Page 97 of When Love Is Unexpected

"I haven't seen you in seven years. Why would I tell my current girlfriend about an old relationship?"

"Because I was your fiancée. We were going to get married."

"Sounds like you're rewriting history. We were never engaged."

"When are you going to forgive me?" she asked. We can be good together—the way we were before you left and never returned."

"Goodbye, Patricia."

"It's Tricia!" she exclaimed as I walked away.

"Thank you for the dance," says Kim, returning me to the present.

"It was good to see you," I say, giving her a hug.

When I look back at our table, Laila's gone. The next song has started, but I don't see her on the dance floor either. When I return to our table, Patricia walks up to me.

"Did you save me a song like I asked?" She reaches for my hand. "Just one song, Sam."

She pulls me back onto the dance floor. It feels like all eyes are on us. Everyone in this room knows our story. We were high school sweethearts, after all. We begin the slow dance, and I have no choice but to be a gentleman and finish this one dance.

"Your grandparents think you're in love with… what's her name?"

"I am in love with her," I say.

"Then why are you trembling under my touch? You still want me."

"It's not desire, Tricia," I say, emphasizing her new name, "It's—."

"It's need," she says. "I feel it too. I miss you. I miss us. I miss your lips, your touch. No one has ever made me feel the way you did. I want to feel that again."

"I'm sorry," I say, "but that'll never happen."

"If I could go back in time, I would say yes," she says, "Ask me again, Sam. I want to be your wife and the mother of your children."

Chapter 23

Laila

The ladies' room is spacious, with plenty of stalls and sinks. I open my clutch and start digging for my lipstick. There are two entry doors, one on each side of the room, with a half wall in the middle. I'm standing on one side when I hear a couple of women come in. They're laughing and deep in what sounds like a private conversation based on the hushed tones they're using. They have no idea I'm here. Just as I'm about to make myself known, they say Sam's name. It could be a different Sam, but my interest is piqued. I stand in silence, with my hand still inside the clutch.

"Did you see Sam?"

"Oh my gosh, yes! He's hotter than ever."

You won't get any argument from me. I completely agree.

"I had a thing for him my junior year."

"Who didn't? When he and Patricia broke up for like a week, I asked him out."

"Ooh, do tell."

"We went to the movies, and he kissed me when he took me home. Well, I kissed him, but it still counts."

"And?"

"Patricia was right. Sam is a great kisser."

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