He should call her back. Should explain more clearly, more patiently. Should tell her that Samantha means nothing, that the dinner was tedious and professional and he spent half of it thinking about Andrea anyway.
But he's tired. So tired of explaining himself, of managing her emotions on top of his own, of feeling like he's constantly reassuring her while his own hurt goes unaddressed.
His phone buzzes with a notification. Instagram. Against his better judgment, he opens it.
The comments on the photo of him and Samantha are vicious:
Guess he upgraded
Poor Andrea, she deserves better
Men are trash
This is why you don't trust hotel owners
And mixed in with the criticism are defenses of Andrea, people tagging her account, people demanding he address the rumors, people calling him a cheater based on a single photo taken completely out of context.
