Ray’s scent is still lacing the air in my bedroom when I wake up the next morning. I reach out to touch him, but all I can feel is the fabric of the sheet. The edge of a piece of paper is sticking out from under his pillow.

“Last night was well worth the long drive. Hell, I’d drive twice that distance to go out with you.

Can’t wait to see you again

Love,

Ray”

“So sweet…” I whisper, his words bringing a smile of bliss to my face. I scoot out of bed and put some clothes on, my ears picking up Emily and Karlie’s voices. I find them out on the balcony, enjoying the view over breakfast. For some reason I can’t fathom, Emily grins back at me, whereas Karlie retains her usual, serious expression.

“Isn’t that the most precious look?” Emily asks our mutual friend, shifting her attention to Karlie.

“What look?” I pretend not to know, joining them outside.

“Oh, you do,” Emily insists. “I’m sorry in advance for what I’m about to say, but you’ve got ‘well-fucked’ written across your forehead.”

“Is it that obvious?” I wonder, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“I can see it from a mile away,” Emily chuckles, patting me on my forearm.

“I’m inclined to agree with our foul-mouthed friend,” Karlie interjects, raising a glass of orange juice up to her lips. “She’s right. You’re absolutely glowing.”

“Guys, believe me, anything I might say about last night won’t do it justice,” I state, recalling the moment I felt Ray’s fingertips travelling up my legs. “I thought I was caught up in a dream: a sweet, sizzling-hot, sexy dream.”

“It looks like someone had an orgasm,” Emily assumes, giving me an elbow jab.

“An orgasm?” scoffing, I turn my head to the left to face her. “Girl, I wouldn’t look this happy if I had just one orgasm. I stopped counting after the third. But last night was more than just great sex. We talked, we connected… we even cuddled after each time.”

“Karlie, I’ve left my mirror on the living room table. Can you go get it for me?” Emily requests, her smile vaporizing at the end of my narrative.

“Em, I’m talking about myself, and you’re thinking about doing your eyebrows?” I wonder, a hint of complaint in my tone.

“No,” she shakes her head in denial. “There’s something I need to show you. I’ve got to warn you, though. You’re not going to like it.”

“What is it?” I ask her, her statement rousing my curiosity.

“Here you go,” Karlie says, setting the open mirror into our friend’s hand.

“Okay,” Emily sighs, holding the mirror out in front of my face. “Take a good, hard look. What do you see?”

“Messy hair; puffy eyes; I just woke up,” I reply, swiping a few tendrils back from my cheek.

“Wrong answer,” Emily utters, her voice deepening. “The correct answer is ‘a woman in love.’ I don’t know how, why, or when, but you’re head over heels in love with this guy.”

“Excuse me?” All of a sudden, my own voice turns into a high-pitched squeal.

“The signs are all there,” Emily adds, maintaining a steady tone. Leaning closer, she puts her hand on my chest. “Heartbeats don’t lie, honey,” she continues, pursing her lips. These four words help me understand what I couldn’t. My heart is literally racing, as if I’ve just completed a hundred-meter sprint.

“This is the second time I agree with you today,” Karlie declares, folding her arms across her chest. “Even Stevie Wonder can see how mesmerized she is.”

“Oh, crap…” I let out a heavy sigh, leaning my back against my seat. “How is this even possible?”

“You tell us,” Emily urges, resting her chin in her hand. “You’re the one who’s going out with him.”

“Well, he’s an exciting guy,” I shrug my shoulders, gazing into the void. “He’s full of confidence, but not too full of himself. He’s got a good sense of humor, he’s very handsome, and the chemistry between us just…” I pause, “... sizzles.”

“I think that’s more than enough,” Emily says, her voice just higher than a whisper. “The question is: ‘What are you going to do?’”

“I don’t have a clue,” I mutter under my breath. “Guys, enough about me: what about you? How did your double date go?”

“I got the same feeling that my flight over gave me,” Karlie groans, her face twisting into an expression of anger and disgust. “Another five minutes in that restaurant, and I would have vomited all over our table.”

“Her date was a total jerk,” Emily cringes. “He was good-looking, but he didn’t have any manners.”

“That is a major understatement,” Karlie counters, her face stiffening even more. “The man hasn’t even heard of manners. You’d think a rich guy like him would be refined and well-behaved, but no. He was pompous, he wouldn’t shut up about himself, and he kept making inappropriate comments about me. Do you know what he said when the waiter brought me my salad?”

“What’s that?”

“Have some real food, darling. I like my women curvy, and you are as flat as a fucking door,” Karlie says, her eyes darkening with rage.

“Yeah, she slapped him right about there,” Emily informs me, pointing at her. “She ran out of the restaurant, and I went after her. That dickhead ruined both of our dates. You know, it’s too bad we’re not as lucky in that department as you.”

“Yeah, look where that luck got me,” I state in a sarcastic tone, dropping my gaze down to my lap.

“I’m sorry to break it to you, Stacy, I really am, but…” Karlie falters. “You need to forget about him.”

“She’s right,” Emily agrees as I feel her hand on my shoulder. “You can’t let this escalate to anything bigger. Besides, it’s going to be over pretty soon anyway, so…” She draws in a deep breath. “Ending it now is probably the safest choice.”

The safest choice? I have my doubts about that. It’s not every day I fall in love with someone. Whether I take their advice or not, I’m going to get hurt. There’s nothing I can do about it now. This vacation is going to leave its mark on me, for all the wrong reasons. I wanted to have some fun, and I ended up falling for a wonderful man like Ray. I mean to communicate all this to my friends, but I keep it inside. I just don’t have the heart to discuss this any further; but mainly, I know that I am beyond their help. They can offer me as much advice as they can, they can comfort me, but they can’t change the fact that Ray and I live more than a thousand miles away from each other.

A huge urge to be alone overwhelms me. I need to think this through, and I can’t do so in their company. When I do get back to my bedroom though, my cell phone buzzes with an incoming text from Michael. It contains coordinates and an address in Heraklion.

“I’ll be waiting for you there tomorrow night. 9:30pm is good. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Oh, Michael… The romantic soul of the trio couldn’t have sent me that text at a worse time. Despite my emotional condition however, I’m going to meet him. I have no intention of standing up the first man that gave me something to remember on this vacation. I’m pretty sure he won’t like what I have to say to him, but my feelings for his friend limit my options.