Page 86 of When Love Is Unexpected

When they drive off, I go back inside and find my parents sitting in the kitchen with expressions I've learned to read over the years. The looks they'd give me when I missed curfew, got a bad grade, or did something stupid to one of my sisters.

"Sit down, Son," says Dad.

"What is going on with Laila?" asks Mom.

"Nothing," I say, taking a seat at the table.

"I know you slept in the den last night," says Mom.

"Mom, it's complicated," I say.

"Spell it out for us," says Dad, "We're listening."

I tell them everything. Including the bright idea that I had to pass Laila off as my girlfriend so everyone in the family would know I was over Patricia.

"Oh, Son," says Mom, "that was such a bad idea. I can't believe you felt the need to lie to everyone."

"Please don't blame Laila. It was my idea. We're friends, and she agreed to do it for me."

"We don't blame her," says Dad. "We don't blame anyone. We're just surprised that you'd think lying was the best solution."

"I hated coming home to everyone asking me how I was doing, trying to fix me up with a friend or someone's daughter. I'm over Patricia, and I don't need a new girlfriend to prove that."

"So," Mom begins, "if you two are just friends, what happened last night? What am I missing?"

"I understand this family's values," I say, “but I also know that you, as my parents, have never judged me for my bad decisions. I asked Patricia to marry me because we slept together. I felt it was the right thing to do because I loved her and was her first."

Talking to my parents about this feels so weird, but I press on.

"I loved her, and she loved me. We planned to spend the rest of our lives together. When she told me she didn't want children, I felt that was a deal breaker, so I was going to break up with her, but instead of breaking up, we slept together. She hinted that she could change her mind about having children. I thought, okay, then let's get married. I was twenty-two, and I thought I had found the one. She wasn't the one."

"So what happened last night?" asks Mom again.

"I'm not going to talk about it," I say, "but the point is, it was inappropriate for Laila and me to sleep in the same room."

"You're in love with her," says Mom, "I can tell."

"I am," I say.

"Does she know?" asks Dad. "You two have been playing the part of two people in love very convincingly."

"We have a deep friendship, and now we know that we also have a great attraction to each other. That's why I left the room."

Their nods tell me they understand.

"If she doesn't know," says Dad, "you need to tell her."

"I agree," says Mom.

"If I tell her, and she doesn't feel the same way, I lose her and her friendship."

"If you don't tell her," says Dad, "you'll regret it."

"I'd rather regret never knowing she loved me than regret telling her and finding out she doesn't love me."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," says Dad. "You're going to let her go because you're afraid of rejection?"

"Yeah," I say. "I experienced rejection with Patricia, and it destroyed me."

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