Chapter 7

Tina nervously knocked on the door of Pete’s hotelroom. It had taken her a lot of courage to pick up the phone and ask him if she could come over. The happiness resonating in his voice made it even harder for Tina to tell him the truth – a truth she didn’t like either, but she knew it was for the best.

Pete opened the door and he smiled widely upon seeing Tina. He leaned in closer to embrace her and it was too hard for the blonde to resist the safety, the familiarity of the hug. She felt how he hugged her tighter, moving his head to the side and leaning in for a kiss.

It took all of Tina’s will power to pull away from him. When she looked at him, his face was a mixture of hurt and confusion.

“That’s not what I came here for,” Tina said silently, rubbing her neck. “I… well, can I come in? This isn’t a conversation we should have at the corridor of a hotel.”

“Sure,” Pete said, his mind clearly racing at a 1000 miles per hour. He opened the door wider for Tina to enter and as she set foot in the room, she shifted on her feet uncomfortably. It was the first time ever she felt this awkward to be around Pete. It felt unnatural. She would have given anything to be able to just kiss him and tell him that she loved him, that she didn’t want things to be this way. But she had to keep her cool, keep her emotions under control. She had to keep in mind that it would never work.

“Do you want something to drink?” Pete asked, sitting down on the single bed and patting on the empty space beside him, motioning for Tina to sit down.

“No, I’m fine,” Tina said, hesitating whether it was a good idea to be so close to her former boyfriend. “We really need to talk, Pete,” she said, her voice a whisper. She took the seat next to him, but wasn’t able to look him in the eye as she continued.

“I know what you’re hear for. I know you want us to try and do this relationship over a long distance, I know you came here to try and convince me. I’m gonna make it easy for you – it’s not gonna work.” Tina’s insides were screaming as she wanted to tell him how much she cared for him, how much she loved him. But it would only confuse him more.