Meg thanked her taxi driver and handed over a generous tip before waving goodbye. His genuine friendliness and knowledge of Bali had made her day unforgettable.
She'd hired him to take her to Ubud, a village just over an hour's drive north of Kuta, that she'd heard was a popular shopping destination for tourists. Once they'd ventured outside the city limits, her eyes had opened to the breathtaking beauty of the island as well as the poverty.
She'd taken several photos and short videos, but most of the time she wanted to be still and take it all in.
When they arrived in Ubud, her driver left her there with the promise of meeting up again three hours later.
Meg made the most of the time browsing antique stalls, display cases filled with silver jewelry, and stunning fabrics in the textile shops. She even bought a couple of lengths of batik with the intention of framing them when she got home.
Now she was back in the familiar surroundings of her hotel after spending the day without Jack.
Her thoughts drifted to him often during the hours they were apart, and she sent him a selfie when her driver stopped in front of a rice paddy field. They had no other contact apart from that, and although she enjoyed her time alone, she couldn't wait to see him again.
Meg trudged up the front steps, dodging two women who were sitting in the middle blocking the flow of foot traffic. She carried a bag in each hand, ignoring the ache in her calves and the rub of her shoes, determined to get back to her room and wash off the heat of the day.
As she stepped through the open foyer and out into the hotel grounds, Meg felt proud of herself, and she knew Allie would be, too.
No matter how much she wanted to be with Jack, the idea of leaving her comfort zone and exploring the island on her own was too important to her.
Some people took it in stride travelling by themselves in unfamiliar countries, but for her it had been an achievement straying outside the familiarity of the area around her hotel.
Meg looked up from the flight of stairs she'd just climbed and smiled, not realizing she'd been heading to Jack's room this whole time instead of her own.
Her pace slowed as she tossed up whether to visit him now or come back later when she'd showered and changed. Just in the seconds it took for her to make up her mind, his door swung open, and the decision left her hands.
Meg stood a few rooms back from his with an expectant smile on her face. She tried to come up with something witty and clever to say when she set eyes on him again, but the man she'd been missing all day didn't come out into the hall.
A brunette woman left his room instead. Topless. The woman Jack had already run into more than once, the one he'd said he had no interest in--and yet here she was again.
Meg's smile crumbled and her heart thudded in her ears. The door shut with a firm thud, and Jack remained on the other side out of sight. She didn't even get to see the expression on his face when he found her standing out in the hall.
Meg blinked in surprise and frowned. It was then that she realized she'd been clenching the handles of her bags so hard her fingers were throbbing.
The other woman headed her way as she fastened her top in place. Wearing a matching sarong and cute sandals, she fluffed her hair as she strolled toward Meg with an exaggerated sway to her hips.
Everything about her seemed calculated, as if she'd figured out how to wrap men around her finger and intimidate women all at the same time--and she had no qualms about using those skills to her advantage.
Meg willed away the dampness in her eyes, torn between sprinting far from here and swinging her bags in the hope she might hit something. She wanted to scream to release some of the despair churning inside her.
The woman gave her a dismissive look that set her nerves on edge. "I'm done with him if you want a turn," she said, continuing down the corridor. She paused to call over her shoulder, "but he might need a nap first."
The wave of fury came on so strong it almost blocked out the hurt. Meg's cheeks heated as she watched her leave, torturing herself with the rear view of a woman she never had a hope of matching up to physically.
All this time she'd been with Jack, his words, his touches, the way he'd looked at her, had convinced her she was enough. Now reality had barged in to show her how deluded she was, and what a fool she'd been.
She wanted to run but her feet wouldn't move. A sob stuck in her throat, and she pressed her lips into a hard line to stop them from trembling. No matter how much she tried to placate herself with the fact that Jack didn't technically owe her any loyalty because they weren't officially together, Meg wanted to cry and stamp her feet at the unfairness of it all.
He'd agreed to be exclusive with her while they were staying here together. How could that have changed so quickly? Was it just a case of out of sight out of mind? One day away from him and it had all fallen apart.
She could have gone crashing into his room to demand answers, make him explain why he'd bothered getting to know her if he intended to push her aside as soon as something shiny and new came along, but she couldn't bear to watch him lie to her.
Meg marched off to her room instead.
~ * ~
She couldn't stand it anymore. Jack had dropped by her room three times, knocking quietly on the first visit, banging with a little more force the second time around. His calls and texts had come through often enough that she'd lost count now.
Each message alert had her clutching her phone and closing her eyes while she fought off the urge to answer.
When he spoke through the door the last time, the concern in his voice had been so real she'd almost given in, but if she talked to him now while the hurt was new and her need for him as strong as ever, it would be too easy to get dragged back in for more of the same treatment.
She let out a slow breath and listened to his most recent voice message--Meg, honey, I don't know what's going on, but call or text me to let me know you're okay. Just tell me you're safe--then turned off her phone and shoved it into the bedside drawer. If only she could hide her feelings in there, too.
Once the temptation was gone, she rummaged through her suitcase to find the one and only indecent piece of clothing Allie had sneaked in while she was packing for her trip. A sparkly black minidress with a halter neck that dipped so low in front she couldn't wear a bra underneath. Perfect for the sticky heat.
Meg stepped into the dress wearing only a black thong and left her long hair down. She threw on a pair of heels and grabbed her evening bag, then shot a glance at the drawer containing her phone, tempted to take it with her. It would only take one or two drinks to have her texting or calling Jack when she had no business doing either.
She stuck with her original plan, grabbed her room key and headed for the door.
Two cocktails and one nightclub later, her intention to take it easy had disappeared. Escaping the hotel had made her feel energized for the first time since she'd seen the woman sashaying from Jack's room. The lively atmosphere pulled her in, the laughter and raised voices helping her unwind and take her mind off Jack.
It turned out to be just what she needed.
She nudged her empty glass aside and pushed off the barstool she'd been occupying for the better part of an hour. Meg weaved her way through the sea of tables, heading toward a packed dance floor to make the most of her minor buzz before it disappeared. She shimmied through the crowd and stopped when she found a spot somewhere near the middle.
