Page 75 of When Love Is Unexpected

"That's right," I say, "I almost forgot how close you and Grandma are to the Duncans."

"Patricia, who now goes by Tricia, is clerking for an attorney in Chula Vista," says Grandpa. "She just passed the bar in February."

"Why did she change her name?" asks Luke.

"She thinks the name Tricia Duncan sounds better than Patricia Duncan," says Grandpa Martin.

"I'm sure marriage and a family are the last things on her mind," I say.

"According to her mother," Grandpa Martin continues, "she's regretted your breakup for years."

"I find that hard to believe," I say.

"She told her parents that she explained everything to you in an email."

It's probably one of the ones I deleted without reading.

"Can we change the subject?" I ask, getting very uncomfortable with the direction this conversation is taking.

"Of course," says Grandpa Martin. "But before we do, I should let you know that the Duncans met Laila on Sunday. I'm sure Patricia has heard about it by now, and I doubt she'll go down without a fight."

"There's nothing to fight about," I say. "Regardless of what happens between Laila and me, my relationship with Patricia was over years ago, and it will remain so."

"Your relationship with Laila sounds a lot like your relationship with Patricia," says Luke.

"Thanks, Buddy," I say.

"Sorry for pointing out the obvious," he says.

"Does Laila know about Patricia?" asks Dad.

"She knows I was in a relationship with Patricia that ended with a failed proposal. She doesn't know that Tricia, the organizer of the upcoming high school reunion, and Patricia are the same person. She also doesn't know the Duncans are Patricia's parents."

"Don't you think you should tell her?" asks Pops.

"I was going to tell her yesterday," I say, "but she got a phone call, and I never got back to it."

"You need to tell her," says Dad.

"I know," I say. "I know."

Laila is in the exact same position Patricia was in when we broke up. If I tell Laila how I feel and she turns me down, I'll return to Greece with a broken heart and a broken friendship. If I don't tell her, she will go to Boston, I will return to Greece, and we will remain friends. I should've never kissed her. The friend zone is long gone. We've stepped into something else, something more, something uncertain and scary. Every time I touch her, I'm trying to convey how I feel. When I kiss her, I'm screaming, "I love you." She has to know how I feel. God, why do I have to be such a coward? Patricia broke me.

I was in shock when Patricia walked out that day. We all were, including her parents. They apologized profusely and said they had no idea their daughter was having doubts about us. I believed them. There's a small playground a block away from the restaurant. I found Patricia sitting in a swing.

"I guess I owe you an explanation," she said as soon as she saw me.

I sat in the swing next to her but said nothing. I wanted to give her my full attention without interruptions.

"We've been together for so long that we can't remember what it's like to be apart."

I remained quiet, with the engagement ring still in my pocket.

"We just graduated from college," she said. "You already have multiple job offers lined up in New York. I still have to go to law school. I know we made plans to move to New York together, but I want to stay and go to Stanford. It's the best law school in the country."

"I can stay here with you," I said, finally breaking my silence.

"I want you to go," she said, "Sam, I'm not ready to be a wife. I'm not ready to leave California. And as much as it pains me to repeat this, I don't want children."

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