Just days after Paris Hilton announced her split from Nick Carter on July 22, 2004, she swore to Us, "I just want to be alone for once, so I can find out who I am.:  Did she have a change of heart?  On August 4, Hilton, 23, hit Hollywood hot spot Concorde with her ex, Tommy Hilfiger model Jason Shaw.  They later headed to Shaw's Hollywood Hills home (which is across the street from Hilton's abode) with her sister, Nicky, and pals Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie.  "Jason's the only guy I trust," Hilton tells Us.  "I love him.  He's always been there for me."  Adds a source, "Paris is comfortable with Jason.  He's been a rock for her during a tough time."  No doubt it has been a difficult few weeks for the Simple Life 2 star.  On July 28, mysterious bruises appeared on Hilton's lips and arms, which her pals say were caused by Carter, 24, in a jealous rage. (Carter's lawyer denied the claim to Us.)  Then, on August 4, the Hilton sisters discovered their house had been broken into.  Distraught, Hilton has turned to Shaw for comfort:  The night after the burglary, the couple dined at fast-food joint Koo-Koo-Roo and spent the night at Shaw's pad.  Says Hilton, "I'm too scared to sleep at my house."

First Love In the B. N. (Before Nick) era, Hilton dated the Chicago-bred Shaw for two years before breaking off their engagement in 2003.  "I almost married him," says Hilton.  "But I was too young,"  Still, the exes frequently hung out at the same clubs.  And on June 9, Hilton left Concorde in Shaw's car after a night out with Carter.  "Nick never trusted Jason,"  a Hilton friend tell Us.  "Not true!  No one would call Nick jealous," counters a Carter pal, adding, "Nick recently went on a date.  He's moving on, too."  So after a roller-coaster relationship with Carter, is Hilton's hookup a romance or a rebound?  "Jason is playing it pretty cool," says a source.  "If he's falling back in love, he's not showing it,"  As for Hilton, she'll only say, "Right now, he is like my best friend.  Who knows what the futre holds for us?"  [By Ken Baker & Mara Reinstein, US Magazine]