Kissing Is the Easy Part

Chapter 61 The tiramisu and the Kelly bag

We would fall out of love, and he would disappear in my life.

"You look bored."

I was lost in my misery the next day, sitting by the pool, when a voice interrupted me. I tore my gaze away from Sean's last message (sent five hours ago, if you must know).

A guy with olive complexion and green eyes smiled at me coolly. He was attractive, I'd give him that, although not quite as much as Sean. "Do you want to go find the best tiramisu in St. Bart's?" he asked.

I frowned. "I have a boyfriend."

"What has that got to do with anything?" He sat himself down on the lounge chair next to me and crossed his legs, with an ease that suggested he believed he could come, see and conquer like Julius Caesar.

He had no idea who he was dealing with. If this had been back in my single days, I would've flirted with him until he blushed. I ran my eyes from his tanned face down to the navy polo shirt then to the penny loafers he was wearing. I even spotted a Patek Philippe around his wrist.

Rich and pushy. Those were two irrelevant traits my boyfriend lacked, but precisely because of that, I felt a familiar sense of excitement rising up, like Aladdin's genie from the bottle. The blue genie nudged me with his elbow and wiggled his eyebrows, saying, Look. Someone different.

He could turn out to be interesting, I decided, and I could smell the invigorating scent of adventure. Not to mention I loved good Italian dessert.

But I wanted to be good now, for Sean.

"My boyfriend is just superbly wonderful, that's all." I sounded like a five-year-old bragging about how their dad was the strongest man in the world.

He didn't give up. "He's not with you right now, and I bet he doesn't know about the best tiramisu in St. Bart's."

Sean probably didn't even know what tiramisu was. He'd probably refer to it as some spongy chocolate cake.

"I don't want to go, okay? Leave me alone," I snapped.

He got it, finally. The guy walked off in a huff.

I unlocked my cellphone screen. "My dear darling boyfriend I really miss you and I need you so much." I texted Sean but he didn't answer me. Even my text wasn't funny anymore. I sounded desperate.

Whiny, even.

I went back to my hotel room alone. My brothers were both out probably banging whatever they caught sight of, and my parents were off doing couples yoga. I actually thought hanging out with green-eyed boy would be sort of fun, if not it would at least be a good distraction. I wouldn't consider it, however, because I had to be a good girlfriend.

I felt proud of myself, I really did, but fifteen minutes later I was crying into the pillow.

Everyone thought I was living in a grand palace, and in it I had everything I needed. I had the perfect guy and I was so sure he was everything I dreamed of, but right now I felt like I was standing on the balcony of my golden palace, staring down. I wanted to escape to the field outside and roll around in the mud and the rain.

Somewhere along the line, I stopped thinking about what I was getting from Sean. All I could focus on was what I had to give up.

I was on vacation in a fabulous resort, wearing string bikini and lounging by the poolside, yet I freaked out because a cute guy talked to me. That was when I finally understood the worst thing a girl could lose in a relationship.

It was not a Kelly bag, not her reputation, not her guy friends, and certainly not virginity-

It was herself.