Page 80 of When Love Is Unexpected

There are eight of us at the dinner table: all the grandparents, my parents, Emma, and me. I tell my family Laila is not feeling well, knowing that once she leaves tomorrow, I'll have to come up with a better excuse. But then again, our plan was to pretend to be together and then make up a breakup. Well, making it up won't be necessary after tonight. There's enough chatter going on about the wedding to keep the focus off of me or Laila. Emma is so happy and excited. She's going to be a beautiful bride.

"Sam," says Emma, "Laila asked us if you have any tattoos."

"She did?" I ask.

"I told her there was no way you'd ever get one because you hate needles."

"What did she say after that?"

"Nothing," she says. "She said she knows about the needles and that she was just curious."

After dinner, I volunteer to do the dishes, and as I'm wiping down the counters, Mom walks in.

"You did something stupid, didn't you?"

"What?" I ask.

"Come on, Samuel. When was the last time you offered to do the dishes? Whatever it is, you need to apologize. Go!"

***

Laila is in the bathroom taking a shower when I return to the room. Her suitcase is open, and most of her clothes are folded and laid out on the bed. She's leaving.

Twenty minutes later, Laila walks out of the bathroom. She's wearing black pajama bottoms and a pink ribbed tank top. Her hair is loose around her shoulders. Her eyes are red. She's been crying.

"Laila, I—."

She raises her palm, "Don't say anything. It was a mistake for me to come here. I should've listened to my family. Pretending to be something we're not is not good for either of us.”

She starts packing her suitcase.

"What time are you leaving?" I ask.

"Your fitting at the tailor's is at nine. I should be gone by the time you get back."

I let her be and go into the bathroom to shower. It's probably for the best, I keep telling myself. When I return to the room, Laila is in bed facing the wall.

"Laila," I say, "I know you're awake. Listen, I'm sorry. I don't want you to leave. What happened last night made me realize how much I care about you. It was even harder to admit that I was careless. One stupid mistake on my part could've resulted in you regretting our friendship and could've driven a wedge between us. I have to remember that we're friends and nothing more. I will keep that in mind going forward. No more misunderstandings. I don't want to lose you, Laila."

She finally turns around to face me. She sits up in bed and looks at me. Her eyes are puffy and red. I hurt her. God, I'm so sorry I hurt her. I want to touch her, but I'm afraid to. Before I can ask her if we're okay, she wraps her arms around my neck. I hug her back. She's soft and warm. Her body melts into my embrace.

"Are we okay?" I ask.

"You're my best friend," she says. "I can't stay mad at you."

"I really am sorry," I say. "Do you forgive me?"

"I forgive you," she says.

I take both her hands in mine and bring them to my lips. I promise myself that this will be the extent of how I show her affection going forward. Her friendship is more important to me than my feelings for her. Next month, I'll return to Athens, and our friendship will return to normal. When I come back to the States, she'll be in Boston, and I'll be here.

I help her put all her clothes back in the drawers and in the closet. I'm relieved to know she won't be leaving. We'll have to set some ground rules that will prevent us from getting too close. As deep as our attraction is for each other, our friendship comes first.

"Do I look as bad as I think I do?" she asks.

"You look fine," I say.

"You're lying," she says. "My whole face feels swollen."

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