Letya worked her car into a parking stall a block away from the hotel. Chelsea handed her a garment bag from the back seat before working herself out of the car. She then trailed behind as they made their way to the hotel entrance. The grin on the desk clerk's face as he handed Trevor the room key, dissipated when he noticed the look of disappointment on Chelsea's face.

"I will just have a quick shower," Letya said as she began stripping off her T-Shirt.

She had stripped naked before she had even made it to the bathroom. Trevor watched the door close then moved across the room to the dresser to pull out a change of clothing. Chelsea sat on her bed rubbing her temples with her eyes closed. Both avoided looking at each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he rummaged through a drawer.

"The sun, the wine, the beer... I'm such a lightweight," she replied with her eyes fixed on the floor between her feet.

"Do you want to skip dinner and whatever?" he asked.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to lay down for a minute or two."

Chelsea didn't want to make this any easier for Letya by skipping out of anything. There was no way she was going to stay behind and let her win so easily. But, had she already lost? Was Trevor's question really a vailed request? Was he, in a polite way, asking her to bow out? She started to convince herself that he was looking forward to an evening alone with Letya.

"A shower and dinner will probably do you some good. That salad you had for lunch was pretty much just lettuce and croutons," Trevor replied as she lay her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. "The beer after lunch probably didn't help much either."

When Chelsea opened her eyes, Trevor was already in the shower and Letya was in the main part of the room getting dressed. She stood naked with her back to Chelsea and was slipping into a blue mini dress. No bra. No panties. Barely enough material in the dress to be considered a full outfit. She fastened two snaps at the back of her neck then tucked a minimal amount of her breasts under the narrow fabric that crossed at her collarbone and wrapped around to her back just above the waistline. Her chest and stomach, from cleavage to just below the naval was left exposed. And, considering the length of the skirt and lack of undergarments, other parts of Letya would surely be on display throughout the evening. At least it wasn't red. Chelsea closed her eyes again.

When Trevor stepped out of the bathroom wearing just a pair of snug fitting briefs, Chelsea opened her eyes. She saw Letya drape herself over him and bring her lips to his ear.

"I forgot to bring panties. I hope you do not mind," she whispered.

Chelsea couldn't hear what Letya had said to Trevor but the expression on his face as he stepped away gave her several ideas, one of which was a fairly accurate guess. She sat up and took in a deep breath. She felt the sting of tears welling up behind her eyelids. She couldn't let them see her crying, so, she rubbed her eyes like she had just woken up from a long and restful sleep.

"Are you going to get ready?" Trevor asked as he pulled on a pair of pants.

"Yeah, I'll just need a couple minutes."

Chelsea made a quick dash towards the bathroom and closed the door. She leaned on the sink and sobbed with her hand cupped over her mouth so as not to be heard. As she took a breath, she could hear Letya talking. She pulled herself together to try to listen in through the door, but it was too late, she couldn't hear any more voices. Perhaps she was being too silent. She rummaged around and ran the water in the sink for a moment then brought her ear to the door again.

"Why don't you leave her here and spend some days with me at my home?" Letya suggested.

Chelsea cupped her hand over her mouth again and strained to contain herself while she listened for his response. She waited but heard nothing.

Letya again, "—anything you like."

More silence then a knock on the bathroom door, "Chelsea? Are you okay?"

Chelsea sipped water from the running faucet then made a loud spitting sound before replying, "Yeah, just brushing my teeth."

"Oh...okay. Well, we're going to give you some privacy and head down to the restaurant downstairs, the one to the right as you walk out the hotel door. The Hippo one... Meet us there when you're ready."

"Okay... I think I'm just going to jump into the shower quickly," She said as she turned on the water.

Chelsea returned to the door and listened for a moment before opening it a crack. Through the opening she saw Letya grab Trevor by the hand and pull him towards the door. She watched them leave then opened the bathroom door fully and stepped out. She returned to shut off the shower then dashed over to the window and waited. Trevor and Letya were still hand in hand when they stepped out of the hotel. In the walkway leading away from the hotel entrance, between the tall bushed that ringed the restaurant patios on either side, Letya stopped, wrapped her arms around Trevor's neck and pressed her lips to his. This wasn't the traditional kiss on the cheek greeting that had already made Chelsea jealous. Her head moved rhythmically, surging forward and turning one way then back again with a slight retreat. Trevor placed his hands on Letya's hips but didn't appear to be pushing her away. If anything, he seemed to be pulling her in closer.

Chelsea retreated into the room and burst. Tears flowed uncontrollably as she dropped onto the edge of the bed. She fought to catch her breath as the image of that kiss replayed in her mind. Closing her eyes only made it more visible. She sat sobbing with her elbows on her knees and her face buried in the palms of her hands.

Thirty feet below the hotel room Trevor took a seat across from Letya. The waiter placed menus on the table and listened for their drink order before he walked away.

"Your offer, to stay at your place, sounds great, but I... I don't..." he said as he looked up towards the hotel windows.

"Why should you worry about her?" Letya asked coldly. "You do not have feelings for her."

Chelsea had pulled herself together enough to move about the hotel room collecting her things. She pulled out a change of underwear, a shirt, and slacks then stripped off her beach clothing and gave it a quick toss towards the bed. She finished dressing then pulled her suitcase from the closet and dropped it on the bed next to a pile of cloths she had removed from the dresser. The book from the night table joined the pile. The suitcase was facing the wrong direction for packing and needed a quick turn to be opened. Items were knocked from the bed to the floor and went unnoticed as she hurriedly gathered up the hanging items in the closet and dropped them into the case. She scooped up the pile of clothing and dropped it in the suitcase then pulled her pajamas out from under her pillow. In a few minutes she was packed and dragging her suitcase out the door to the hallway, to the elevator and down to the reception desk.

The desk clerk asked, "Are you checking out?"

"No, well, I'm leaving but Trevor isn't," she said as she handed over the room key.

"The other girl? I understand," the man said sympathetically, having noticed her red and puffy eyes. "Where will you be going?"

"Do you know when the next train to Barcelona leaves?" she asked.

"I am sorry, you will have to ask at the train station. Do you know how to get there?"

"Yes... but how can I get to the Metro without going that way?" She asked as she pointed west.

"You do not want him to see you? If you turn to the left, go to the corner, turn left, then left again you will be at the other side of the building. Two blocks walking, turn left and you will be at the Metro," the clerk replied with accompanying hand gestures.

"Thanks," she said as she took hold of her suitcase again.

"I am sorry. Safe journey, please," the man said as Chelsea made her way down the stairs to the hotel doorway.

As Chelsea prepared to make the left turn onto Rue Beauvau at the back side of the building, she looked to her right. A block up the street she could see the two hundred and thirty-year-old colonnade of the Opera Municipal. She paused for a moment. It was one of many sights she would not see even if she were to stay in Marseille. Just two days earlier she was excited and thinking of all the things she would see with Trevor. Now, she felt foolish as she thought back to how she believed he was just as excited to tour the city with her.

The waiter made a quick stop at the table on his way back into the restaurant from the patio when Trevor waved his hand.

"I would like this, the Thai Snack Basket. Thanks," he said to the waiter then turned back to Letya. "I'm sure Chelsea will like that. Hopefully it will be out by the time she gets here. We'll just have an appetizer here, then we can go to that other place for dinner. I don't think she'll make it 'til nine without something."

Letya looked across the table and forced a smile. Had he been looking at her instead of looking up at the hotel windows, again, Trevor would have seen her displeasure with his concern for his young travelling companion.

"I'm sure she will be down soon," he said when his eyes returned to the woman across from him.

"I hope she is not too much longer. It is a shame to be wasting such a nice evening," Letya replied. "Perhaps she can take her dinner up to the room, then we go to my home."

Several minutes had passed and Chelsea hadn't joined Trevor and Letya at the restaurant. The young French model had been talking endlessly about herself, but Trevor's mind was elsewhere. With somebody else. He checked his watch, then the hotel room window. After a sip of his drink he sank back into his thoughts.

"—totally naked. You can come and watch," Letya said. "Trevor!"

"Oh, yeah... So, that's Notre Dame up there, right? Have you been there? How about the opera house?"

"I invite you to watch my photoshoot, and you talk about tourist sights?" Letya replied with a scowl. "You know, many men want to be with me. And you... You are stuck on sight-seeing with that girl?"

Trevor gazed across the table for a moment and contemplated his choices for a moment. It wasn't the immediate choice that weighed on his mind but the ones he had made over the previous two days. The mistakes that placed the wrong girl on the opposite side of that table, brewed in his gut and filled him with regret.

"Letya, thank you for the drinks and all that. And, actually, thanks for this conversation. It's made me realize a few things... especially how much of an ass I've been. Good luck with that photoshoot. And those men."

Trevor pulled his wallet from his pants pocket and fished out enough money to cover the bill and a tip, then waved at the waiter. Letya collected her bag from the back of the chair, ready to storm off, but he had already dashed away from the table.

The desk clerk watched Trevor run by and feigned a pleasant smile. Moments later he was back at the desk. "I need a key, my girlfriend must have fallen asleep."

"Wasn't that girl you left with, your girlfriend?"

"Who, that... no..."

"Oh, you mean the girl you left in the room," the clerk said as he pulled a key from the drawer.

"Yes!" Trevor said sternly as the man handed him the key.

Moments later, Trevor was back at the desk sporting a panicked expression on his face and in the tone of his voice. "She's gone!"

"Yes, she left some time ago. While you were out with that other girl."

"You knew, and you didn't tell me?"

"You didn't ask."

"Where? Where did she go?"

The man pondered for a moment before responding, "She asked about a train to Barcelona."