongue inside and enjoyed the smooth feel of his tongue on hers. They continued to lightly kiss for a moment and then Corinne pulled away. Aidan kissed her cheek.

"You taste good," Aidan said, licking his lips.

"Really?" It was all Corinne could think to say.

"Like a ripe mango."

"I've never been compared to fruit," Corinne grinned.

"It's not just any fruit. It's my favorite fruit. I'll call you later."

"Alright," Corinne said as she climbed out the car. Once she was inside the hotel, Aidan pulled off. She got on the elevator and once inside her room, collapsed onto one of the queen sized beds thinking only of the kisses she'd enjoyed.

Her attraction to Aidan was powerful. She had thoroughly enjoyed herself and she surprised herself even more when she not only allowed Aidan to kiss her, but waited for him to kiss her. She had enjoyed his kisses and the feelings they'd aroused in her. The feelings overtook her as she relived the sensation.

Corinne jumped; startled by the telephone ringing while she had been sleep. It rang again and she reached over to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" She said, clearing her voice and sitting up.

"Corinne, it's me."

Corinne felt her heart stop. It was Dameon. She felt her palms begin to sweat as she heard him say, "How are you?"

Corinne's eyes widened and she tried to contain the excitement in her voice. "Hi Dameon, I'm alright, just watching TV, how're you?"

"I'm alright. Listen, I have a break and so I thought we could meet up for a few minutes to chat."

"Oh, okay, sure," Corinne said trying to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Okay, so, meet me at the Café by the Sea in like five minutes." Dameon rattled off directions to the café that was near the hotel.

Corinne stared at the phone realizing he hung up and did not bother to ask if she understood the directions or say goodbye. Her intuition said that he wasn't excited about seeing her and she felt foolish for sounding so giddy on the phone. She got up and checked her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror, making the necessary adjustments. She rushed from the room, remembering to pick up her purse, cell phone, and key card.

Once downstairs at the café, she spotted Dameon sitting at a table near a window. He smiled and motioned her over. She felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe he was excited to see her.

Corinne made her way to the table and took a seat across from him.

"I ordered you lemonade," Dameon said as soon as she sat down. "Drinks are about like a dollar fifty-nine here so just give me two bucks. You get unlimited refills."

Corinne's smile faltered. "Oh, oh okay."

She fumbled with her purse to retrieve two dollars and placed them on the table. Something inside her felt wrong. Before she could identify it, Dameon began speaking.

"I don't have long. So, how have you been?" He asked abruptly. She took a sip of lemonade to buy some time before responding.

"I've been okay," Corinne began.

"Corinne, what are you doing with Aidan? I know you're single and all, but I don't like it."

Corinne was astonished. "What's wrong with Aidan?" She nervously asked. She figured Dameon had reason to be concerned if he didn't like it.

"He's my friend. That's dirty of you date my friend."

"I didn't know he was your friend!" Corinne declared. "Who said we were dating anyway?"

Dameon threw his head back and laughed. "You might want to tell him that." When he finished laughing he paused and his demeanor became very serious. "Corinne, I've missed you."

Corinne studied Dameon's face, looking for signs that he was joking. It threw her; just a second ago he was laughing at her and now he was so solemn and serious. "Oh?"

"I said I miss you, but I guess you like Aidan though. He'll probably buy you jewelry and stuff. That's what guys in his culture do for the women they are with."

Corinne gave him an odd look. She didn't know what to say. She was still stuck on him saying he'd missed her and the conversation was spinning off into too many directions. When his words sunk in, she wondered why Dameon mentioned that Aidan might buy her stuff if they were together. She wondered why that mattered to him when he hadn't bought her anything except a small bottle of perfume from Bath and Body Works. Where was all this coming from?

"Why are you saying that?"

"I guess I asked you here because well, I miss you. I think we should hang out one day," Dameon suggested, pausing, "Don't you miss me?"

Corinne's heart accelerated. Dameon was saying what she wanted to hear, but something still felt wrong. "What about Sarina?"

"I'll deal with her," Dameon said softly.

Corinne wondered if that meant he would break up with her. She still hesitated. Something about it felt wrong. Then she remembered Aidan: Aidan's kisses, Aidan's smile, Aidan's personality... Corinne realized her attraction to Aidan was beginning to rival her attraction to Dameon though she still had strong feelings for Dameon; those feelings weren't as strong as they had been. Aidan must be the reason she was so hesitant.

"Dameon, I don't know," Corinne said as he gently continued to stroke her hands.

"Let's take a walk," he whispered in his soothing voice.

"What about your job?" Corinne implored.

"I'll be fine, let's walk."

They walked almost in silence to the pier which was a short distance away. Corinne leaned against the battered, wooden railing, her mind still reeling from their conversation in the café.

He still liked her and yet she wasn't thrilled. He'd said some good things, but some of what he said bothered her. Then she felt his arm encircle her and he nestled his face to hers.

"I've missed being this close to you," he breathed into her ear. Corinne's entire body trembled. "Your skin is so soft." Her eyes slid closed.

Dameon nuzzled into her neck and sighed, "Why wasn't your skin this soft when you were with me?"

Tears welled into her eyes and she tried to blink them away but a few escaped. An unidentifiable feeling hit her and she tried to describe it but no word she knew seemed to fit. Here he was, the man she had deemed worthy of fighting for. He was saying what she needed to hear, wanted to hear. Yet she wasn't responding with what he needed to hear.

He gently wiped her tears from her cheeks and planted a kiss on her forehead.

She peered into his hazel eyes and quickly averted her gaze to the ocean before she could lose herself in them. She needed to think, but right now she'd enjoy Dameon's affection, something she'd been missing for months.

Corinne closed the door to her hotel room, relieved to be out of Dameon's presence. The things he told her had unnerved her somewhat. Her whole plan seemed to be collapsing around her. Originally she was supposed to convince him to be with her and instead he was convincing her to be with him. Dameon was supposed to be the purpose of her trip, instead she found herself still wanting Dameon, but very intrigued with Aidan.

She walked out onto the balcony. The warm, stale, salty sea air greeted her. She leaned on the railing and allowed her eyes to wander across the expanse of the beach and ocean while her mind conjured up old memories of her and Dameon.

She remembered the day she and Dameon had broken up. She had just gotten back from spending the weekend with her sister. Her friends had been calling her all weekend telling her that they needed to talk to her as soon as she got back. When she finally got the news that Dameon had been at a party with another girl, she wasn't bothered much. She noticed Dameon had been a bit distant lately, but she was sure his distance related more to school than her. She didn't even bother to confront him with what she'd been told; she trusted Dameon with all her heart. Gossip was for the insecure.

The following weekend, Corinne didn't feel like going out, but Dameon did. Earlier that week she'd realized she was well over three weeks late and was a little nervous about the slim possibility she may be pregnant. She didn't share her fears with Dameon. Instead, she went out with him.

As usual, Dameon met up with his friends and left Corinne to fend on her own. She'd occasionally either chat with his friends or just watch them play pool or whatever. After leaving the bar the group decided to walk around downtown for a bit. Corinne was more than tired, but she didn't want to travel home alone.

A few blocks down, Dameon's phone started ringing. Corinne looked around at his friends wondering which one was absent and therefore on the phone. It was two o'clock in the morning and most of Dameon's friends were with them, so once she knew it wasn't one of his friends, she was very curious to find out who was on the phone. He answered the phone and hung back from the group chatting with whoever was on the line.

"So Corinne, did you have fun tonight?" His friend, Evan was asking.

"Yeah," Corinne nodded, continuing to walk with Dameon's friends rather than play insecure girlfriend and find out who Dameon was talking to. She felt her spine tingle a bit when the thought occurred to her that Dameon had been playing with his phone a lot lately, especially tonight.

Dameon caught up with the group after a few minutes.

"Hey guys, I'm out," he announced. He gave Corinne a hug. "See you later." Then he was heading in the opposite direction.

"Wait," Corinne called after him. "Where are you going? Aren't you staying with me?"

"No, not tonight. Hey, Evan, make sure Corinne gets home okay? I've got to go," Dameon called.

"No, wait, who was that on the phone?" Corinne asked feeling panic rise in her chest.

"Don't worry about it, now I've got to go." Corinne stared after him in confusion as he walked away.

"Come on, Corinne, I'll get you home," Evan said wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

When Corinne got back to her apartment she was livid and scared. Dameon had never ditched her like that. She sent him a text message telling him to call her when he got a chance.

After a half an hour, her stomach was in knots. The idea of being pregnant already had her petrified; now the idea of losing Dameon was more than she could handle. She wasn't even sure she was losing him; she just knew that something was going on. She called him. He didn't answer.

Anger and fear overtook her and so she sent him a text message saying "I think I'm pregnant". A half an hour later, someone was banging on her door.

She rushed to open it. Her heart knew it was Dameon.

"What the fuck is this shit about?" He cursed as soon as she opened the door. He pushed past her into the living room. "I don't fucking stay with you once and you're going to bring up this pregnancy bullshit? You're late all the damn time!"

"It wasn't meant to scare you or anything. I'm just scared. It's not like I want to be pregnant!" Corinne explained, suddenly feeling stupid for sharing her fear.

"So you sent me that crap just so I'd come over and spend the night? You're fucking pathetic. I'm out," Dameon yelled, heading to the door. Corinne grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait, Dameon, I'm sorry. I just got scared and then what I hear and the phone call," Corinne stammered trying to explain. She knew she wasn't making any sense, but she couldn't put her thoughts together with him being that angry and ready to walk away from her.

"Look, you're not pregnant," he growled at her. He threw open the apartment door and headed down the stairs. Corinne took off after him, not bothering to grab her key or even shut the door.

"Dameon, wait! We just need to talk!"

"Talk about what?"

"Just come inside. I'll tell you what's going on," Corinne begged. "We can't talk about this out here."

The cold was gnawing at Corinne who wasn't wearing a coat in the cold, winter weather.

"I don't want to talk in there," Dameon said pointedly. "You want to know who called that badly? Fine, I'll tell you who fucking called. Sarina."

All the breath left Corinne's lungs and she felt her heart stop. Sarina, his ex-girlfriend; the girl who could do no wrong, the girl she had replaced.

"So is that who you were with last weekend when I went to visit Cherie?" Corinne asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, she's back and you know what? I had a good time. She knows how to party; she knows how to have fun."

Corinne remained silent. She always had felt bad for always being unable to really get into drinking and partying like Dameon's friends and their girlfriends did.

"Oh and another thing, her family loves me still. I had dinner with her parents last Sunday and it was nice being accepted. I don't have to kiss _her_ mom's ass for basic courtesies."

Another issue between them: her parents never cared for Dameon. The few times they'd met him they weren't impressed and often tried to convince Corinne to see the same flaws they noticed.

"You could learn a lot from Sarina. Did you know she's already making contacts and connections to further her career? She's got international connections and the potential to land a job and make a lot of money. She's not some starving artist writing bullshit that no one cares to read."

Corinne suddenly couldn't see Dameon anymore, the tears she'd been crying had blurred her vision. He looked like a blob of brown. All the things she'd written that he'd read and praised suddenly didn't mean anything to him anymore, which hurt her more than anything.

"I don't want to do this anymore Corinne. Seeing her made me realize how much I missed her." He shrugged. "I'm sorry."

Corinne did not detect one iota of sincerity in his apology.

"Oh, and one more thing, Cory! You know that _problem_ you have? Sarina doesn't have it. She looked hot! No fur anywhere! Fucking freak!" Dameon laughed.

Corinne wondered if she could will God to allow her to drop dead right then. She was mortified and beyond embarrassed. She could feel the anger boil in her chest, but she couldn't formulate any words. She was too in shock that the one she loved would say this to her.

It took her a moment to realize she was standing alone in the parking lot. Somehow she made it back into her apartment. Tami wasn't there to comfort her so she collapsed onto the couch and cried the remainder of the night.

That night still had the power to make Corinne cry. After the horrible break up, Corinne feared seeing Dameon. She was even scared to speak to his friends. What if he'd told them about her problems? How could she face them or anyone he may have blabbed to? He'd been the first guy she'd ever trusted with her secret and he'd sworn that he'd never tell and more importantly that he'd never use it against her.

Corinne essentially retreated from life after that. She focused entirely on her schoolwork and Tami was the only person she shared the story with. Tami had wanted to kill him, but Corinne begged her to stay out of it.

After almost a year of being together, Dameon had changed his mind and had exhibited no regret, until today. Corinne stepped back from the railing and sat in one of the plastic chairs on the balcony. She wiped the tears she'd shed while recalling her bad memory.

She'd prayed for months that he hadn't meant those words, but she prayed more for the body that she didn't have; the body without the flaws. Corinne believed she'd asked a lot of Dameon in accepting her flaws and now that she knew why and was getting it under control maybe that would help things.

She wanted to believe that Dameon was sincere and that he really wanted her back in his life, but it was hard to believe. The things he said still stung and the way he was acting was as if he didn't recall ever saying them.

"They were just words," she whispered to herself. "I write words all the time and I know words can hurt, but it doesn't mean that the person doesn't love you." Corinne tried to convince herself, tried to forgive him for saying the words and forgive herself for having flaws.

The humidity was making Corinne tired, so she went back into her hotel room and lay down on the bed to watch television. Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered how he'd held her earlier and how much he meant to her.

Why couldn't her skin feel the way it did today when she was with him?

"Hey, Cory, how was your day?" Tami called as she closed the door behind her.

"Interesting," Corinne said more to herself than to Tami.

"Well, come on, let's get ready!" Tami exclaimed, throwing her suitcase onto her bed and unzipping it.

"Ready for what?" Corinne asked as she stretched.

"The Maroon 5 concert. Ramón got us tickets to the House of Blues for the Maroon 5 concert!" Tami squealed. Corinne's eyes widened and she flew off the bed, tossing clothing in the air, searching for the right thing to wear.

"Adam Levine is so cute!" Corinne cooed, while Tami laughed.

"Call Aidan! Ramón has a ticket for him," Tami said, tossing Corinne her cell phone. Corinne smiled and then remembered she didn't know his number.

"I don't have his phone number!"

"How'd you manage that?"

"I don't know, but he's staying here. Maybe the lobby can connect me to his room." Corinne hoped she was right. After talking to the operator, the phone rang a few times.

"Hello?" Aidan's voice came across the line.

"Aidan, it's Corinne."

"Hey, what's up? I just got in from work. I can't say I got much work done though," Aidan said softly.

"Why not?" Corinne asked.

"I was thinking about you."

Corinne blushed. "Well, how about you hang out with me tonight? Tami's friend Ramón got tickets for the Maroon 5 concert at House of Blues. Would you come?"

"Okay, I'm game. What time should I be ready?"

"Um, good question, one sec," Corinne said turning to Tami. "What time?"

"Um, let's see," Tami looked at the clock. "It's five now, the concert starts at nine... How about eight?"

"Eight o'clock," Corinne repeated. "Is that okay Aidan?"

"I'll be ready; I'll meet you at your room."

"Great."

"Later."

"Later," Corinne said hanging up the room phone. "Tami, he's so sweet!"

"Aw, he's adorable. You two look really cute together."

Corinne smiled. Aidan was... perfect. Dameon never willingly did anything Corinne wanted to do, especially regarding Corinne's diverse interests in rock music and art. She would spend a large amount of time trying to persuade him to go only for him to say no. Then, right before she would leave he would change his mind and go. He would fool around, make her late, and then they would both be in bad moods when they arrived. His foul mood would be because he actually ended up going and hers would be from him making her late and always deciding to go at the last minute.

"What are you frowning for?" Tami questioned giving Corinne a serious look.

"Nothing," Corinne quickly banished Dameon from her thoughts. "Okay, so what am I going to wear?"

They began going through their clothing and rushing to get ready.

Corinne held on to Aidan's hand tightly as Maroon 5 began playing onstage. The crowd erupted with screams and cheers.

"...and I fall asleep and dream of alternate realities..." Corinne bopped along to the music, excited that they'd played her favorite song first.

Aidan gazed at Corinne seeing the smile on her face and smiled. She looked stylish and cute. Corinne wore her natural picked out. She had on a gauzy, white peasant shirt with bell sleeves that she wore low on her shoulders and jeans. When he'd first seen what she was wearing, he had wanted to find a flower to place in her hair so she would have the flair of the girls back home.

Corinne began to sing along, having memorized the entire CD. She felt Aidan tap her side and she turned to look at him. He leaned down to her ear.

"I love this," he whispered into her ear, indicating her outfit. "You look like the girls back home."

Corinne blushed and tiptoed to reach his ear. "Where is home for you?" She asked curiously.

He smiled at her and responded, "Tobago".

Corinne's attention was drawn back to the concert. Well that certainly explained the accent, she mused before dancing along with Tami to the next song.

After a while the band slowed their rhythm and played "She will be loved". Corinne felt Aidan's hands rest around her waist. They gently swayed together. She caught Tami smiling at her from the corner of her eye and she felt herself begin to smile as well.

She closed her eyes and reveled in the moment. She felt the warmth coming from his body and not only did it warm her body, but it was warming her heart. She unconsciously positioned herself even closer to him.

Suddenly, Aidan quit swaying and turned Corinne to him. She looked up into his eyes and then quickly looked away. The intensity in his eyes enthralled and scared her all at once. She dared to look again and was overcome with a warm sensation. Uncertainty, attraction, happiness, pain, strength, and maybe love filled her; and then before she could put those emotions together in a coherent manner, his lips met hers. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the soft feel of his lips.

Then she felt his tongue touch her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to receive him. His tongue was smooth, but they kissed mostly with their lips. Even though she was well aware of her fears, she'd never felt so freed from them. After a moment, Corinne felt the wind knocked out of her as she realized she was kissing a guy in public and she felt her cheeks flame up in embarrassment. She had never shown affection for a man in public, but then again she'd never been with a guy who did. Secretly she'd always wanted some form of affection from Dameon in public just so she'd feel like she was his.

Dameon. She pulled back from the kiss. Her hand flew to her mouth and she felt the guilt creep up her spine. The sensation in her stomach went away. She shivered, suddenly cold.

She gave Aidan a hug to give herself a moment to regain composure. His scent traveled through her nose and Dameon's memory began to fade. She felt him hold her tighter, if that were possible. Then Aidan kissed her on the forehead tilting her chin so he could see her eyes. When her eyes met his, the warmth returned and they kissed again, this time Dameon's memory did not interfere.

Corinne wove her arms around his neck and Aidan held her to him. Aidan's kiss was unlike any other she'd ever experienced. Far away she heard Tami squeal and then she remembered Tami was right beside her. They pulled apart. Aidan was more reluctant than Corinne.

"Get it Cory!" Tami whispered with a laugh. Aidan and Corinne both blushed. Ramón pulled Tami into his arms and she quickly pushed him away and gave him a look to back off. Corinne stopped herself from giggling.

In that moment, she knew she could fall for Aidan if she could get over Dameon and she was okay with that idea. The way he treated her and the way he made her feel – Corinne would battle heaven and earth to always feel that way.

After the concert ended and everyone was filing out, Corinne and Tami laughed about the girls who had gotten on the shoulders of some guys and taken their shirts off. Security made them put their clothing back on, but it was hilarious to Corinne and Tami.

"Thank goodness you didn't throw your underwear on stage as you planned to do," Corinne joked with Tami.

"Darn it. I'll be back. I'm going to run in and throw them!"

"You were really going to throw your underwear?" Ramón asked, seemingly turned on by the idea.

"No," Tami groaned.

"Thank you so much, Ramón," Corinne said sweetly. "I can't believe I finally got to see them in concert!"

"Yeah, thanks," Tami said looping her arm in Ramón's. He smiled at Tami and Corinne saw all the affection and feelings he had for Tami and she almost pitied him. She could tell by Tami's interaction with him that he would be no different from the other guys who drooled over her. She wasn't that into him.

"So where are we off to now?" Corinne asked.

"I wanted to take Tami for drinks, maybe take a walk on the beach," Ramón said, grabbing Tami's hand and kissing it. Tami smiled and politely yanked her hand away.

"Well, what are you all going to do?" Tami inquired with a wink. Aidan and Corinne looked at each other and grinned.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find some way to keep Corinne occupied until you return, Tami," Aidan said pulling Corinne close and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Tami raised an eyebrow at Corinne, who felt herself blush as she laughed. "Oh, excuse me, that's what's up, I guess."

At the hotel entrance, Aidan and Corinne held hands as they watched Tami and Ramón drive off. Corinne remained quiet, unsure of what exactly to suggest or say.

"Corinne?" She looked up and into Aidan's eyes. "Do you want to go up to my room?"

"Okay," Corinne quickly responded, surprised with herself. Then she felt mind flood with panic. What if things went too far? What if she wasn't ready? What if? What if? So many possibilities raced through her mind.

Aidan squeezed her hand, and as if he could read her mind whispered into her ear, "Don't look so scared."

Corinne smiled at Aidan. She was impressed that he was perceptive enough to sense her thoughts.

"Who said I was scared?"

"Your face, it shows your thoughts."

"Traitor," Corinne murmured referring to her face. "My mom is always admonishing me because I wear my heart on my sleeve."

Aidan smiled. "So you've got no poker face?"

Corinne smirked at him. "I bet you have one."

They exchanged grins and her nerves calmed. She realized in that instant Aidan had done something no other guy had ever accomplished: he put her overactive mind into neutral.

She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked into the hotel. He led her to the elevator, which was waiting, and took her to his room.

Once inside, Corinne sat down on the couch. She noticed that his was a two bedroom condo.

"Are you staying by yourself?"

"Nope, but Dameon isn't here very often," Aidan explained. Corinne felt her heart skip a beat.

"Oh, you room together?" She asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice. What if they'd talked? What if Dameon walked in and saw her with Aidan?

"Yeah," Aidan shrugged, going to open the refrigerator. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yeah, I need something," Corinne whispered quietly before asking aloud, "What do you have?"

"Peach schnapps, bourbon, wine, vodka..."

"Orange juice and peach schnapps," Corinne called shifting into a more comfortable position on the couch.

She caught Aidan looking at her from the kitchen and she smiled. He fixed her drink and made himself a drink. When he walked over and handed it to her, Corinne immediately swallowed a big gulp.

"Thirsty?" Aidan joked.

Corinne giggled. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Aidan took a few sips from his glass before he sat it down. He leaned on the armrest of the chair and watched Corinne who was looking outside the balcony window at the night sky. When she felt his eyes on her, she turned to face him.

"What's up?" She said softly.

"Want to play a game?" Aidan suggested.

"Aren't we playing one?" Corinne's hand flew to her mouth as soon as the words came from her mouth. Aidan laughed.

"I meant a real game."

"Like what?"

"Gin, do you play?"

"Sure," Corinne responded enthusiastically. Her parents had taught her to play Gin Rummy a few years ago, but she was a little rusty on the rules. "I haven't played in a while so I'm a little rusty."

"That's fine, I'll re-teach you," Aidan said picking up a deck of cards from one of the side tables. He dealt some cards to each of them and explained the rules of Gin. They practiced with a few hands.

"I'm ready now. Let's do this. Should we make a wager on the outcome?" Corinne asked.

"Beginners are usually lucky and I'm a sore loser," Aidan replied with a wink. Corinne felt herself smiling and realized that she smiled often when she was with Aidan.

"I'm no beginner; it's just been a while."

"As much explaining as I had to do you may as well be a beginner," Aidan laughed. Corinne punched him on the shoulder.

"Hey, that wasn't nice," she whined. Aidan kissed her on the cheek and then dealt the cards.

"Shall we play to five hundred?" Aidan asked.

Corinne nodded. "I hope you don't cry when you lose though."

"I hope you don't expect me to let you win just to impress you," Aidan responded with a grin. They smiled at one another and began playing.

As they played, Corinne realized how relaxed she was around Aidan. When she first met Dameon and started hanging out with him, she caught herself posing in cute little outfits and trying to be funny, cute, and seductive all at once; anything to impress him and be the woman she thought he wanted. It was a while before she relaxed and acted herself, but with Aidan she was comfortable almost instantly.

Aidan dramatically made the game-winning hit. Corinne dropped her remaining cards to the table.

"You win," Corinne pouted, and then she laughed. It had been a "good game" – she'd lost by two hundred.

"Are you sure you've played before? We could have practiced more." Aidan joked, placing the cards back in the box.

"There you go being mean again. You're quite competitive, Aidan," Corinne declared sticking her tongue out her mouth. "I'll have you know I play Gin quite well. I've even won!"

"Hmph, I find that hard to believe," Aidan muttered. Corinne looked at him and felt her feelings bruise a little. She stood up and Aidan pulled her back to the couch and into his lap. "Just teasing you babe."

"You're being mean," Corinne pouted, refusing to look at him though he tried to meet her eyes.

"Aw, you're so sensitive." Corinne cringed. Dameon had also called her sensitive and then emotional and dramatic. She'd hated it. She quit pouting.

Aidan turned her face to his and pecked her lightly on the lips and she smiled. She hopped from his lap and retrieved her drink.

He rose from the couch and offered her his hand. Corinne placed her hand in his and he pulled her from the couch.

"Let's take a walk on the beach. It's beautiful tonight," Aidan whispered. Corinne nodded and finished off her drink.

Aidan held her hand the entire time they spent walking to the elevator, riding the elevator and reaching the beach. No words or thoughts were shared between them as they walked along the beach. The ocean provided a calming ambience that peacefully maintained the silence.

"Corinne," Aidan paused. Corinne stopped and looked back at him. He pulled her into his arms and parted her lips to kiss her.

Her whole body ignited from his touch and the intensity of his kiss. His mouth was so soft and his mouth was so intoxicating and skilled at kissing her just the way she liked to be kissed. Her pulse increased, her cheeks blushed, and her eyes began to tear. How could he know how to kiss her when they barely knew one another?

He held her closer and Corinne felt secure and cared for in his warm embrace. All her troubles faded the longer they stood wrapped up in the moment. The waves rolled in and wrapped themselves around their ankles. Even the pull of the ocean was not enough for them to pause. One thought formed clearly in her mind – at that moment she would surrender her soul and battle heaven and earth to stay exactly as she was with Aidan in that moment.

Aidan's hands traveled down her sides to her rear and he pulled her closer against him. Corinne felt the heat from his body and strength of his desire. Her stomach knotted and then jumped. She pulled away from the kiss.

Aidan held her close to his chest and ran his hands along her back.

"Are you okay?" He asked his voice a bit raspy.

Corinne nodded. She couldn't explain how she felt to herself much less to him. She felt at ease, she felt found – she felt everything was right and as it should be.

Aidan moved so he could kiss her neck with light little pecks. Corinne closed her eyes and surrendered. Then he began to slide his tongue on her neck. The warmth of his breath and the coolness of the moisture he left on her neck combined to weaken Corinne to the core. She bit her lip so that she wouldn't moan.

He bit her, lightly and Corinne pulled his face to hers and locked his lips in a kiss. His hands roamed her body a bit more freely, tracing her breasts, pulling her closer to him.

She felt as if she were in a dream, floating above them and yet still feeling every sensation, every spark as they continued to kiss. She could see a huge black cloud loomed somewhere nearby, but with Aidan she felt as if she were bathed in ethereal sunlight. As long as she was with him, the cloud would never darken her days.

The sound of voices made them pull apart from one another. Aidan still held Corinne close to him, if only to hide his erection. Corinne grinned feeling it against her stomach. A few days ago the thought of another man's erection touching her would have made her want to vomit, but the heat she experienced when she felt Aidan's poke her in the stomach awoke nothing but desire in her. The other couple strolling along the beach smiled as they walked by.

"Aidan, I've never kissed, well, really got into kissing like that in public," Corinne babbled, astonished at her own behavior. Aidan was silent, looking towards the sea. "I mean it was fine though. I'm okay with it..."

"Aidan? Are you okay?" Corinne asked looking up at him. His eyes met hers and what she saw took her breath away.

"I could fall for you," he said. Her pulse skyrocketed and she felt tears surge behind her eyes. She could fall for him too, but she couldn't bring herself to say it at that moment. If she said it, would it all go away? If she put her heart into this would it return in worse condition than with Dameon?

Confusion, doubt, and guilt, the dark cloud, gnawed at her and she willed them all to go away. She wanted to fall in love with Aidan. She wanted to always feel as favored and special as she did right then.

She ran her fingers down his face and let her index finger fall across his lips. He kissed her fingers one by one. She shivered. Aidan rubbed her arms to keep her warm, mistaking her shiver for her actually being cold.

A chill traveled up her spine as she imagined how erotic it would be to make love to Aidan on the beach. If kissing him on the beach could make her want him so much, making love on the beach would be explosive. She could just imagine their bodies and their contrasting colors on the sand. She wanted to feel the sand on her back, in her hair and the waves crashing around them.

"We should probably go in," Corinne suggested swallowing her fantasy. Her overactive, critical mind interrupted her daydream. It had directed Corinne to more appropriate thoughts, like imagining what her mother would say if she saw her on the beach making-out with some guy she'd only known a couple of days. Her mother would be mortified and ashamed of a daughter who allowed men to touch her and be intimate with her in public.

"I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable," Aidan apologized. Corinne's mind paused and wondered if she had given away her thoughts somehow.

"No, no, you're fine. Let's go see what's on T.V." Corinne grabbed his hand and led him back to the hotel. She needed to get some space between them before she did something totally out of character, something aggressive and naughty.

The journey back to Aidan's room cooled both of them considerably. They decided to watch sports highlights in Aidan's room.

Corinne looked around. The queen size bed was in the center of the room and the master bath was off to the left. A television was perched on top of a long dresser in front of the bed and a tall dresser stood to the right of the bed. A door to the balcony was in the right corner of the room. The nightstand was to the left of the bed and on top was a white lamp.

Corinne kicked off her shoes and made herself comfortable on Aidan's bed and Aidan wrapped his arm around her. She snuggled against him, sighing in content. She fit perfectly into his side. She'd fit into Dameon's side as well, but she never had much access to it. He'd never held her unless he wanted a warm body to help him fall asleep.

"May I touch your hair?" Corinne smiled and nodded.

"You can't sue me if it gets stuck though. My hair is curly, but it's coarse." Aidan laughed and began to play with the ends of her hair, lightly tugging strands and letting them go to see them curl up again.

All tension and stressful thoughts faded. Dameon had never done anything to relax her that she'd enjoyed. When he was in pain or stressed, she took the time to massage him and pamper him. When she was in pain or stressed he'd suggest she drink water and exercise.

"Where is your mind?" Aidan suddenly asked.

Corinne jerked around to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I just looked at you a couple of seconds ago and you looked so far off and sad. I've noticed you've done that before. Is there something troubling you?"

"No, I'm a daydreamer that's all," Corinne lied, redirecting her eyes so he would not know she had fibbed.

"Liar," Aidan said, poking her in the rib.

"How'd you know?" Corinne asked surprised. Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized she'd just admitted to telling the lie.

"You're a bad liar. You wear your heart on your sleeve. It's all in your eyes," Aidan laughed. "Don't worry, I won't bug you about it, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks," Corinne said, lifting his hand to kiss it. She'd never made any gesture so bold with Dameon, but once she kissed Aidan's hand she felt empowered to do so much more.

He began to play in her hair again. Corinne massaged the palm of his hand, occasionally kissing it. She couldn't figure out why it felt so good to do that.

Aidan moved closer to her and traced from her knee to her thigh with his hand. Corinne watched his actions and held her breath. He carefully urged Corinne onto her back while his hand dropped to her knee before inching its way up her thigh again. This time she tensed. His hands roamed over her hips and rested on her tummy.

His touch seared her belly. She jumped and covered his hand with hers. She could've sworn she'd been burned.

"Sorry," she said quickly when his eyes met hers. Then she sat up in panic. Insecurity flooded her. She was false advertising; right now her belly was smooth and soft, but in a week the dreaded hair would start to grow in again. Would he still want to touch her if he knew her belly wasn't always this way?

Nerves bawled up in her stomach and she subconsciously gripped his hand. Time stopped for a minute as she wavered between letting him continue and calling it a night. Aidan gave her a strange look and French kissed her belly button. Her head fell back onto the pillows. The battle was over.

She pulled his hand to her mouth and sucked on one of his fingers. Aidan moaned and she felt her top leaving her body. Panic flooded her body. She wasn't ready to be intimate, at least not through intercourse.

Her attention was diverted when he cupped her breasts and pulled up her strapless to kiss and suck on her nipples. She had to let him know now.

"Aidan? Aidan. Aidan! I don't want to have sex," she said softly.

Aidan continued to kiss and suckle her.

"Aidan, I'm s-serious," she twitched.

"Ok," he said before continuing to scorch her with his mouth. As his hands fondled her, he trailed kisses up her neck, nibbled her ear, and kissed her on her forehead. He pulled back to look at her but her eyes were looking up as if hoping to see the kiss he'd left on her forehead. Corinne's eyes then shifted to him.

Her eyes communicated so many things to him, but he was certain she liked him as much as he liked her. Aidan kissed her forehead again and when she closed her eyes, he kissed both eyelids. He kissed the tip of her nose and he felt her smile. Finally he reached her lips. He bit her bottom lip and pulled her mouth to his. She came willingly. He kissed her twice on the lips before breaking through her lips and massaging her tongue.

The passion amazed Corinne. As much as he responded to her she responded to him. Neither controlled the kiss. Aidan massaged her stomach while kissing her.

Corinne felt her body temperature rise and she began to want to have sex with Aidan. On the beach, in the bedroom, it didn't matter as long as she satisfied the urge. She knew it would be intense and deeply satisfying. Aidan drew away from her mouth and Corinne moaned in protest.

She opened her eyes, and Aidan noticed her dilated pupils. He grinned, knowing he'd seduced her. He caught his breath.

"Come here, Corinne," he said, lying beside her. She rolled over and wove her fingers with his. He took her hand and placed it on top of his bulge. "I just wanted you to feel how much I want you."

Corinne's eyes slid closed and her will to not sleep with him took a huge blow. All she had to do was undo his belt, unzip him and reach inside. She could taste him; she could play with him, and then let him inside. Wait a minute, taste him? The thought took Corinne by surprise. She'd never wanted to give oral sex in her life.

"Baaad," Corinne drawled in a husky voice. Aidan grinned. "You did this on purpose."

"Yeah right, you were the one trying to get into my pants," he joked. "I just came out for a lovely evening with a nice lady."

"Yeah, sure." Corinne ran her hand across his chest.

"Corinne," he began. She pulled his mouth towards hers and began kissing him again. She tried to pull him down on top of her.

"Hey, come on," Aidan protested as he pulled away from her.

Corinne giggled. She enjoyed knowing she could seduce him too. Dameon treated their times in bed together as if she were after him when most times she just wanted him to hold her or kiss her. He mistook her need for affection as desire. She would go along with it becoming aroused, but he never believed her when she would say all she had wanted was a kiss.

"Corinne, will you play with my hair? It helps me sleep," Aidan yawned sleepily. Corinne looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Um, sure," she said. He moved so she could reach his head. As she ran her fingers through his thick straight hair, Corinne felt herself relax as well. She wondered how that could be possible when he was the one receiving the action and she was doing all the work. She felt herself start to doze, but her fingers continued to work themselves through his hair.
**Thursday**

Corinne's body roused her from sleep. She heard the distant crash of the waves and felt the sun was warming her feet. She almost panicked when she didn't recognize her surroundings right away, but then she realized she was still in Aidan's room.

His arms were around her waist. They were spooning, and it felt good. Aidan was still asleep; she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She touched his hand that was around her waist. After the two had kissed for what seemed like hours, Corinne had showered and changed into some of Aidan's clothes, namely an oversize t-shirt that hung off her shoulders and a pair of his boxer shorts.

The sun splayed across the bed and warmth filled the room. Corinne brought Aidan's hand to her mouth and kissed it. An alarm went off in the room causing Corinne to jump. Aidan got up and turned it off. He looked at Corinne and smiled, she returned his smile.

"Good morning sunshine."

"Good morning. Thanks for the pajamas." Corinne said playfully.

"Haha. Man, I don't want to go to work today."

"What time do you have to be there?"

"Nine. It's seven right now."

"Oh, I should get going so you can get ready." Aidan turned Corinne around to face him.

"You're not going anywhere!" He said before straddling her and beginning to tickle her. Corinne squealed and begged him to stop. "Say mercy! Say mercy!"

"Mer---" Corinne began to yell, but before she could finish Aidan's mouth was on hers. Corinne wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him closer to her. She almost wished he would get her to the point where she couldn't say no. Realizing that he had the potential to do this did not alarm Corinne, it intrigued her. Aidan slowly withdrew from her mouth.

"I better get in the shower," he said. "There's some breakfast food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"Would you like me to make you something?" Corinne offered.

"Yeah, if you don't mind, that would be really nice," he said heading into the bathroom. Corinne slid out of bed and rubbed her eyes. She stretched before getting up and exiting the room.

In the refrigerator, there were a variety of breakfast foods. Corinne toasted two bagels and took out the cream cheese. She poured two glasses of orange juice and cut up an apple and orange she found on the counter.

As she was spreading cream cheese on Aidan's bagel, she heard a door close.

"Aidan, are you ready for that presentation?" Dameon said as he walked into the kitchen wearing a navy blue suit with a white shirt and nautical tie. Corinne dropped the knife she was using, which landed with a clatter to the counter. Dameon mirrored the look of shock on her face, seeing her in Aidan's t-shirt and boxer shorts. Corinne instinctively touched her hair, which was an honest mess.

"What are you doing here?" Dameon hissed.

"I'm here with him," Corinne managed to choke out, picking up the knife and continuing to put cream cheese on the bagel though her hands were much less steady. Her eyes focused on the task at hand, refusing to even glance at Dameon.

"You spent the night?" Dameon asked, his voice rising.

"Yes," Corinne whispered, suddenly feeling very small. What would Dameon do? What would he say to her? To Aidan? Fear enveloped her and her hands trembled as they continued to spread cream cheese on the bagels.

Dameon stalked over to her and grabbed her wrist. She looked in his eyes.

"I thought you said you wanted to get back together. What the fuck are you doing here with him?" Dameon said fiercely as he released her wrist pushing her back. Corinne stepped away from him and looked down at the counter.

Dameon was supposed to be her ultimate goal of this trip. He was the reason she was here; she was supposed to be winning him back. Shame, guilt, confusion, insecurity, the enormous dark cloud grew and began to overtake her.

She thought about Aidan and all the fun they were having, but the good memories with Aidan couldn't overcome the guilt. How could she do this to Dameon? He was what she'd wanted and he was ready. She couldn't do this to Dameon. She couldn't let him down, not when he was ready to be what she needed. Tears flooded her eyes.

"Dameon I'm so sorr–"

"Let me guess he bought you something," Dameon sneered.

"No!" Corinne denied.

"Do you want to try again? I want to be with you," Dameon said pointedly.

"What about the things you said to me?" Corinne whispered. "Are you even sorry?"

"What are you talking about? I said I wanted you."

"No, the things you said when we broke up," Corinne explained, trembling.

"Well you shouldn't have called with that pregnancy bullshit. It gets on my nerves how much attention you need."

Corinne's eyes widened, it was a total slap in the face, but before she could form a response --

"I'm ready!" Aidan called. When he noticed Dameon he continued, "Check this out, this pretty lady is making me breakfast."

He walked into the kitchen and sat on the bar stool in front of the counter. Corinne quickly turned away to wipe her eyes and then arranged their food on plates and handed him his orange juice before giving him his plate.

"Yeah, well, if I bought women stuff I'd have a cook and a maid too," Dameon said, almost snidely.

"I'm sure Sarina has both of those already," Aidan said, totally missing the insult.

"It doesn't matter now though. Last night we broke up," Dameon stated staring straight at Corinne. Corinne looked away, feeling fresh tears and guilt bowl her over.

"Really? Do you think you're going to stay that way? Didn't you guys break up and make up before?" Aidan questioned as he ate.

"I don't know, but I'll see you at the office."

"Later," Aidan called as Dameon left the kitchen and exited the condo. Aidan had put on a tan suit with a white shirt and matching tan tie. Corinne made herself smile so as not to alert him to anything being wrong. She quietly watched him eat.

"Is it good?" She asked, when she felt her voice wouldn't be clogged with tears.

"Not as good as you," he replied. "Thank you," he added.

"You're welcome."

"So, Corinne, can I ask you something?"

Corinne's heart caught in her throat. What if he'd noticed the awkwardness between her and Dameon? "Sure," she responded, her voice raspy.

"Why are you single?" Aidan asked. Corinne looked towards the door; she wasn't in the right frame of mind to have this conversation.

"I just got out of a serious relationship a couple of months ago, and I'm not entirely sure I'm over it," Corinne said honestly.

"Oh. Did you think he was the one?"

"Isn't that usually why we stay with people? We think that we're eventually going to settle down with that person," Corinne was maintaining her nonchalant façade, but she wasn't sure if she could continue this conversation. She felt like she'd said too much already.

"That's interesting. A lot of people refer to staying with one person as settling down, have you ever thought it may be settling for someone instead?" Corinne thought about this point for a moment.

She shook her head no.

"This guy, he had his flaws, right?"

"Yeah, like me and everyone else," Corinne said quietly. Aidan held her hand.

"Corinne, look at me," Aidan commanded. She met his eyes briefly before looking away. "Why can't you look me in the eye when you speak?"

"Why do I need to?" Corinne implored, softly.

"I'm not your father. I'm not reprimanding you. It's just that well, you have control. Looking someone in the eye shows you're confident and that you are to be taken seriously."

Corinne tried to meet his eyes again, but she couldn't.

"It's obvious someone hurt you, but did anyone hurt you so much that they destroyed your confidence?" Silence stretched between them. Aidan sighed and massaged Corinne's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Corinne said as firmly as she could manage. "It's okay, I'm fine. I don't need any pity." She shrugged his hand from her shoulder.

"Are you telling me or yourself? You're not even looking at me!"

Corinne sucked in a deep breath. She wanted to run, she couldn't deal with everything that was happening, but then she was grateful that someone was confronting her about her behavior. However, she was certain it wasn't an appropriate conversation for them. They barely knew one another.

"Someone hurt you and you're **not** okay with it. Corinne, what happened? You're too old to lack confidence like this," Aidan tried to move her chin so that she'd look at him.

When her eyes finally landed on his he wasn't surprised by the tears forming within them. She sucked in a breath and blinked them back.

"You're going to be late for work. I don't want you to be late," Corinne said. If she'd dared to look at Aidan, she would have seen his disappointment.

"Corinne, you have to realize that you were settling for that guy. If he didn't do what it takes to keep you and keep you smiling, then you were definitely settling for this guy. Okay Corinne?" Aidan said, studying Corinne closely. "Even more importantly, if you keep this weak and fearful personality you will never be happy. You'll only attract those who will take advantage of you."

Like you? Corinne's mind formed the question she didn't dare to ask. Fear entered her mind. What if Aidan was using her? There was something safer about going back to Dameon rather than truly get to know Aidan. Maybe because she wouldn't be as surprised or disappointed if Dameon hurt her than Aidan.

The wave of fear subsided and Corinne felt as if her heart had been exposed and was very silent. Aidan was saying every word Tami had said to her since she and Dameon had broken up. Somehow the words resonated more within her and meant more, coming from Aidan. She had never been one to share her thoughts and feelings and now without even revealing the gory details of her past or explaining how she felt about Dameon, Aidan had read through her. She looked at the remaining half a bagel and fruit on her plate and lost her appetite.

"I'm sorry, Corinne, I didn't mean to offend you," Aidan apologized, noting her silence. He wrapped her up in a hug and kissed her neck.

"Oh, you didn't offend me," Corinne said lightly, trying to laugh off her discomfort. She made a move to snuggle against him, but she really was wiping away her tears. Aidan rubbed her back.

She sat up quickly and moved away from him. "I really don't want you to be late for work."

Aidan frowned. "You're so afraid, changing the subject. Avoidance behaviors." He shook his head.

Aidan finished the rest of his fruit and gulped down the last bit of orange juice. He stood up and took Corinne into his arms. She was so stiff in his arms and he despised that. She hadn't been this way the last night. She'd been warm and welcoming. He held her until he felt her relax.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say the one you love is never going to hurt you, but look at me Corinne," Aidan said, tilting Corinne's chin up so he was staring straight into her eyes, "there's a huge difference between the one who loves you hurting you and someone just hurting you. _You_ have to know when you deserve better and never look back."

Corinne nodded. Aidan kissed the tip of her nose.

"I've got to run to work now. Stay as long as you like. You can stay here until I get back, but I doubt you'll want to stay here all day. The door will lock automatically if you leave. Just think about what I said, we can talk some more when I get back from work," Aidan said. Corinne nodded. He kissed her on her lips and grabbed his things for work. "Bye beautiful!" He called as the door closed behind him.

Corinne rested against the countertop and took a deep breath. The tears she'd been holding back fell to the counter in large drops. She placed her head in her hands and cried. What Aidan had said shook her and the foundation of her argument to continue to pursue Dameon. What if she was wasting her time trying to win Dameon back? What if Aidan was saying those things so that she would be more open with him and love him so he could just leave her too?

Insecurity, doubt, guilt -- Corinne gathered her things from Aidan's room before leaving and heading to her own room.

Corinne looked in the mirror and applied some more curling style gel to her wet hair before applying her make up. She was wearing her favorite pair of Seven jeans and a striped shirt that tied at her waist. Tami was sitting on the bed watching television.

"So, Corinne, how are things going with Aidan?" Tami asked as a commercial came onto the screen.

"Fine," Corinne said.

"You don't sound too happy. Is anything wrong? You've been quiet since you got here."

Corinne searched her mind to put into words what she was going through. How could she tell Tami what had happened with Dameon and then what happened with Aidan? How could Tami possibly understand?

She felt Tami's hand on her shoulder. "Corinne, did he hurt you last night?" Tami questioned. "Did he do anything to you?"

"NO! No! Oh my gosh, no! I'm fine. Nothing like that happened," Corinne exclaimed. Tami sat back upon the bed.

"Oh. You were so quiet and distant, I thought. Nevermind, but you did almost make me catch a case."

Corinne couldn't help but grin. "I don't know how to put into words what I'm thinking about right now."

"You're thinking about Dameon, huh?"

"Somewhat. I'm thinking about Aidan too though," Corinne said, her words sounded so unsure.

"Cory, why Dameon?"

"I loved him."

"I loved pizza from Domino's, but that one time I got food poisoning I cut my losses and moved on to Papa John's!"

Corinne slammed her palm to her forehead in a gesture of exasperation. "You cannot compare love between a man and a woman to love for pizza. That's just ridiculous."

"Damnit Corinne! Aidan is a good guy. A really cute, good looking guy and even if you're only going to see him this week he's a great start at getting over Dameon. It's time to move on with life. You're going to exhaust yourself and your heart loving someone who doesn't love you!"

"I just don't get it. Why do you dislike Dameon so much?"

"What's to like about him? The way he spoke to you that night you two broke up is enough for me to hate him."

"He spoke to me like that, not you. You have no reason to truly hate him! If I'm willing to forgive him, you should forgive him too."

"Corinne," Tami said drawing in a deep breath, "have you lost your mind? You think that it's okay for someone who loves you to speak to you like that? If you had any kind of confidence you would not allow **anyone** to speak to you that way. Especially not a boyfriend. FUCK that."

Corinne froze, it was the second time in a short time period she'd been accused of lacking confidence and it was making her wonder if they were right.

"When you love someone, you forgive them for the things they say that hurt you."

"When someone loves you back they apologize their damn selves for saying such stupid shit. Has Dameon even bothered to email you an apology? How about text message?"

"Tami, I don't want to talk about this anymore," Corinne choked out, wiping her eyes.

"Cory, I hated the way he'd pick on you right in front of me or whoever else was around. I hated how he wouldn't even treat you like you were his girlfriend in public. Most of all, I hated that you always loved him more than he loved you. I could see it and he could too."

Corinne sat on the bed to keep from collapsing.

"He used that against you. Anyone who does that to someone as open-hearted and caring as you," Tami's voice trailed off. "He's an asshole, Cory. Don't think he's the one for you.

"When I saw him, that time you were gone visiting Cherie, the way he was with Sarina. He never treated you like that," Tami wrapped her arms around Corinne. "I didn't want to say that to you. I really didn't, but you needed to know."

"He was affectionate with her," Corinne whispered looking away as her eyes filled with tears. She didn't know if she was asking Tami to confirm or repeating the information to herself. She felt a sharp pain, like her heart was breaking all over again. Knowing this new information, how could she want Dameon back? How could she even consider wanting him back?

"Oh God, Corinne. I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you this upset. You haven't looked like this since you broke up with him. Let me make it up to you, what do you want to do today?"

"Nothing," Corinne said shaking her head. Her body was wracked with pain. Tami held her tighter.

"It's going to be okay, Cory, I'm just glad you know now. You were with him all that time and never questioned him, you let him have his way, and you were okay with it because you thought that was what you do for someone you love. Now you're seeing someone even better, or at least Aidan seems that way. I'm not trying to push you into the arms of another guy who could potentially leave you worse off than Dameon, but keep in mind Dameon could always hurt you more if you go back to him." Corinne returned Tami's hug.

"Come on Cory, let's go out. I wish I knew better words to say those things to you, but I'm not nearly as whatever you are with words," Tami said softly.

"Okay, let's go," Corinne whispered, wiping away her tears.

After two bags of taffy, lunch at Johnny Rocket's, a mini-shopping spree at the Body Shop, a stroll around the Grand Strand Mall, and a heated game of miniature golf, Tami and Corinne returned to the Atlantis, exhausted.

"Vanilla taffy?" Tami offered, pressing the button for the elevator.

"Are you crazy? If I eat one more piece of anything I'm going to explode. Ugh, God I wish I could take Mylanta!" Corinne groaned, holding her stomach.

They took the elevator to their room and Tami opened the door. They both dropped their bags carelessly onto the floor and flopped onto their beds.

"I never, ever, want to eat a hamburger, fry, or drink a chocolate milkshake ever again," Tami said, holding her belly. "I feel like a cow. Probably look like one too."

"Hmm, yeah, either that or you're expecting twins with that pudge hanging over your jeans!" Corinne laughed.

Tami pinched her belly. "Eek! Does this hotel have a gym? Wait, nevermind, my stomach, uggh!"

"Have any of those guys who were hitting on you called?"

"Yeah, you know when I kept looking at my phone and pressing the ignore button? That was Brad, Carlos, and Ramón calling me."

"Oh, so David and those other guys haven't called?" Corinne asked referring to the guys Tami had given her phone number to while they were out at Broadway at the Beach.

"Eh, surprisingly not," Tami said, shrugging her shoulders. "I've really got to stop giving my phone number out like it's nothing."

"I say that to you all the time and it doesn't make a difference."

"Well, no harm in talking. Plus you don't want them acting stupid because you told them no."

"Then give them a fake numb --"

Suddenly a loud ring filled the room. Tami looked at her phone.

"Hmm, must be one of the new ones," she said pushing call receive button on her phone, "Hey, uh, _you_ , I was wondering when you were going to call me."

Corinne shook her head and rested her head on her pillows, still grabbing her stomach.

"Yeah, I knew it was you Charles," Tami spoke in a low tone over the phone. Corinne giggled and then she felt her stomach lurch.

"Cory, he wants to take me to the Pavilion tonight. Do you want to come along?"

"No," Corinne said emphatically. "I have enough things to think about and deal with. No need to be a third wheel ya know."

Tami shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself." She finished up on the phone and began posing in the mirror to see if she would just keep on her clothes she'd been wearing all day.

"Omigosh!" Corinne groaned as she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

"Well, that will be the last time your lactose-intolerant behind drinks a thick, chocolate milkshake!" Tami hollered to her through the closed door, laughing.

"Oh be quiet!" Corinne said.

"Be sure to spray, funky!" Tami called as she sat on her bed to watch some T.V. still debating whether she should change clothes or not.

_Knock-knock_. Tami looked up, wondering who would be stopping by their room. _It better not be Ramón_. She thought to herself.

"Just a second!" Tami called as she made sure she looked presentable in the mirror. She opened the door to see Dameon looming in the doorway. Her face immediately scrunched into a distasteful scowl. "May I help you?" She said curtly.

"Is Corinne here?" Tami gave him a look.

"No, Corinne is not here, Dameon," she said in a slightly loud voice. Dameon eyed Tami and tried to peer behind her into the hotel room. "Is that all?"

"Uh, no, could you tell her to call –" Tami slammed the door and had a good laugh.

She sighed and kicked the bathroom door. "Corinne! I'm leaving to meet with what's his face! I'll see you later on or something!"

"Oh, okay. Have fun!" Corinne called.

"Later! Try to hang out with Aidan tonight."

After a shower Corinne exited the bathroom. She felt much better. She put on lotion and pink and white pajama dress.

She lay across the bed and contemplated calling Aidan to hang out. She still hadn't had time to really process what had occurred earlier that day. Maybe she'd just take tonight and really put some thought into it.

A knock sounded on the door. Corinne got up from the bed and approached the door.

"Who is it?" She called, not feeling like checking the peephole.

"It's me."

Corinne's heart skipped a beat. Her body lost all warmth and her hands began to shake. It was Dameon. She wanted to run and check how she looked but he'd know she was up to something and she didn't want him thinking that she was trying to primp for him. Then she realized all her thoughts were creating a delay as if she were primping. She gripped the knob as tightly as she could with her trembling hands and opened the door.

"Hey," Dameon said.

"Hi," Corinne said, standing in the doorway.

"Let's talk," he said, "please."

Corinne moved from the doorway. He moved past her and sat on her bed. She closed the door and sat on Tami's bed.

"So, um, what do you want to talk about?" Corinne asked in a shaky voice. She wished she could control all the fear and anxiety coursing through her body. He moved to sit on Tami's bed with her and pulled her to him.

"What's wrong? Why are you trembling? Are you cold?" Corinne refused to admit the truth so she just shook her head. "Are you scared of me?"

"No," Corinne said, looking away.

"Good." They sat in silence for a long time. Corinne looked at the television screen and saw the movie Bad Boys was playing. She began watching it, waiting for Dameon to speak, but he never did. They ended up getting into the movie, laughing at Martin Lawrence and Will Smith acting as cops. His arm remained around her throughout the movie, something he'd never done without her practically placing it there or requesting it.

_Oh my gosh, he is serious this time_. Corinne thought, her heart beating faster.

"Let's go on the balcony," he suggested when the movie ended. They sat across from one another in the white plastic chairs.

"So how's work?" Corinne asked, now in control of her nerves.

"It's alright," Dameon responded.

"What exactly do you do at work?"

Dameon remained silent. Corinne looked down; he obviously didn't want to chat about work so she swallowed her questions. She felt silly; she never knew when to talk and when to be quiet. She figured Sarina knew how to read Dameon perfectly and she envied her ability.

Corinne took a deep breath when she noticed Dameon had risen from his chair and come over to her. He pulled her up from the chair and they stood against the rail, looking out at the sea.

He began to massage her shoulders, something else he'd never taken the initiative to do. Corinne felt guilt and shame overcome her.

He was ready and _now_ she had doubts? What had she been thinking when she began hanging out with Aidan? She loved Dameon and just when she was close to giving up on him, he came back.

She felt him lean towards her ear. " _Don't misunderstand me when I say what's on my mind I'm only saying what's in my heart. Cupid doesn't lie, but you won't know unless you give it a try. True love won't lie, but we won't know unless we give it a try..."_

Memories flooded her as he sang to her. He'd played that song so often when they were together. It seemed as if whenever she began to doubt him, he would play that song and sing it and it would soothe her. She would listen to it on her own when she needed a little reassurance and security.

When Corinne came back from her reverie, Dameon's hands were around her waist and they were now swaying together as he sang. Then he began to sing Missing You and Corinne felt all her walls and defenses crumble.

".. _Every day I want to pick up the phone and tell you that you're everything I need and more_..." Tears clouded Corinne's eyes. It was another song he'd played when they were together. He used it to lull her to sleep whenever she had trouble sleeping or he would play it on those occasions when he desired to cuddle during the night.

His hands moved from her waist, to her neck, to her shoulders down her arms, then back to her waist all over again. She hadn't felt his touch in so long and her body drank him like water in the desert.

"Corinne," he whispered, turning her towards him. His lips loomed closer to her and she felt herself move away. Her movement caught them both by surprise. His hands continued to roam her body, but every time he tried to lean in to kiss her, she would turn away.

She could hardly function with Dameon enveloping her in his touch, but she did realize that for some reason, she wouldn't allow Dameon to kiss her and her heart skipped a beat when she realized the reason: Aidan. She took a few steps away from Dameon and caught her breath.

True, they weren't in a relationship, but something about what she was doing felt wrong. She continued taking steps back. Dameon grabbed her before she bumped against the wall.

He held her and soothed her, whispering "It's okay, it's okay."

He guided her inside the hotel room and sat them down on a bed. Corinne wondered how she could move away without causing an awkward situation.

"You must really like him," Dameon whispered in disbelief. "You won't even let me kiss you anymore."

Corinne looked up at him. What she saw in his eyes shook her. He looked so sad and disappointed. She scolded herself for trying to move on. He was finally ready. He loved her as much as she loved him. He'd changed. She could have everything she'd wanted.

She stared in his eyes a moment longer and slowly closed them as she neared his mouth. This kiss would be their new beginning. This kiss would say that she loved him too and that they were both willing and ready to be together. He'd broken up with Sarina for a chance of being with her. She was not going to let him down, not after he went through so much to be ready for her.

Her lips brushed against his. Then she placed her lips upon his and held them there for a moment and slowly pressed against his. She slowly opened her mouth and with each kiss opened it a little wider until they were kissing one another.

His kiss felt strange and Corinne searched in her mind for the rhythm they had when they were together. After a few more awkward kisses, it returned to her and with that, their kisses deepened.

He pulled at her side to bring her onto his lap. She grazed her fingers down the side of his face and he trailed his fingers up and down her side. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he found the hem of her pajama dress and trailed his hand to her breasts.

Corinne gasped in their kiss. His hand then went to her back, where he rubbed her up and down until she relaxed. His hand glided back down to her thighs and then up, until he felt dampness between her legs through her underwear.

"Oh, Cory," Dameon groaned, grabbing her hip and pushing her down onto his lap. Corinne felt herself begin to grind against him. He stopped her and repositioned them, placing Corinne on her back.

Corinne watched as he undid his belt buckle and pants. Then he pulled her on top of him, still in his underwear. She straddled him and kissed him. He alternated between holding her hips and rubbing her back.

She stopped them and removed her underwear. She felt so out of control, but so beyond controlling herself. She rubbed against his erection and heard him moan. She found her favorite spot and felt her legs tremble and she grinded against him.

They had never advanced to this position, it had always been too painful for her, but for some reason, she felt capable tonight. She reached inside his boxers and pulled out his penis. She felt the familiar size and width and shuddered remembering how much it hurt to go inside.

She sat up and pressed herself upon him and gasped as he easily slid into her.

"Oh yes, baby, yes," Dameon was calling out. It was all the encouragement she needed. She tried to remember from what pornos she'd seen what she should do next. She tried going up and down but that wasn't working.

Dameon lost patience and grabbed her hips and pushed her down upon him and guided her hips into a rhythm. It felt good, but painful, but still so good. She began moaning aloud along with Dameon.

His hands never left her hips and her hands rested on his shoulders. She had never felt this way during sex and then just as the feeling was about to overcome her, Dameon pushed her off of him and came.

He quickly got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Corinne sat in the bed, looking after him. She felt cold all of a sudden. The bed without him felt so empty and cold. When he came back, he positioned himself under the covers and pulled Corinne to him. He patted her back twice and then fell asleep.

Corinne looked around the dark room. Overwhelmed with thoughts, she closed her eyes. Her heart was racing and she could feel the tears threatening to spill out over her cheeks. She didn't know who she was crying for, herself, Dameon, or Aidan, but she swallowed her tears. It was too late for tears. After a long while her heart slowed down, only then did she find sleep.
**Friday**

Corinne woke up to the sun beaming through her eyelids. All the events of last night flooded her and she felt the space beside her. It was slightly warm, but empty. She sat up in a panic and looked around the room. Dameon was standing outside on the balcony with his back to her.

She tiptoed from the bed and snuck up behind him. She wondered if now was one of the moments to be silent or should she speak as she wanted to. She reached to tap his arm and as if he sensed her presence, Dameon grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him.

Suddenly, thoughts of Aidan washed over her, and she began to cry.

"What's wrong?"

"Aidan, omigosh, what did I do?" Corinne sobbed.

"Don't do this to yourself," he said quietly. His hazel eyes met hers and Corinne could see all the warmth and sincerity and then he whispered, "I love you, Corinne."

The intensity in his eyes seemingly confirmed this statement. Her body filled with warmth.

"If you love me you have a funny way of showing it," Corinne said as tears brimmed in her eyes. "You love me so much you say the most hurtful things to me. You hurt me emotionally. You ruined my confidence. Is that how you show love, Dameon?" Suddenly she felt embarrassed. She shouldn't have said that to him, not at that moment.

_He should apologize to me without me having to say anything._ Corinne thought to herself. She couldn't believe she was using Tami and Aidan's words.

"Aw, Cory, please don't cry," Dameon said beginning to kiss the tears on her cheeks. He wrapped her up in a hug and held her for a moment. Corinne waited for the apology.

Dameon turned her and kissed her softly and with patience, as if savoring every bit of her mouth that she offered to him. Then he deepened the kiss and Corinne, feeling the familiarity of his tongue, began to respond against her own will, which was telling her to push him away and tell him just how much he'd hurt her.

The longer he kissed her, the more powerless she became. His hands grabbed her behind and pressed her against him and Corinne felt his desire for her. She was drowning, she was losing the battle. As much as she wanted to push him away there was a part of her that argued that this was his way of apologizing and to just go with it and not be a bitch.

He ran his hands up and down the back of her pajamas and then with a move so quick his hands were underneath the hem of her dress. He slowly brought his hands around to cup her breasts, exposing her bottom to the morning air. Corinne audibly moaned from the shock and pleasure generated by his touch and the cool morning air. Dameon immediately covered her mouth with his to muffle her sounds.

He walked her back into the hotel room. Corinne realized she didn't want this to happen, but his mouth still covered hers, muffling her sounds of protest.

"I missed you so much," he whispered to her as he massaged her stomach. She opened her mouth to ask if he only missed her body.

"Stop," Corinne heard herself whisper. Dameon became gentler. She wondered if he'd heard her say stop. Her thoughts were everywhere.

She snuggled against his shoulder, trying to find the right words for what she wanted to say to him. She absentmindedly touched his elbow while she thought. Her mind was still wrapped around why he hadn't apologized or said anything to console her; another part of her mind was focused on Aidan.

Dameon grabbed at the hem of her dress and pulled it above her head. Corinne looked at him confused. He pulled down her panties and then came back to her and kissed her. Her mind went blank for a moment, blinded by the intensity of his kiss. In the meantime, Dameon had removed his boxers and had positioned himself at Corinne's opening.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Corinne froze. What would he do if she said no? That was certainly what she wanted to say. Then she felt him inside of her.

_Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. What do I do?_ Corinne panicked. _He wouldn't do this if he knew I didn't want it. This is not, no, I won't even think that_.

Corinne found herself making noises, hoping to make this moment as un-awkward as possible, all the while she told herself to just forget it ever happened. It was just a misunderstanding. She shouldn't dwell on it or she'd be even more screwed up than she already thought she was.

Soon enough he pulled out and came in his hand. He groaned and exhaled, placing a kiss on Corinne's cheek.

"I'm sorry," he said before he rushed to the bathroom. Corinne grabbed for her underwear and pajamas. She didn't realize she was trembling until she saw her hands were shaking so much she couldn't pull her dress down from over her head.

When Dameon came back in from the bathroom, Corinne was seated on the bed looking out the balcony window.

"Hey, I gotta go," he kissed her on the forehead. "Later!"

When the door shut behind him, Corinne's entire body convulsed. _Don't think about it. Don't think about it._ However it was hard for Corinne to do anything but think about the second time. She hadn't wanted to, but she didn't know how to say it. _It was a misunderstanding._ She tried to convince herself. _It never happened. It's okay, it's okay. It's my fault I should've said something sooner._

Oh my God, what did I do?

Corinne was still wide awake when Tami walked through the door. She sensed Tami's presence more than actually observing it. Corinne was sitting on top of the bed, her knees pulled to her chin and her arms wrapped around them.

"It's early. What are you doing up?" She heard Tami say.

Corinne shook slightly and bowed her head in the hoop her arms made. Tears were coursing down her cheeks again and she'd rather not allow Tami to see.

"So, did you end up hanging out with Aidan last night?" Tami asked, putting her things down and beginning to undress. When she noticed Corinne hadn't answered her, she approached her side of the bed. "Corinne? Corinne, what's wrong? Look at me!"

Corinne's head slowly lifted and Tami saw the tears and the look of horror on her face. Tami never felt fear grip her as it did in this moment. She felt her own heart accelerate.

"What happened?" Tami said slowly, pronouncing each word.

"I – I," Corinne tried to say that she'd made a horrible mistake.

"Did he hurt you? Did Aidan hurt you?" Corinne's moment of confusion was easily read by Tami. "Dear God. You were with Dameon."

The sobs commenced from that last statement. Corinne's stomach turned flips, her throat went dry, her hands were cold and clammy, and her heart beat fast enough to almost be a humming noise. Her whole body trembled. Tami observed her and wondered if maybe she should call an ambulance.

"Should I call for help? You're not okay," Tami commented, reaching for her cell phone.

"No, no!" Corinne pushed out. "Just go take your shower and I'll tell you everything when you get out. I need time to compose myself. Okay?"

Tami nodded and headed into the bathroom. Corinne grabbed the box of tissues and dried her eyes as best she could. She got up from the bed and paced the room while taking deep breaths. She had to get control of her body or she'd have to go to the hospital.

By the time Tami returned, Corinne was ready to tell. They sat down and Corinne explained what happened.

"He needed me to believe in us and be with him and I felt so bad for ever doubting him. I felt horrible for even trying to move on with Aidan!"

"Chica, he gave you a guilt trip. He knew he could make you feel guilty, he took advantage of your emotional situation and fucked you," Tami spat angrily.

Corinne then went on to explain about the second time they'd had sex and Tami's face went pale.

"You didn't want to but he did it anyway?" Tami gasped in shock.

"I didn't know how to say it. What if he got upset? I mean I'd already gone that far with him earlier. I couldn't really say anything in that instance."

Tami stared at Corinne.

"I didn't want him to feel awkward or embarrassed!"

"I don't know which is sadder, the fact that someone blatantly took advantage of you or that you're still only thinking about Dameon, not yourself, and you're not even with him!"

Corinne froze.

"You have no self-esteem or confidence when it comes to him, Corinne. If you can't see that, then sign up for round two of pain. I just, don't know what to say anymore. I can't make you value yourself."

"I value myself!" Corinne objected.

"Oh really? You do? So how is it that someone who values herself ends up fucking the scum of the fucking earth? No one with any sort of sense would choose Dameon over Aidan. No one. I'm so mad at you right now I could scream, but I pity you at the same time."

Corinne cried heavily. Aidan was such a good person and she knew when he found out, he would be hurt. She didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve a guy as good as him. "I'm a horrible person. I'm horrible."

Corinne pulled the covers over her head and continued to cry.

Corinne woke up to hear the pitter-patter of rain. She apparently had cried herself to sleep. She stretched and then hopped into the shower. After she'd cleaned herself up and restyled her hair, she got dressed. She was doing a pretty good job of blocking out the memories of until her cell phone rang.

Corinne felt herself begin to sweat and though her heartbeat was going faster and faster, her body felt so cold. Corinne closed her eyes, reached for her phone, and answered it nervously.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Corinne," Aidan said, his voice sounding empty.

"Hi Aidan," she said, her voice shaky.

"Um, we need to talk." Tears poured down Corinne's cheeks. In her heart she knew that he knew. Dameon had told.

"Ok," Corinne whispered.

"Ok, so I'll come by later on. Bye." Aidan said before hanging up the phone. Corinne stared at her cell phone through her tears for a moment before placing it on the bed. She decided it would be in her best interest to get out of the room. She grabbed her purse and room key before heading out.

As she made her way downtown, Corinne stopped to pick up souvenirs for her mother and father from Eagles. Shopping was an excellent way to distract her mind from everything.

While she shopped and looked around downtown, she thought about everything she'd been through this past week. She wished she had not come down to Myrtle Beach with the bad intentions of conquering Dameon's heart. She wished she had used the time she and Dameon had been apart to put him behind her instead of harbor feelings that were best left alone.

"Excuse me, miss." Corinne looked up to see a dark-skinned man with dreads standing in front of her.

"Yes?" Corinne asked, uncertainly.

"I just wanted to tell you, I love your hair. I love it when Black women keep their hair natural. You're beautiful," he said.

"Thank you," she responded, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. "I like your hair too." Corinne rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand. Why had she said that?

"Thanks. So how long have you been here?"

"Monday," she said shortly so that hopefully he would not continue to pursue the conversation.

"I just got here today," he said, smiling. "How old are you?"

Corinne hesitated. She knew what she wanted to do, she wanted to tell him to leave her alone and go away, but here she was, still standing there and still talking. Did she not want to embarrass him too? Did she not want it to be awkward for him now? She was so frustrated with herself she could scream.

"Twenty," she responded quickly. She looked down the aisle at the other souvenirs; she looked around to see if anyone was nearby.

"I'm twenty-two. Are you in school?"

Corinne fell silent, looking at him. "Nice talking to you, I have to go," she said quickly and then practically ran down the aisle. She left her intended purchases by the register and hurried to blend into the people walking down the street. Dramatic, yes, but at least she'd done something.

As she crossed the street so that she could sit on one of the benches by the boardwalk, she saw the young man leave the store. She redirected her focus and sat on an empty bench and watched the waves.

_I should've told him no. I should've pushed him away. I should've..._ Corinne continued to berate herself. She thought about Aidan and something inside of her broke. She wrapped her knees to her chest and cried. Aidan was going to dismiss her and there was nothing she could do about it because it was her mistake.

When she felt she could stand, she arose from the bench. She wrapped her arms around herself, accepted her fate and headed back to the Atlantis.

Tami was still gone when she arrived, so Corinne sat outside on the balcony. The heat was immense and normally Corinne would never have endured such heat, but she'd never felt so cold in her life.

Corinne was startled when she heard a loud noise from inside the room. She didn't know how long she had been outside on the balcony; her mind had been going nonstop.

Then she heard the noise again, which she realized was someone knocking. She got up from the chair and went to the door, expecting to find Tami had forgotten her key or something. She was surprised to see Aidan when she opened it.

"Hey," she said cautiously. She couldn't help but notice how nice he looked in his khaki pants and white shirt.

"Hi," Aidan said, solemnly. Corinne motioned him inside her room and nervously began to wring her hands. Aidan closed the door and now stood in front of it, still solemn-faced. Corinne focused her eyes on the floor.

"You can't even look at me," came Aidan's voice. Corinne felt his anger and pain surge through her. She kept her eyes focused on the floor.

"Why were you with Dameon last night?" Aidan said each word slowly and each word felt like a bullet going through Corinne. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

"Wh -- " Corinne choked.

"I said what were you doing with Dameon last night?" Aidan repeated, pronouncing each word slowly. Corinne tried to control her panic. Her legs trembled and she felt like she may collapse any second. She dared to look at him.

"Aidan, I am so sorry," Corinne began shakily before diverting her eyes once again.

"Oh, an apology." All of a sudden, she couldn't bear the thought of him leaving like this. She had to explain to him.

"Aidan," Corinne said reaching out to him and then placing her hands by her side. "Please let me explain."

Corinne's eyes stole a glance at Aidan who gave her a look which reflected his anger and a trace of pain. "You want to explain why you let him spend the night with you?"

Tears ran down Corinne's cheeks. Last night. Her stomach churned and she was sure she may throw up. She felt whatever that was on her stomach sneak up her throat. She gasped for air.

"Dameon told me everything. He told me about your past and he told me about this week. So you've been seeing both of us? Even stayed the night with both of us, man, what a _lady_ ," Aidan commented sarcastically.

Corinne felt sick and grabbed her stomach. How dare he make her feel like a whore? She wanted to get angry. She wanted to say something, anything, but all she could do was cry. Maybe she was a slut. Aidan looked at her as if he wanted to spit in her face.

_I deserve this_.

"Whatever. This isn't worth my time." He said leaving the room.

As soon as the door slammed behind him, Corinne's legs finally gave way. She felt the pain shoot through her knees as they hit the floor, though it could not beat the bigger pain in her heart.

"Corinne! Corinne, what's wrong?" Tami's panicked voice screeched. Corinne was throwing up for the third time. She tried to communicate to Tami, but she could not form words.

"Corinne, did you eat something disagreeable? What happened?" Tami said, patting her friend's back. Tami wiped away Corinne's tears. Finally, Corinne felt like she found her voice.

"Aidan came over," she heaved. She grabbed a tissue and wiped her mouth. After flushing the toilet and gargling more warm salt water, she told Tami all the sordid details of what went on. Tami shook her head in disbelief.

"So," Tami said calmly, "you _were_ seeing both of them?"

"Yes. Dameon would call and ask me to meet him places, and I should've said no, but I went," Corinne told Tami the things Dameon would say to her when he met up with her. She expected Tami to understand how she felt. She was sure Tami would finally realize that she couldn't let Dameon down, not now that he was ready. Instead, Tami's face grew red with fury.

"That fucking asshole! Oh my gosh, I'm going to kill him! I hate his fucking guts!"

Corinne looked at her confused. "But he loves me. He wants to be together and work things out!"

"That is NOT love! That is a guilt trip, Cory!"

Corinne shook her head to disagree. She couldn't believe Dameon would do that to her. What point would it serve?

Tami fumed for a few minutes longer. "Come on Corinne, let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?"

"Hot tub." Tami said, changing into her navy two-piece bathing suit with a gold sarong. Corinne wore her aqua tankini with her turquoise printed sarong. After putting on their flip-flops and sunglasses, the girls headed downstairs to the pool area and sank into the warm waters of the hot tub.

The warm water, instantly achieved a calming, relaxing effect on Corinne who let out a sigh of relief. Tami smiled at her friend, who gave her a slight smile in return.

"You do realize this isn't over yet, right Corinne?"

"What do you mean? Aidan was livid, it's over. I mean, if he did what I did, you'd want me to leave him. I'm sure it's the same for him."

"Well, did you ever tell him about Dameon and your relationship?"

"No," Corinne said quietly.

"You should. Just at least talk to him, defend yourself. Or did you do that earlier?"

"No, I couldn't say anything."

"Well, talk to him, if he'll listen." Tami was silent for a moment. Then, she removed her sunglasses and faced Corinne. "Did he use a condom?"

Corinne felt her face heat up. "No."

"Either time?"

Corinne shook her head. Tami frowned. "You need some emergency contraception."

Corinne nodded her head in agreement. The girls got up from the tub and went to the room to redress. While Corinne continued to mentally berate herself, Tami found a place where she could obtain emergency contraception. They mapquested the location, headed to the car, and drove.

"I was really stupid Tami," Corinne admitted.

Tami nodded. When they reached the place, Tami and Corinne sat quietly in the waiting room. A few other women, some with boyfriends were sitting, mulling over magazines and chatting.

"Do you really think Dameon would take advantage of me? Did he really not mean all those things he said?" Corinne sniffled.

"Maybe he meant them in some form, but all of this came when he saw you with Aidan. It was just a little jealousy. I bet if he'd seen you alone he would've spoken and kept on going with life. I think it's because he saw you with someone that triggered something. My mom used to tell me guys like Dameon don't want you but they'll be damned if you're with someone else."

"That sounds so wrong. I can't believe I hurt Aidan like that. I'm not sure how much Dameon told him. Aidan only said that he knows Dameon spent the night. I don't know if he knows we – " Corinne swallowed the thought. She didn't want to know that she and Dameon had sex.

"Corinne East."

Corinne looked up to see an older woman beckoning her towards the door. She squeezed Tami's hand and got up to follow the nurse.

When seated inside the office, Corinne became very uncomfortable. The nurse didn't smile and shuffled through a few papers.

"So you're here for emergency contraception. When did you have sex?"

"Last night."

"Ok," the nurse responded jotting down a date onto the chart, "did you use any form of contraception? Condom, jelly, anything?"

"No," Corinne squeaked.

"Do you know the diseases that are spread through unprotected sex?"

Corinne nodded.

"Was the sex consensual?" After a moment, the nurse looked up from her writing. "Miss?"

"Y-yeah," Corinne forced out. The nurse stared at her a moment longer before recording her answer.

She closed the chart and took out three condoms from a box. Then she left the room briefly and returned with two white pills.

"Ok, here are some condoms. Please use protection when having sex. Now, I need to see you take both of these pills and you'll have to open your mouth so I know that you swallowed them."

Corinne wished the floor would open up and suck her into the abyss. She took the pills and gulped them down with a bit of water. After showing the insides of her mouth to the nurse, she was able to leave.

"How'd it go?" Tami asked.

"It was humiliating," Corinne said tersely. They got into the car and drove away. Corinne reclined her seat and gazed out the window.

Suddenly, anger clouded her vision. Where was Dameon? He said he loved her and everything and she hadn't heard from him all day, but he'd made the time to talk to Aidan? Dameon should have brought her out here to that godforsaken place, not Tami. Dameon should've had to pay for it.

She heard her phone ring from her purse. She fumbled through her purse to find it and glanced at caller I.D. Speak of the devil.

"Hi Dameon," Corinne said tensely.

"Hey Corinne. Look, uh, I was just thinking, ok, we didn't use a condom. So, you should probably go out and get some kind of thing so, you know. Well, I'm not trying to be a father or anything, you know?"

Corinne's anger went up a notch higher. It _was_ all about him. _She_ should go get something because _he_ didn't want to be a father. How about _we_ should go get something because _we_ both don't want to be parents? How about we should talk about this face to face instead of on the phone?

"Oh and another thing, I'm going to be busy these next few days and probably won't get to see you. So, I mean, I shouldn't do this over the phone, but ok. I know I said I was ready, but I think we should be cool, take things slow. I've thought about it and I'm glad we can talk and hang out. We can still get together and stuff, but I don't want to be in a relationship right now."

Whatever Corinne had been gazing at out the window had suddenly been replaced by red. She'd never been so angry that she saw red, she didn't even know that expression could be literal.

"I fucking hate you!" She yelled into the phone. "You are so selfish and I just hate you!"

"Listen, I don't need this shit! Get it together or I'll hang up."

Corinne clapped her phone shut. The anger was ebbed slightly by her outburst, but in its place shame arrived.

"Aidan or Dameon?"

Corinne looked over at Tami as if just noticing she was there.

"Dameon. I fucking hate him. I _hate_ him. I know he took advantage of me and I hate myself for letting him!" Corinne started shaking.

"I fucking hate him too. Finally, you've joined my club!"

"How could I have been so stupid?" Corinne moaned. She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand a few times.

"Ok, chica, we need to get out tonight. Otherwise we may just go crazy and kill someone. So, it's Friday, what can we do?"

"I personally like the murder idea. Though I can't believe you don't have a date or something lined up this evening."

"Don't be so surprised. I had already planned to spend tonight with my number one best friend." Corinne smiled.

"I'm sure it would've been a lot more fun if I hadn't gone and fucked everything up."

"Don't do that to yourself. Don't even start."

"Thank you Tami, just, for everything," Corinne's voice cracked, so she took a deep breath so she wouldn't cry.

"Ok, I'm driving, I cannot cry! I get it, you love me too. No more tears tonight. Now what can we do?" Tami drummed her palm on the steering wheel. "Oh, they're putting Fantasia 2000 on the IMAX screen for a special showing tonight, we should go."

"Ok," Corinne agreed.

"I know you'll smile when you see Rhapsody in Blue. It's your favorite." Tami tried to cheer Corinne.

"Yeah it is my favorite," she sighed. "I feel so exhausted and defeated."

"You're not either. We're going to watch the movie and then we're going out. I'll even buy your drinks, but damnit you are not going to sit around and break down like you did after you and Dameon broke up."

Corinne half-smiled, happy to let Tami take over.

After leaving the IMAX Theater, the girls walked down the strip and chatted about the movie.

"That screen is so huge."

"Did you see that eyelash that got caught on the projector? It looked about the size of a surfboard or something!" Tami said, laughing.

"I know! Those whales were almost scary!"

"Oh my, look!" Tami squealed suddenly. Corinne peered through the store window of the Body Shop to see a black halter with shorts attached to it on one mannequin and a red mini dress with various slits on another mannequin. "Come on!" Tami grabbed Corinne's hand and dragged her into the store.

Tami quickly located the items and pushed Corinne the halter with the shorts and snagged the red dress for herself.

"Try it on," she commanded.

Corinne headed into the dressing room and tried on the jumper. It was definitely not her usual style. It was a lot shorter than any item of clothing she owned. At least it wasn't revealing her underwear or her stomach. Corinne looked at her legs in the mirror and was amazed at how long they appeared in the outfit.

"How does it look?" She heard Tami call.

"It's certainly different," Corinne called back, trying to be optimistic.

"Let me see, come out the dressing room." The girls met in-front of the three way mirrors. Tami looked drop-dead sexy in the mini dress. The red was flattering and the slits had young men and fathers shopping in the store staring at her.

"You look hot." Corinne finally said.

"No, we look hot. Now we need shoes and accessories," Tami said, heading back into the dressing room to change. Corinne returned to her dressing room and redressed.

Tami found Corinne a chain belt that had circular links which would give the jumper a little something extra. Corinne got a black heeled shoe while Tami picked out a pair of clear heels with silver accents. Corinne bought a black and white patterned headband for her hair and Tami bought them each a pair of large, silver hoop earrings.

"Oh, yeah, my kind of fun tonight!" Tami said as she started up the Escape and drove them back to the hotel.

Corinne turned around and shook her behind on the dark-haired stranger she was dancing with and then turned back around to face him and rolling her body against his. She was wild tonight. All the guys had taken notice of her and Tami in their sexy clothing. After her second drink, Corinne was minutes from becoming the life of the party. The song ended and the guy leaned to talk to her in her ear.

"So, where are you staying?"

"Around," Corinne responded with a giggle. She didn't want any of these guys knowing where she stayed, but she was flattered by the attention.

"Look, it's my last night at the beach and I'd really like to spend it with you."

Corinne rolled her eyes. "No," she said a little too loudly.

"Not interested," Corinne said in a more even tone before turning around and walking off. She took a seat at the bar and not a moment later, a drink was placed in front of her, surely compliments of a stranger.

"Miss, the gentleman down there sent this for you," the bartender said before walking off.

Corinne looked at the drink, wondering what it was.

"Enjoying yourself tonight?" Corinne looked up to see the guy from the souvenir shop. She immediately felt embarrassed, she'd been somewhat rude to him earlier.

"Yeah, I'm having fun," Corinne said nervously. "So what is this drink?"

"Shirley temple. Nonalcoholic. You're parading around as a bad girl tonight, but I don't think you need any more alcohol." Corinne smiled.

"Yeah my best friend talked me into this outfit."

"Enjoying the attention?" He asked, with a smile as he sat in the seat next to her.

"I don't know," Corinne shrugged.

"You dance very well. I watched you earlier. You broke it down on that poor white boy. He didn't know what to do."

Corinne laughed. "Why were you watching me instead of getting your groove on yourself?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you want to dance with me?" Corinne normally would've been shocked at her forward behavior, but she blamed it on the alcohol.

"I was waiting for a good song, but my mom always told me never to say no to a lady," he said smoothly.

"I see your point, we can wait. Excuse me for a minute; I need to go to the ladies' room."

"Okay, I'll be here."

Corinne stood up and made her way to the ladies room in the back of the club.

"Corinne! Wait!" Corinne turned around to see Tami.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Well, I'm checking on you. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I think the alcohol is starting to wear off."

"Need another drink? I'm sure you could get one, easy."

"No, no more drinks."

"So, hey, look behind me at the cutie in the black shirt. I mean the F-I-N-E guy in the black shirt," Tami squealed.

Corinne peered behind her to see a tall, dark-skinned man with dark curly hair standing by the bar. His chiseled chest was visible through his shirt. Corinne's mouth fell open.

"He's cute!! Myrtle Beach boyfriend number thirty-two now?"

Tami smacked Corinne. "He goes to our school smarty. His name is Jason, but he goes by Jay. We've been sitting and chatting. We haven't danced or anything. I'd seen him around campus, but I never approached him. Turns out, he'd noticed me too! Anyway, he's here on an internship, but it's ending next week so he'll be back in D.C. He's smart and he's so... mature. I'm really interested in him, Corinne."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you," Corinne said, giving Tami a quick hug.

"Yeah, so I think we may go for a walk and talk some more. So, I'll catch up with you later. Be safe!" Tami said before making her way back to Jay. Corinne finally made it to the restroom and checked her hair and make-up before exiting.

The buzz disappeared an instant later. Suddenly all she wanted to do was to find Aidan and make him listen. If he heard Dameon's side of the story, he could hear hers.

Corinne saw the guy sitting at the bar and decided to leave without saying good-bye. She had to find Aidan before she changed her mind or lost her nerve.

After reaching the hotel, Corinne rushed to her room to remove her new clothes. She picked up the phone and dialed Aidan's room. She figured he would ignore her if she called his cell phone. The phone rang several times, but there was no answer. Corinne felt tears start to rain down her cheeks. Why did she do what she did?

Corinne took a long, hot shower and got ready for bed. As she lay in bed, Corinne imagined that Aidan and she were lying together as they had the other night. She had felt so comfortable, secure, and safe in his arms. Right now she felt just the opposite. She felt uneasy, insecure, and nervous.

She remembered Aidan's words of advice and how she listened to him and he listened to her. She felt like she could tell him anything. She decided that tomorrow she would talk to Aidan no matter what. If they felt like they could tell each other anything then surely she could tell him the truth.

**Saturday**

Corinne awoke Saturday morning feeling optimistic. She knew what she had to do today and had every intention of completing that task which was find Aidan and talk. Tami was still missing, so Corinne got up and put on her black cotton shorts and grey sports bra. After tying her hair up in a black scarf, she laced her tennis shoes and headed to the lobby.

Once on the beach, she stretched her arms and slowed her breathing. She rolled her ankles and stretched her legs. Then she tore down the beach, allowing the sand to serve as a force that went against her, slowing her pace. The salty air began to sting her eyes as she ran, but she continued. When she ran out of energy, she pushed herself to go further.

The pain flowing from her abdomen all the way down to her ankles was welcome to her. The air she breathed began to burn her throat and her lungs. It was like she was not getting enough air, but getting too much air all at once. Still, she kept running. She finally slowed down and sat in the sand by the water's edge.

She bawled her knees to her chest and hugged herself over them. Unfortunately her comfort was not sufficient. Her embrace provided none of the security Aidan's had.

Her heart continued to pound though she breathed as slowly as she could manage and tried to relax her mind.

_What is my heart trying to tell me?_ Corinne asked herself. She knew what she wanted to do, but she felt so unsure of herself.

Shame crept up her spine and she bombarded herself with reprimands and harsh words. She had never felt so low in her life. How could she even think Aidan would listen? She didn't deserve him. Regardless of how short a time they'd known each other, he was everything she'd wanted and she was dumb enough to throw it all away for a dream that should've died a long time ago.

Who would listen to her? She looked up to the sky. Then it came to her. God. God would listen.

Dear God, I am so sorry. I am so sorry I've messed up so much. I don't know how I can expect You to forgive me when I cannot even begin to forgive myself. You know what I've been through. You know my heart. You sent Aidan in my life, it was no coincidence that we met, but I don't deserve him. Could he forgive me for such a sin? He seems to be everything I ever wanted. Is he? Or will he get my hopes up and leave just like Dameon? Could I trust him with my secret? Is he one of the few good guys that I'll experience in my lifetime or did you send him to me to help me get over Dameon and move on? Please give me strength when I talk to him. Please guide me to make the right decisions. Thank you, in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

When Corinne returned to the hotel room, Tami was sitting cross-legged on her bed with a worried expression on her face.

"Where on earth have you been, Cory? I was worried."

"Sorry, I went running this morning."

" _You_ went running? Wow," Tami said as she moved towards the balcony, looking outside, "Yep, I definitely see snow on the beach!"

Corinne laughed. "Be quiet, that's just all the old un-tanned white people you see!" Tami cracked up laughing.

"So, Dameon called here looking for you while you were out."

"What did you say?"

Tami smiled. Corinne gave her a look of concern.

"Let's just say he is quite clear about my feelings regarding this situation."

"Oh, good," Corinne said, somewhat relieved that Tami had taken care of him for her. "What about Aidan? Has he called?"

"Nope," Tami said shaking her head. "What are you going to do about him?"

"I'm going to make him listen, somehow. Tami, I like him. I choose him."

Tami smiled. "I choose him for you too."

"But I don't deserve him," Corinne's face crumpled. "How could he forgive me?"

"Don't tell him," Tami urged. "Just, tell him you and Dameon used to go out. Say you guys were talking and it got late so he stayed -- "

"That's crap Tami and you know it. We're in a hotel. How hard would it have been for him to go to his room? I'm not going to lie to Aidan. He deserves the truth," Corinne said firmly. She felt something inside of her break and it took her breath away. She inhaled quickly to catch her breath. "I deserve to lose him. I messed up."

Tami gave her a quick hug and Corinne shrugged away. She didn't deserve sympathy.

"So, tell me about Jason," Corinne said lying down on her bed.

Tami looked at her uncertainly, but when Corinne gave her an expectant look she began. "Well, we talked the entire night. We didn't do anything physical, we just talked. We talked about school, his internship, our families, dreams, childhoods, just everything. We laughed, we had so much fun. I'm supposed to be meeting up with him during his lunch break today. He's cool," Tami finished with a sigh.

"So, you really like him?" Corinne asked with a hint of a smile.

"I said he's cool. Doesn't mean we're about to go steady or something," Tami said with a smirk.

"Wow, did you just say go steady? That's so seventies!" Corinne laughed.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure of the modern term. So, are you going to call Dameon back and lose any self-respect you may have left?"

"No, I don't see where he and I have anything to talk about," Corinne said turning onto her back and staring at the ceiling.

"Who are you and what have you done with Corinne?" Corinne launched a pillow at Tami.

"Oh leave me alone!" Tami tossed the pillow back at Corinne and checked her cell phone.

"Well, it's almost time for me to meet Jay for lunch."

"Aren't you going to change clothes?"

"And what's wrong with my outfit?" Corinne looked at Tami's outfit. She was wearing jeans and a red t-shirt. Very simple, very plain and very much not like Tami.

"You, eh, never go out like that in D.C."

"I know, I decided to take it down a notch. I feel relaxed around Jay," Tami said grabbing her purse and the keys to the rented Escape. "It's like I don't have to impress him. It's kind of nice. Anywho, later!"

"Bye!" Corinne called as Tami closed the door. She knew that feeling, she'd felt the same way around Aidan. She hoped Tami wouldn't make her mistakes.

After taking a long bath, Corinne got dressed. She decided to wear her jeans, pink tank-top, and Nike sneakers with pink trim.

What began as a walk on the beach became walk to the Pavilion. The amusement park was filled with men, women, and children of all ages. Corinne walked around aimlessly, buying some cotton candy from a vendor she passed along the way.

Corinne found herself in front of the Rainbow ride that provided a magnificent view of the beach and downtown area once in the air. A couple waiting in line for the ride caught her attention. The girl wore a smile and her boyfriend, or lover, or whoever, was holding her hand. The smile the couple shared made Corinne remember the smiles she and Aidan had shared. She had to talk to him, but she was so afraid.

She walked away from the Pavilion and across the street to the beachfront and sat on a bench. Corinne watched the people pass and kept an eye on the tide rushing in. She tore off another bite of cotton candy.

Before the piece made it to her mouth, Corinne noticed Dameon was walking on the sidewalk, holding hands with dark-haired, pink-lipped, practically perfect Sarina.

Corinne was sure all the color had drained from her face. Her cotton candy had apparently fallen victim to gravity when she dropped it. Pain ripped through Corinne. Shame gripped her heart. All of a sudden, the area around her seemed to be moving and closing in.

She gripped the rail on the bench, desperate to get her bearings. She pushed herself from the bench and headed towards him on wobbly legs.

She made it to the sidewalk just as they were crossing the street, going into the Pavilion. Corinne followed them across the street, keeping a discrete distance behind them and observing them closely. Dameon's hand moved from the Sarina's hand and onto her behind. Sarina giggled and turned to smile at him.

The world around her tilted dangerously. Darkness clouded the corners of her eyes, and still she kept following them. She had to show herself just how much she'd screwed up and what kind of person she'd thrown everything away for.

She was indignant that just the night before last he fucked her. _Oh my gosh, he fucked me. That wasn't love, he fucked me._ Corinne's mind processed shrilly. He was back with Sarina. She had hoped he might have been sincere in his requests for her to come back to him, but now she knew he was just playing with her. She was furious.

She stopped herself from following them further. Her legs couldn't take it. Her mind was swimming and she was scared she may collapse on the sidewalk. She looked around for a place to sit.

She fumbled for her cell phone and dialed Tami. The phone seemed to ring for an eternity.

"Hello?"

"Tami," Corinne gasped. "You have to come get me. Please, I can't make it!"

"What? What's going on? Where are you?"

Corinne continued to heave. "The Pavilion," she forced out, "near the roller coaster."

"I'm on my way right now! Stay on the phone!" Corinne rested her cell phone on her lap. Her hands were trembling, her heart was racing. If she could make it until Tami arrived, everything would be okay.

"Ma'am are you okay?" One of the park workers had taken notice of her. Corinne panicked even more because she'd drawn attention to herself.

She still hadn't caught her breath and continued to breathe hoarsely. She couldn't speak.

He reached into his pocket for his walkie-talkie. "First aid? I have a woman over here, she appears to be hyperventilating!"

The first aid guy arrived very quickly and gave her a paper bag. "Breathe into this, it will help you catch your breath."

Corinne placed the bag around her nose and mouth, closed her eyes, and breathed. _I am so humiliated_.

After a while, Tami arrived with Jay. Corinne felt extremely embarrassed that she had drawn so much attention to herself.

The first aid guy and the park worker left once Tami had arrived and taken custody of Corinne.

"Should I carry her?" Jay asked.

Corinne wanted to joke and say she was sorry they had to meet this way, but she didn't have the energy. Her heart rate and breathing had improved, but she still used the bag.

"Yeah, go ahead," Tami said worriedly. She wished she could ease Tami's concern. Jay picked her up as if she weighed nothing and took her to the Escape. Once inside, the remainder of her energy disappeared and she fell asleep.

When she awoke, Tami and Jay were sitting across from her on Tami's bed. They were side by side, Tami was resting against Jay's shoulder. His arm was wrapped around her and they rocked from side to side.

"Hey," Corinne said softly. Tami jerked around to look at Corinne.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm so sorry. I just didn't know what to do," Corinne tried not to cry but the tears spilled onto her cheeks.

"I should go," Jay said, standing up uncomfortably. Tami looked at him and nodded.

"Thanks for carrying me."

"Thanks for everything Jay," Tami said, walking him to the door. He gave her a hug.

"Call me later, okay?"

"Ok," Tami nodded. Tami sat beside Corinne and listened as she relayed the events from earlier.

"My life is a train wreck," she summed up, rubbing her eyes.

"I say this from the bottom of my heart. Do not leave this hotel. Hell, do not leave this room. Just stay in here and stay calm for the sake of my nerves. I beg you," Tami pleaded.

Corinne nodded her head in agreement.

"I think you should rest some more. Come here chica," Tami beckoned. She rubbed Corinne's back until she fell asleep.

After her rest, Corinne woke up to see Tami was gone. She decided to go sit on the beach instead of staying in her hotel room, but she had no intentions of venturing beyond the hotel.

She took her shoes off before stepping off the stairs leading to the beach and then found a nice spot in the sand to sit. She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly, trying to contain all the emotions she felt.

Anger, disgust, defeat, confusion, shame, guilt, and many other emotions ran through her as she thought of Dameon and Aidan. She was so angry at Dameon, but she was equally angry with herself. She was devastated that Aidan knew what had transpired between her and Dameon. She was even more upset with herself for letting it happen.

Stupid, ungrateful, whorish wench... Corinne insulted herself.

"You're too pretty to look so sad," Corinne looked up to see Aidan standing over her. She wiped her cheeks and sat quietly, unsure of what to say to him. He stretched his hand out to her and she took it. He pulled her to her feet.

Her eyes trained themselves on the sand.

"Look at me."

She lifted her eyes to meet his and they immediately fell back upon the sand, filled with tears.

"Aidan, I can't. I need to talk to you. I'm so sorry," her voice cracked.

"I need to talk to you too."

Corinne was silent to let him speak first even though she wanted to tell him everything first before he said anything to devastate her.

"Corinne, I haven't been entirely honest with you."

All the air left her body as she waited for his next words.

"I knew you and Dameon used to go out. He told me a couple of days ago. I don't know if I was waiting for you to tell me or maybe, I don't know," he paused. "I was so mad when he told me that you'd been seeing him too, but I mean we only knew each other a few days, no big deal. It's not like we had a chance of being together or anything. So it's cool, go back to him. It's whatever."

All her hope deflated. The words she wanted to say had been on the tip of her tongue, but she no longer had the courage to say them. Yet she knew she had to say something now or she'd never forgive herself.

"I -- " she hesitated. "I am so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, it's cool. So, enjoy the rest of your vacation," he said and turned to walk away.

"Aidan, wait, please," Corinne grabbed his arm and quickly released him, embarrassed. She had no right to touch him.

"What do you want to say?"

"Yes, Dameon and I used to go out," Corinne gulped. "When we broke up I was devastated."

She paused for a moment and began to wring her hands. "I, when I came here, to Myrtle Beach, I thought, well, I wanted to try and get back together with him."

She dared to meet Aidan's eyes. They were unreadable, but he hadn't walked away so she continued. "It surprised me when he wanted to meet up with me to talk. He said he wanted to be with me, he said he loved me and I believed him."

Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. She'd cried enough. She was sick of crying. She cleared her throat to lower her pitch. "I feel so stupid. That night he spent with me, that he told you about, we had sex."

She finished that sentence in a whisper. She didn't dare look at him, the only reason she knew he was still listening was because she could see his shoes. "But he didn't mean a word he said to me! He's still with Sarina. I was stupid enough to think, to believe and I did this to you. You've been so nice to me. The way you treated me, oh my gosh, it was how I've always dreamed of being treated. And I did this to you!"

Aidan gave Corinne a hug and held her for a moment.

"Corinne, do you still want to be with Dameon?"

"No, never!" Corinne declared. "You told me that I deserve better, but I probably don't anymore."

"Stop degrading yourself! You still deserve better. You're a good person."

"I'm not a good person. Look at what I did."

Aidan was silent.

"No matter what you did with Dameon you can still have confidence and move on. So, it's ok."

"Aidan, could you ever forgive me?" Corinne asked before she could stop herself.

Aidan looked away. "I think you need to be alone."

Corinne stepped from his embrace and wrapped her arms around herself to shield herself from his dismissal.

"Maybe one day, like, I don't know we can... you still have my phone number, so I mean you can say hi or something..."

Corinne nodded.

"Corinne, don't take this personally. You're a great girl. I enjoyed spending time with you. I just don't think it would work."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Become a more confident you. You're going to meet a really great guy one day, Corinne." Aidan began to walk away. Corinne remained standing in the sand, refusing to meet his eyes.

When she was sure he was gone, she sat in the sand again. Stone faced, in so much pain she could barely breathe.

_I'm_ _going_ _to meet a really great guy? I already did..._

Corinne folded another piece of clothing and placed it into her suitcase. She stood back and sighed. She felt so exhausted. She wished she could tell Aidan more, but she didn't know how much she should have told. If she told him the things Dameon had said when they broke up she'd have to tell him about her condition. If she told Aidan the things Dameon had said that essentially took advantage of her remaining feelings and ultimately led her to have sex with him, he would think she was looking for pity or placing blame upon Dameon.

The door opened and in walked Tami, looking a little sad.

"Hey Tam-wham, what's up?" Corinne asked.

"I don't want to leave tomorrow! Things are going so well with Jay."

"You'll see him in D.C."

"I know, I'll see him tonight, but what if what we have goes away when we get back to D.C.?"

"Tami, this is so cute. A mental connection, like the one between you and Jay, has nothing to do with location. Now, a physical connection could totally depend on location, but that's not what you two have," Corinne explained, relieved to take her mind away from her own thoughts.

Suddenly Corinne felt adrenaline rush through her. It was as if something inside her was on fire and she was determined to act. She was not willing to give up so easily. Aidan was worth fighting for. Dameon deserved her wrath and fury. She was determined to accomplish both.

"...kissed me!" Tami exclaimed. Corinne refocused her attention on her friend, startled by her outburst.

"Jay kissed you?"

"Have you been paying attention to anything I just said?" Tami asked, annoyed.

"Eh, I kind of zoned out, my bad. You have my full attention now."

"I was saying that Jay and I were hanging out and Ramón saw us and had the nerve to have an attitude with me when I spoke!"

"No way, an attitude from a guy that you'd been hanging with pretty often that caught you with another guy? Really?"

"Sarcasm... somebody's coming back to their old self. Anyway, we were hanging out, there was no commitment. Jay was about to deck Ramón right in front of Hard Rock Café. So, we decided to like shop around there, even though I'd already been there with you. Then we went and took pictures and this old couple took a picture of us together, and as we stood with our backs to the pyramid, at the last minute, Jay kissed me! I can't wait for him to send me that picture so you can see!" Tami said, excitedly.

"Tami, I hope Jay makes you so happy," Corinne said sweetly. Tami grinned and began getting ready to meet Jay for dinner. Corinne folded another item of clothing and put it in her suitcase. "Man, packing sucks."

"Yeah, that's why I'm doing mine after I get back," Tami said as she applied lipstick. Corinne rolled her eyes and folded the outfit she'd worn to Tiki's that had gotten her so much male attention. She held it up and examined it.

"I wonder if I'll ever wear this again," she thought aloud.

"You better! That is hot! You should be thanking me, profusely, for encouraging you to get said outfit!"

Corinne grinned and placed the jumper into her suitcase which was quickly becoming overstuffed.

Within an hour, Tami had left to go out with Jay and Corinne had managed to fit all her newly acquired items into her suitcase and book bag. Tami was sure to remind Corinne that her duty was to remain inside the hotel room.

She sighed and played with her natural curls. She wondered what Aidan was up to. She debated with herself over whether she should call him and try to persuade him not to let her go, but not calling ended up winning out. If he forgave her, who's to say it would even last between them? Who's to say that there would be any trust?

Corinne knew she'd hurt him, but he didn't seem to care. Maybe she was the only one who had gotten everything she ever wanted, maybe Aidan had wanted someone entirely different than her. Instead of continuing to berate and doubt herself for her actions, she fell asleep with her hand wrapped around her cell phone.

**Sunday**

"Is that everything?" Tami asked, putting her book bag in the backseat of the Escape.

"Yep, I went through the room and checked out the drawers, bathroom, and sheets," Corinne responded. She had been feeling down since she'd woken up and realized that she was leaving and she would never see Aidan again. She couldn't wait to return to D.C. and put the whole week behind her.

"Want to take one last walk on the beach?"

"Sure."

Once on the beach, the girls watched the waves crash to the sand. Corinne gazed into the clear sky and wondered how she could leave Myrtle Beach feeling worse than when she arrived. She felt Tami wrap her arm around her so she lay on her shoulder.

"Everything will be okay, Corinne," Tami said in a soothing voice.

"I know," Corinne whispered before closing her eyes.

Corinne paid the cab driver and gathered her things from the taxi. Too exhausted to speak, the girls carried their belongings up the stairs. Tami unlocked the door and they entered their apartment.

Corinne took her things down the hall to her room and let them fall onto the floor. She dived onto her bed and enjoyed the feel of the cool air from the air conditioning vent blowing onto her face. Her cell phone began ringing. Her heart sped up when she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Corinne, how was your trip? It's been a whole week without any contact from you! I was worried!" Corinne's mother said.

"Hi Mom, how're you?" Corinne asked, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"I'm alright sweetie. How're you?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Um, how's Dad?"

"He's doing alright; he's out playing golf today."

"Oh, cool."

"So, anything interesting happen on your trip?"

Corinne fell silent for a moment. "Nope, nothing. I'm just really exhausted."

"Oh, well I won't delay your rest."

"Thanks Mom. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright, love you bye-bye."

"Love you too, bye-bye." Corinne clicked off her phone and looked around her room, depressed.

A few hours later, Corinne awoke and went into the kitchen. She made herself a hot cup of tea before sitting on the couch in front of the television. Tami had left a note saying she had gone to Georgetown to meet up with some friends. Corinne tuned into the History channel while she sipped her tea.

As she listened to the history of the Washington Monument, she remembered the time she and Aidan had shared together. She held back her tears and instead focused on the good times and what might have been if she hadn't messed up. She especially remembered the night she'd spent with him.

If he ever forgave her and they somehow decided to be together, she could see herself being with him for a long time. She thought about Dameon and groaned. To think she had actually wanted him back.

_Bad intentions breed bad karma, I suppose_. Corinne thought to herself. It still didn't stop the pain she was feeling. She flicked off the television and went into her room. She pulled back her comforter and sheets and slipped under the covers. After staring at the ceiling and whispering a prayer, she closed her eyes and entered a deep sleep.

5 months later...

Corinne struck another pose in the three-way dressing room mirror. The jeans were nice and form fitting, but Corinne wondered if they made her already tiny figure even tinier. She also wasn't quite sure if she liked the light-colored denim fabric either.

She sighed in frustration. Five months had passed and Corinne had not desired to even get to know another man. She just felt an urgent need to get herself together mentally, emotionally, _physically_ Corinne thought as she tugged at the waist of the jeans.

Fashion and style had never been high priorities of Corinne's, but she felt a need to change. Shopping was a great way to occupy time and keep her mind from drifting to the summer or anything else she didn't want to deal with.

Corinne had overcome her fears associated with PCOS. She had learned to wax away her insecurities and to not be ashamed that she had those problems. She also had become more outspoken. She looked people in the eye when she spoke and she didn't let anyone walk over her.

She had taken quite a few people by surprise with her soft-spoken, but firm form of assertiveness. Men especially were surprised at her ability to be adamant and sweet at the same time.

Tami applauded the changes Corinne had made. She was a lot tougher. She didn't cry, she expressed her emotions in words and only resorted to crying in the privacy of her own room.

Tami and Jay were still dating, taking their time getting to know one another instead of rushing into anything. Corinne wished that she was still getting to know Aidan. Every time she remembered his kiss, his touch, his words, his smile... she had to recompose herself. With all her changes, the memories of him were one of the few things that could easily send her to a state of depression and tears.

By focusing on her schoolwork, and engaging in her latest hobby of shopping Corinne could distract herself. Her senior year was proving to be a challenge but she had every intention graduating in May. However, when she wasn't puzzling over her approach to an assignment, shopping, or studying for an exam, her mind often wandered to the summer and the connection she'd shared with Aidan. Sometimes she considered him an angel; he'd told her and showed her that she deserved more and that she shouldn't fight for something that wasn't good for her. Yet she still made the wrong choice and went down in flames, but even then he'd been cordial to her.

Her brow furrowed as she looked at her behind and wondered if it looked flatter than usual. She scolded herself for shopping for herself when she knew she had several Christmas presents to buy with Christmas only two and a half weeks away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure similar to Aidan's walk past the juniors department towards the men's department. Before she even realized she was moving, her bare feet were crossing the carpet of Macy's juniors department to the men's department. She had to know if it was him.

Her heart raced, her stomach knotted... What if it was him? What if it wasn't? Would he recognize her? Would he speak? Would it be awkward?

She paused mid-stride. What was she doing? Her purse, credit cards, cellular phone, and pants were in the dressing room still. She scanned what she could see of the men's department for Aidan once more. She didn't see him.

Corinne closed her eyes and shook her head. How many times since she'd left Myrtle Beach did she think she saw him in the mall or on the street? How many times had she smelt his cologne and searched every face to see if it was him? Each time she panicked and freaked out, but it wasn't even him.

She had figured out early on why she wanted to see him, but she still wondered what she would say if she saw him. He told her she needed to be by herself. He told her that she was going to find a great guy, but in saying that she felt in her heart that he didn't want to be that guy.

What if he had moved on? Why wouldn't he have moved on? He's a great guy; any girl would be lucky to have him.

"Miss, can I help you find a different size?" A mousy blonde with glasses asked. Corinne gave her an odd glance and then remembered what she was wearing.

"Um, no thanks," Corinne rambled before heading back into the dressing room.

After dressing in a hurry, Corinne left the juniors department. She kicked at some invisible dirt as she slowly made her way to the food court. She hadn't found anything to buy and she couldn't find a thing she desired to eat which was just as well.

Her nerves and anxiety over the possibility of seeing Aidan had caused her to lose her appetite. She decided to settle for a cup of cinnamon tea from Au Bon Pain. After adding a sufficient amount of sugar, she sat at one of the many tables in the food court and sipped.

She wished she'd carried her book of Sudoku puzzles or at least the latest book she was devouring -- anything to distract her from what-if hell.

What if he had moved on? How could she ever find another guy like Aidan? What if Aidan had put his past behind him as she should have when it concerned Dameon? Corinne could almost picture the girl on his arm. White, pretty, long straight hair, fun-loving, always smiling, outgoing personality... she pictured her as everything she was not.

Corinne took a long sip of the tea and shrugged her thoughts of the other girl away. It had been five months without contact. Corinne reasoned with herself. _He's obviously forgotten me, I should do the same. I mean, wasn't that my mistake with Dameon? Not knowing when to let go and not knowing when to move on?_

Tears formed in her eyes. She couldn't imagine just letting Aidan go. She couldn't fathom just putting him in the past as an experience. Another sip of hot tea eased down her throat. He had been everything she wanted: affectionate, caring, honest...

Aidan.

There he was. Aidan was walking past the food court towards the metro. It had been Aidan she'd seen. She wasn't mistaken. Corinne clamored up from the chair she'd been seated and hurried to try and catch him.

Her heart was in her throat as she pushed past the people in the crowded food court. She was so intent and focused she didn't notice she'd stopped moving until she realized she was on the floor.

"SHIT! Would you watch where you're going?" A rather large, bald white man bellowed. Corinne felt liquid running down her hands and then she realized that she'd run into this man and spilled her tea on him in the process.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry!" Corinne cried, standing up. "Please, really, I'm sorry."

The man brushed her off and continued rambling and walking through the food court. Corinne shook her hand to try and rid it of some of the tea. She looked around. Aidan was gone.

Not only had she scalded a man, lost her balance, and fell in a public setting, but she hadn't even accomplished what she'd sought to in the first place. She had to get out of there.

She tossed the cup into the trash and rushed towards the metro.

"Excuse me, pardon me," she called as she rushed past people on the escalator. After inserting her fare card and hurrying to the stairs, she saw the lights flashing meaning the metro was practically there.

She darted down the stairs and joined the mass of people waiting on the platform. Once inside the car she stood, as there was only standing room left in that particular car.

Corinne wanted to cry, but she wouldn't allow herself to shed a tear. She couldn't hold on to the good times with Aidan anymore. She couldn't continue to believe. She couldn't keep setting herself up.

"Aidan," Corinne croaked. Aidan was sitting a few rows behind her. He hadn't heard her and Corinne couldn't even imagine daring to speak his name again.

"Aidan!" She called before she lost her nerve. He looked up and her heart melted.

There he was. Brown skin, jet black hair, beautiful brown eyes, freshly shaven face, perfect nose, world's most adorable glasses; he was still as handsome as ever. It seemed like an eternity had passed since he'd looked up and realized she was speaking to him.

"Hi Corinne," he said. The breath that Corinne hadn't known she was holding escaped.

"Um, how are you?" she ventured.

He nodded his head before responding, "I'm alright. How are you?"

Corinne could feel her dreams crashing as her perception picked up on his disinterest in her. "Alright."

"Pentagon, doors opening," the P.A. announced.

She wanted to try harder, to get him to talk to her to make that first step, but fear made her stand still as passengers boarded and disembarked from the metro.

"Next stop Arlington Cemetery, doors closing." The doors clapped shut and she felt disappointment engulf her, she'd imagined this first meeting in Washington completely different.

"How's school?" Came Aidan's voice. Corinne smiled.

"Could be better I suppose, how's your semester?"

"It's going well." She held his eye for a moment, then the P.A. system returned as did the rush of passengers. Corinne knew Aidan would be getting off at the next stop.

_You've got to learn when to let go_. She told herself.

"It's," Corinne swallowed, "nice to see you again."

"Yeah," Aidan said, looking away. Silence ensued.

"Rosslyn, doors opening on your right," came the P.A. system. Aidan stood, picking up a laptop bag and headed towards the doors. The shuffle of passengers began.

"Aidan!" Corinne called as loud as she could. He looked over his shoulder at her as he disembarked from the train, being jostled by busy riders.

He stood still. The doors closed. A few tears slid down Corinne's cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. Their eyes locked through the glass as the metro began to pull away.

The platform disappeared as the metro made its way into the tunnel.

Corinne kicked the door shut behind her and tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter as she made her way to her room.

"Hello to you!" Corinne noticed Tami in the kitchen placing a lid on a large pot on the stove.

"Hey," Corinne said, arranging her lips into a smile. "What's up?"

"You forgot? People are coming over here for dinner tonight. You know, before we start exams?"

"Oh, I'm sorry I completely forgot. Do you need help with anything?"

"No, are you okay?" Tami asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Just an interesting day, that's all."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"No," Corinne said firmly. "I'm going to go get ready for dinner."

"Alright," Tami said, returning her focus to her preparations for dinner.

Once inside her bedroom, Corinne scoured her closets for something to wear. She finally decided on a knee-length pinstripe skirt that flared at the bottom and a black cami and sweater. After carefully putting on her stockings and black pumps, Corinne applied some make-up and finger-combed her natural.

She exited her room just in time to open the door for the first arrivals. Jay arrived along with some others. Jay rushed to give Tami a kiss and a hand with things in the kitchen. Corinne took coats.

"Hey Corinne! I haven't seen you in a while!" Jacqueline exclaimed, giving Corinne a hug. Corinne returned the embrace.

"Yeah, it's been a while. I've been so busy with school," Corinne explained.

"Oh my gosh, I've been meaning to call you, but you know, school and all. Plus, I kind of figured you'd rather not know, but Dameon and Sarina are engaged now."

"Oh," Corinne said, her eyebrows rising. "I wish them the best."

Corinne couldn't believe it, but she actually did. After much venting and a careful development of signals to look for so that what happened between her and Dameon would never happen with him or anyone else, she had made peace with her guilt-induced sexual encounter from the summer.

"The weird thing is he asked me about you. He wanted to know how you were doing."

"Well, that's Dameon for you," Corinne stated with a smile.

"Everyone, you can eat now! The food is ready!" Tami called from the kitchen. The guests shuffled into the kitchen. Corinne sat on the couch in front of the television where a few of the guys were watching Sports Center. She wasn't really familiar with any of them. They were mostly Jay's friends.

"Cory, are you sure you're alright?" Tami asked, stooping beside Corinne.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, um, I need to run on campus real quick. I just realized."

Tami gave Corinne a look that said she knew she was lying through her teeth.

"Go ahead, Corinne. Come back as soon as you can though. We might go out and I think it would be fun if you went out too."

"Right, I'll be right back!" Corinne donned her black coat and purse and rushed from the apartment. The cold air chilled her to the bone and yet was refreshing.

Corinne made her way to the metro. She got off at the Smithsonian stop and ended up at the Washington Monument. There were only a few couples lingering about, taking in the night sky and the reflecting pool. Corinne walked around the monument and then gazed into the reflecting pool. The cold air was no longer refreshing and Corinne could feel her nose about to run. She wished she'd worn her scarf. At least her gloves were in her pocket.

"Corinne?"

Corinne swiped at her nose and turned to see Aidan approaching her. Uncertainty was highly visible in her expression as she debated internally over whether or not to be herself or give him the coolness he'd given her on the metro.

"Hi," she said cautiously. Aidan stood a few steps away from her, in a longer coat with a black scarf and gloves. "What are you doing here?"

"I had dinner with a friend and decided to walk around. What are you doing here? Are you here with friends?" Aidan asked, looking around.

"No," Corinne said, casting her eyes to the ground. "I wanted some fresh air."

A silence arose and Corinne had no idea what to say. What she wanted to say was totally inappropriate and obviously not welcome. Even small talk wouldn't come to mind. Why was it so awkward? Why couldn't they just talk? She decided to be the first to leave this time.

"I'm going to go," she said, looking Aidan in the eye. "Take care of yourself."

Corinne walked away, not caring where she was going as long as it was away from Aidan. She could hear the sound of her heels echoing against the pavement.

"Corinne, wait." She stopped, leaving her back to him. Her mind scolded her for even stopping. This wasn't going to work. There was no way to repair and recapture what they'd shared for those few days at the beach. She had to move on.

She could hear Aidan's shoes as they pummeled the ground until they reached her.

"I noticed your discomfort when you saw me on the metro. I saw your tears when I got off the metro. I see how disturbed you are by me right now. I don't know what you expect from me. What do you want me to say? What do you want from me?"

Corinne felt her heart squeeze inside her chest. Now was her moment. If she wasn't honest now she could never get this moment back. She couldn't live with regret.

"I know I cannot expect you to be happy to see me or to want to start over or any of the silly ideas I've had. The most I had hoped for was the chance to talk; to clear the air to see if maybe we could talk again. Maybe we could be friends?" Corinne blew out a stream of warm air which abruptly turned into fog.

"Then again," she continued when he didn't respond right away, "that was my problem with Dameon; I didn't know when to let go and you taught me that holding on to the past can cause you to miss a good thing. I just–" Corinne covered her mouth with her hand and exhaled, clearing her throat. "I just don't want you to become my past yet. I really enjoyed the time we spent together and I really liked you. I know it was only for a couple of days. I know I ruined it. I really liked—" Her voice cracked.

Aidan closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around Corinne. His coat held her tears. After a few minutes she pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry. I don't do this anymore. I don't cry like this!" Corinne exclaimed gesturing at the tears she was wiping away.

"You had my number, you could've called."

"I couldn't," Corinne argued shaking her head. "I had to get myself together. I had to for me. Besides, I didn't think you would want to hear from me."

"It's better to know than to waste your time and thoughts on someone who isn't thinking about you," Aidan said, waving off her words. "I'm glad you took time for yourself and I'm impressed that every time you've spoken to me you've looked me in the eye. You've got to start pursuing what you want though; you can't just let things build up like that."

"I don't need your praise," she snorted, indignant that Aidan was criticizing her. Aidan stared at her. "I couldn't just call and say these things. I wanted to, but what if you'd moved on? What if you had chosen to forget? What if you considered what we shared a fling?"

"That's up to me to decide, not you. I'm grown; I can communicate how I feel. How cruel do you think I am? Do you think I would have hung up on you if you'd called? Do you think I would have cut you off if you wanted to talk? I am not Dameon or any of the other guys you've been with. If you knew anything about me you'd know that."

Corinne stared at Aidan, observing the intensity in his eyes and then looked away.

"Corinne." Corinne's eyes met his, though she was fearful of what he might say next. "Why do you want to try again? Are you lonely? I don't understand your motivation. It was only for a few days. You couldn't possibly love me. Why have I been on your mind all this time?"

"You are everything I've ever wanted in a guy."

"There are a million guys that aren't jerks."

"The connection I shared with you this summer was genuine. I know it was. You said so, at least then. You told me you'd never felt so comfortable and so attracted to a girl so soon."

Aiden looked away momentarily.

"I fought my attraction to you because I didn't let go of Dameon. I did something so hurtful because I didn't let go of Dameon. You have every right to dismiss me and never ever speak to me again."

Aidan was silent for a moment and paced a few steps. Corinne gave him time to process all she said.

"I've thought about you and I did like you," Aidan conceded. "What you did, it really hurt."

"I'm so sorry," Corinne was quick to say.

"I know you are and I accept your apology, but Corinne, I don't know if things will work or if we'll connect as we did before."

Corinne nodded her head, accepting defeat. She held her chin up, determined not to cry or even so much as whimper.

"But, maybe we could try." Corinne's eyes lit up. "You're special to me Corinne. That never changed."

Corinne smiled. Aidan slowly smiled with her.

"So we'll try," Corinne repeated.

"We'll see what happens. We may grow together, we may grow apart, but it's a journey I'm willing to take."

"Me too," Corinne agreed.

They embraced looked out into the night. Both uncertain things would work out, but the only thing that mattered was that they were willing to try, willing to grow, willing to take a chance.

