Page 77 of When Love Is Unexpected

Chapter 17

Laila

"Is something wrong?" I ask, walking into the room.

Sam is sitting on the bed with his feet up and his laptop propped on his lap.

"No," he says, "nothing's wrong. It's just work stuff. How did your shopping go?"

"I love shopping, but your sisters are crazy good at shopping."

"Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"And more!" I say, holding up four shopping bags.

"I'm glad to hear it," he says.

"Are you sure everything's ok?" I ask, noticing he's not being himself and he's not looking me in the eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," he says, trying to assure me, but not doing a good job because I'm not buying it.

"Do you want to see what I bought?" I ask, trying not to borrow trouble.

"Show me," he says, straightening himself on the bed.

I show him the outfits I bought for the reunion. "I got this mauve romper to wear to the picnic on Friday, this beautiful and expensive sapphire blue party dress for the actual event, and these cute shorts and frilly blouse for the breakfast on Sunday."

He smiles and nods, but I can tell something's wrong. I feel a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

"These are the shoes for each outfit," I say, opening another bag and pulling out a pair of wedge sandals and some strappy heels.

"Aren't these amazing? I ask. "I also splurged on some Jimmy Choo suede pumps that go perfectly with the dress. Last but not least, I bought some bracelets, necklaces, and earrings to coordinate with each outfit."

"What about the cowboy outfit you were going to buy?" he asks.

"Oh, that's all in this bag," I say, setting the last bag on the bed. "I bought this red and white western shirt that ties in the front, this leather belt with a silver buckle. Some denim jeans, and last but not least, these genuine leather cowboy boots with a low heel so I can dance all night."

"That's great. You'll look amazing in everything."

"Sam, what's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing," he says. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because this is the first time since I've known you that we've both been in the same room, and you haven't touched me."

"You've kept track?" he asks, rising to his feet.

"It's not that I've kept track. It's just a fact. If we're in the same room, we find our way to each other. It's just the way it is."

"You were busy telling me all about your buys."

"You know what I mean," I say. "I've been in this room for twenty minutes, and you're still at least six feet away from me. In this tiny space, that's a lot."

"I'm sorry," he says. "There's some stuff going on at work that I'm preoccupied with."

"Is that all?" I ask, not convinced in the slightest.

"That's it. Scouts honor."

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