How cruel it felt to taste the sweetest sensations in life only to have them taken away from me so quickly.

I could still feel Frank’s fingers on my skin and smell his subtle perfume. Life had seemed so exciting and full of endless possibilities when I had been by his side.

Now, I was back to being alone. Even worse, I had given up my job and now had to go back to worrying about money again.

Having said that, money was the last thing on my mind when I accepted Amy’s invitation for a trip to the local bar. I tried to resist and claimed I couldn’t afford it but she insisted and said that she was paying.

I eventually relented, thinking that a couple of hours of chatting alone with Amy might be just what I needed. However, I was shocked to see that she wasn’t alone.

My best friend was sitting with two men. Oh God, she hadn’t set up a double date, had she?

My worst fears were confirmed when one of the guys – called Mike – showed me the empty seat next to him. He seemed like a nice enough guy but I just wasn’t ready for this yet. The way it had all ended with Frank had hurt me deeply.

It turned to be a fairly pleasant evening in the end. Mike worked out pretty quickly that I wasn’t interested in him and he seemed okay with that fact.

When Amy and her date – Simon – went to the bar Mike told me the truth.

“Simon didn’t tell me that this was a double date.”

“Amy straight out lied to me.”

“Still, they seem to be getting on well.”

I looked across to the bar and for the first time in our relationship felt a pang of jealousy towards Amy. Simon had his arm around her waist and the couple looked very comfortable together.

When would I be able to relax in the same sort of situation? Being taken advantage of by Frank in the way he had done was going to leave my confidence shaken for some time.

I had been sure that he was genuinely interested in me as a friend and possibly even as a potential life partner. What a fool I had been to think that a man like Frank could see something in a girl like me.

I was young and naïve, with so little experience of the world that Frank probably had seen right away that I was way below his level. All I was useful for was a quick and dirty bit of rough and tumble under the shrubs.

As I sipped my third vodka and fresh orange juice a plan was starting to come together in my increasingly muddled mind. I was going to get my revenge on Dr. Frank Sanchez one way or another.

I imagined the doctor’s face when he saw me with a new man. However, the taste of the vodka turned bitter in my mouth as I realized that Frank might not even recognize me with my clothes on.

After all, I was just the latest in a long life of faceless women wearing nurses’ uniforms that he had taken off. How many other girls had he undressed under those shrubs with his experienced hands?

Mike wasn’t bad looking and he seemed like a good guy as well but I knew that he could never replace Frank in my affections.

I had never even considered having a one night fling in my whole life. The responsibility of looking after my little sister had meant that I had missed out on a lot of the crazy stuff that women of my age got up.

However, Daisy was sleeping over at a friend’s tonight.

Suddenly, I realized that what I wanted more than anything was some company or a shoulder to cry on. Mike was quickly getting very drunk. He showed that he was interested in getting to know me better, as he slipped a hand onto my knee and then up a little further.

If I wanted to, I could get my revenge on Frank that very night. It would be so easy to do.

I was so confused. I really thought that I loved Frank and that he felt something special for me too. Now, I could take home a man I barely even knew if I wanted to. I didn’t want to, though, that was the problem.

Another round of drinks appeared on the table. It was definitely time to go out for some fresh air.

I made an excuse and stumbled out to the beer garden. It was raining lightly and the raindrops felt like some sort of help from heaven, sent to clear my senses and help me avoid making a terrible decision.

A few big gulps of air helped me to put some order into my thoughts. I didn’t need to use any man to get revenge on another. I was better than that.

I was feeling a little steadier on my feet when I turned around and straight into Mike’s embrace and an unexpected, sloppy big kiss that forced me backwards into a table, sending glasses flying into the air.

The night still had a few twists and turns left in it, it appeared.