Page 73 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

“When you finally find someone who kisses you the way you need to be kissed?” Rochelle shook her head. “It’s rare, trust me.”

Kira tilted her chin, studying her aunt for a beat before finally saying, “Can we eat after I use the bathroom?”

The sudden change of subject made both of us laugh as Kira hopped up and skipped out of the room. I hadn’t seen her this happy in months. She was floating. Wrapped in a sea of clouds, swept up and out of reality.

“That’s what a teenage crush looks like, huh?”

Rochelle made a noise as she stared after Kira. “I think it’s more than a crush. Did you hear how she talked about that kiss?”

She nudged my shoulder.

“It’s not like she’s in love.”

“She might be.”

“Rochelle. Come on.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s what it feels like.”

“It’s not the same thing. She’s a teenager. She’s hormonal.”

She scoffed. “God, you’re hopeless. You think Kira can’t tell the difference?”

She pointed to her lap. “Hormones happen here. They’re physical.”

My shoulders tensed. I wasn’t sure I liked where Rochelle was going with this.

She moved her finger to her chest. “But love happens in here.” Then pointed to her head. “And here. You can’t stop thinking about them, you want to be around them all the time, you start making excuses to see them. All of that is love. And it makes you feel like–” she waved a hand at the door Kira disappeared through “–that. Like a whole new world just unlocked for you.”

“That’s not what love is like.” I gave her a look, and she shifted from exasperated to startled as I asked, “Is it?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re not asking because of Kira, are you?”

“I… shit.”

As I put my head in my hands, my sister lowered her voice. “What? What did you do?”

I spoke into my palms. “I kissed Mia.”

“You–Mia Walker? Kira’s teacher? That Mia?”

I looked up to find Rochelle staring at me, waiting. When all I could do was nod, she picked up one of her expensive decorative cushions and whacked me with it.

“Are. You. Kidding. Me?”

I took the cushion from her. “It was a one-time thing.”

She almost yelled. “A one-time thing? Are you–? I thought it was funny when it was just this cute crush you had on her, but you kissed her. This is Kira’s teacher.”

“I know,” I hissed, shushing her. “I know it was a mistake. It’s not happening again.”

She glared at me, looking so much like our mom that I had this weird sense of déjà vu. For a second, I almost thought she’d send me to my room.

“If you know that, why are you asking me about love?”

I looked away. “It felt different.”

“You mean when you kissed her?”