5. Chapter 5
As I get ready for dinner, I try not to think about my last conversation with Eric. I don”t want it to ruin my mood. I change into a slate blue puff-sleeve blouse, skinny blue jeans, and brown leather ankle boots with three-inch heels. Heels I could never wear when I went out with Eric. My hair has decided to rebel against me today, so I”m letting it do its thing. Long curls framing my face will have to do. A chunky silver necklace with matching earrings completes the ensemble.
I look up when Mom enters my room and asks, ”Are you ready to talk about it?”
”Sam and I ran into Eric this morning when we were jogging.”
”Oh, boy,” Mom says. ”He confronted you?”
”It wasn”t a confrontation,” I say. ”Just a very heated discussion.”
”Where was Sam?” she asks.
”He was standing about thirty feet away, waiting. Eric accused me of breaking up with him because Sam is back in town.”
”You can understand why it might look that way to him, given the timing.”
”He asked me if I”m in love with Sam.”
Mom waits for an answer as if it could be anything other than no.
”Mom,” I say, ”you too?”
”Laila, Sweetie,” she begins, reaching for my hand. ”You can lie to Eric, Sam, and even yourself, but you can”t lie to me.”
I look at her, shaking my head, not quite grasping what she”s trying to say. Okay, I”m grasping, but I”m not accepting what she”s suggesting.
”You were crushed when Sam left,” Mom says, knowing I can”t argue with that truth nugget. ”You cried every day for a week after he left. Then, once you started talking to him on the phone, you couldn”t wait to hear from him each and every day. I expected the enthusiasm you showed every time he called to wear off after a few weeks, but it never did. These past two weeks, you were moping around because you hadn”t heard from him. From the outside looking in, you looked like a woman in love.”
”That”s impossible,” I say. ”Sam and I are just friends. Why complicate things by suggesting there could be more?”
”Because if there is more, it has to come out before he leaves again.”
”That”s two months away,” I say.
”Two months will fly by, and he”ll be gone if you don”t stop him.”
”I can”t believe you”re telling me this, Mom.”
”I love you, Baby,” she says, squeezing my hands. ”I want nothing more than to see you happy. Sam makes you happy.”
”You know what he told me today? He said he would rather have me as a friend for the next sixty years than do something that could end our friendship.”
”Like what?” she asks.
I was afraid she”d ask.
”His sister is getting married. Sam will be the only remaining member of his family who is still single. I guess they put a lot of pressure on him because he doesn”t have a special someone.” I put air quotes on the words “special someone” for emphasis. ”He asked me if I”d pretend to be his girlfriend on this trip to keep his family off his back.”
”Oh boy,” Mom says.
”You don”t approve.”
”I don”t like deception, Sweetheart. If his family finds out, they”ll never trust you again. They”ll forgive Sam, but they might not forgive you. So, no, I don”t like it.”
”I never thought of that,” I say.
”Well, that”s why God made moms. We think of everything.”
I laugh, and she laughs with me. This is a reminder of why I believe my mother is the most wonderful person I know.
”So, what do I do?” I ask. ”Call the whole thing off? What do I tell Sam? He thinks I”m all in, but you”re right. I don”t want to make enemies of people who matter to me because they matter to Sam.”
”Your father and I agreed to this trip because we want you and Sam to have time to reconnect and figure out if there”s something more than friendship between you.”
”Dad has turned out to be quite a matchmaker,” I say. “Katherine, then Loren, and now me?”
”He wasn”t wrong about Adam or Aaron,” Mom says, ”and he”s not wrong about Sam.”
”You say it with such conviction, Mom,” I say. ”What am I missing?”
”Honey, we”ve been around longer. We sense things. We observe. We listen.”
”So, what is it exactly that I”m missing according to you and Dad?”
”The fact that Sam is deeply in love with you.”
My heart not only skips a beat but stops altogether. I feel like all the oxygen has just been sucked out of the room. And I feel like crying. Loren is the crier in the family. Not me!
”Mom, I don”t know what to think or what I should think of your opinion.”
”It”s not an opinion, Laila. It”s a fact.”
”What am I supposed to do now? I”m having dinner with him, Adam, and Katherine. I”m going to San Diego with him for two months. What am I supposed to do with all this?”
”You”re supposed to figure out whether or not you feel the same way.”
I feel a panic attack coming on. My heart goes from not beating to pounding inside my chest. I feel my hands getting clammy, my mouth getting dry, and my armpits getting sweaty. This is not happening.
I put my head down between my legs and try to breathe through the sheer panic.
Mom laughs. The woman laughs. God, help me.
Five minutes later when I”ve calmed down, I ask again, ”What do I do now?”
”Go to San Diego with the man who makes you melt,” she says.
I scoff because I don”t believe this is happening.
”What if you”re wrong, Mom? What if I make a fool out of myself, and it all blows up in my face?”
”This plan you have to pretend to be in a relationship. Don”t pretend.”
”What do you mean?” I ask.
”The moment you walk out that door tonight, believe that Sam is your boyfriend. Let him love you.”
I”m not one for blushing—that”s also Loren”s department—but I feel the heat rising to my face, and I”m getting sweaty again. I”m going to need another shower.
”How do I do that?” I ask.
”Sweetheart, you”re twenty-six years old. You”ve had two serious boyfriends, but you”ve never been in love. Until now.”
”How do you know?” I ask.
”Because I know my daughters. The only thing that has ever mattered to you is med school, your career, your goals. That is until you met Sam. That”s how your father and I knew you were falling.”
”But I was in a relationship with Eric for over two years.”
”True, but you started prioritizing your time with Sam over your time with Eric. Did you not realize that?”
”He helped me study,” I say in my defense.
”Eric would have done the same,” Mom says. “But you never gave him a chance. When Eric called, you”d say, ”I don”t have time; I need to study.” When Sam called, you”d say, ”I”m coming over. You can help me study.” There”s something there, Laila. We all see it.”
”Who”s ”all?’” I ask.
”The people in your life who know you and love you.”
”So, in other words, everyone.”
”Yes,” Mom says. ”Everyone.”
Mom gets up to leave my room but looks back before opening the door.
”Two more things, Sweetie.”
”I”m all ears,” I say.
”Don”t pretend. Be yourself. Be honest, and be truthful.”
”Okay,” I say. ”What”s the other?”
”Sometimes people make better friends than they do lovers, but when you find someone who can be both, you”ve found your soulmate.”
”Thanks, Mom.”
”I love you, Sweetie.”
”I love you too.”
An hour later, I go to pick up Sam at Loren”s, and before I can ring the doorbell, he opens the door. He”s wearing an olive-green button-down shirt with long sleeves rolled up to the elbows, khaki pants, and leather lace-up shoes. He looks so handsome.
”You look beautiful,” he says, giving me a hug.
”So do you,” I say, and I mean it.
”Do you mind driving?” I ask as we walk back to the car.
I hand him the keys, and he clicks the doors open, but he still walks over to the passenger side and opens the door for me. Ah, yes, I remember how much of a gentleman he is.
When he slides into the car and adjusts the seat to fit his tall frame, I put on some music. Thanks to my parents’ influence, I”m partial to classic rock and 80s music. Sam enjoys the twang of country music.
”Oh no, you don”t,” he says, reaching for the dial.
”Ladies first,” I say, laughing. ”You can listen to some Luke Bryan on our way back.”
”Alright,” he says, smiling.
”When we both sit back and relax into our seats for the five-minute drive to my sister”s house, I put on some Pink Floyd and reach for Sam”s hand. His warm and strong hand interlaced with mine makes me feel butterflies in my stomach.
”Practice?” he asks.
”Yes,” I say, smiling. ”Practice.”
When Katherine opens the door, she greets both of us with a smile and a hug. As soon as we step inside, I can smell dinner. There are notes of cayenne pepper, oregano, onions, garlic, and cumin.
”Did you make Mexican food for dinner?” I ask.
”I made beef enchiladas and rice.”
”I love Mexican food,” Sam says, ”That”s one thing we”ll have to indulge in when we”re in San Diego. I”m taking you to all my favorite Mexican restaurants and introducing you to some unique but delicious eats.”
”I can”t wait!” I exclaim.
Adam walks in wearing an apron with what looks like enchilada sauce smeared on the front.
”I thought you said you made dinner,” I say, looking at Katherine.
”It was a team effort,” says Adam.
”I made dessert,” says Katherine, ”It”s in the refrigerator. Hopefully, it”ll taste as good as it looks.”
”What did you make?” I ask.
”Flan. It”s an egg custard topped with caramel,” says Katherine, ”It”s really good.”
”Where are the kids?” I ask.
”They”re spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa”s,” says Adam.
When the food is ready, we sit together at the table, and the conversation starts flowing.
”What time will Loren be here tomorrow?” I ask.
”Before noon,” says Katherine. “She”s dropping off Christina first.”
”Is that tomorrow?” Sam asks.
”Did you know Loren and Aaron are coming back?” I ask.
”Yes,” he says. ”But for some reason, I thought it was next week.”
”Speaking of,” I say, looking at both Katherine and Adam. ”When did you two know Sam was coming to visit?”
”I don”t know,” says Adam. ”I think Jon told us about a month ago.”
”And no one said anything,” I say.
”It would”ve ruined the surprise,” says Katherine.
”Okay,” I say. ”I guess I forgive you. Do you know about San Diego too?”
”Yep,” Katherine says before putting a big bite of enchiladas in her mouth.
”Hmm, these are good, Babe,” she says, looking at Adam.
”I do make a mean enchilada,” Adam says, smiling wide, ”I made the sauce from scratch.”
”Impressive,” says Sam as he digs in.
”How do you two feel about Sam and me pretending to be in a relationship?”
”I don”t think you have to pretend,” says Adam.
”What do you mean?” I ask.
”You two are close, he says. ”You behave like a couple.”
”That”s not true,” I say.
”No,” Adam says. ”It”s true. You”re very intentional with your affection for one another.”
”True,” I say. ”But we”re not together. Sam”s family is expecting to see a couple in love.”
”Do what you already do,” Katherine adds. ” Sprinkle everything with some handholding and some kissing. You”ll be fine.”
”That”s easy for you to say,” I mutter.
”Listen, just take it one step at a time,” says Adam. ”Don”t embellish anything. Be honest.”
”I”m having second thoughts,” says Sam, looking at me.
”You”re afraid we”ll get found out?” I ask. ”And then your family will hate me and see me as a liar?”
Sam immediately reaches for my hand.
”That”ll never happen,” he says. ”They”re going to love you.”
When I serve myself some flan, I take a spoonful of it and offer it to Sam.
He takes a bite and closes his eyes.
“It”s really good,” he says.
”See,” Katherine says, ”that”s what we”re talking about. That sweet gesture goes a long way to show others how you feel about each other.”
”It”s just a bite,” I say.
”Now, now, wait a minute,” says Adam. ”For the record, you dated Eric for over two years. I never once saw you share a bite of anything with him.”
”And he was at the house every Sunday,” says Katherine.
”Okay,” I say. ”I get what you”re saying.”
I look at Sam and smile. He smiles back because he knows exactly what I”m thinking. We eat off each other”s plates all the time.
”Laila,” Katherine says.
”Yes?” I ask.
”How do you know Adam and I are in love?”
”For the past six years, you”ve never stopped smiling. You two have never graduated from the honeymoon phase. You can”t keep your hands off each other. You”re always considerate of each other”s time, feelings, and choices. You radiate love for one another. You”re soulmates.”
”Aah, that”s beautiful,” Katherine says, smiling. ”I wasn”t expecting so much detail. Thank you.”
”I want what you have,” I say. When I glance at Sam, I find his gaze fixed on me.
”Sam, what about you?” Adam asks. ”How do you know Katie and I are in love?”
”I haven”t known the two of you that long,” Sam begins. ”But since I”ve known you, you two seem happily married. You”re together twenty-four-seven, and you don”t seem to get tired of each other. Your children are thriving. You spend time with your families almost every day and for sure every weekend. You, Adam, you light up whenever Katherine is in the room. You”re very attentive and affectionate with her. You touch her, you kiss her, you whisper in her ear a lot.”
”True!” I exclaim, pointing at Adam. ”You do that a lot.”
We all laugh out loud when Adam leans over to Katherine, whispers in her ear, and flirts openly with her. My sister smiles and kisses Adam.
”What exactly do you whisper in her ear, Adam?” I ask, ”I”ve wanted to know for years, but if it”s something dirty, I don”t want to know.”
We all laugh out loud.
”When I returned to Cold Spring,” Adam says, ”I went to see Katie. I was nervous as hell. I stood outside her front door with a bouquet of roses in one hand and my heart in the other. I knew I loved her. And I knew she couldn”t stand me. When she opened the door, I don”t know what happened, but she was frozen in place. When I realized she wasn”t going to give me a warm welcome or even a cold greeting, I stepped forward, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered in her ear.”
”What? What did you whisper?” I ask, completely enthralled by his account of their first encounter after fourteen long years.
”I whispered, ”Hi, Katie”,” Adam says.
”What?” I ask, completely confused. ”That”s it?”
”That”s it,” Adam says, smiling.
When I look at Katherine, her face is beaming.
”When I lean in,” Adam says, ”And I whisper something in her ear, nine times out of ten, it”s just her name, ”Hi, Katie.””
”It”s the way he says it,” Katherine says, smiling.
Oh, my goodness, she”s blushing.
”No one calls me Katie but him, and in that one word, I found and continue to experience love, commitment, passion, and devotion from the man who changed my life forever. It melts my heart, and it makes me happy.”
”Wow,” I say, watching the spark between them ignite once again. It never fails. They”re soulmates.