"Nina," Annabelle said, trying and failing to sound stern while fighting back a grin.
"Fine, fine, keep your secrets." Nina laughed and squeezed Annabelle's arm. "But for what it's worth, whatever, or whoever, put that smile on your face? I'm happy for you."
Annabelle's blush deepened, but before she could respond, the bell rang.
As she headed back to her classroom, the uncertainty crept back in. What if Raven regretted it? What if she wished it had never happened?
It had only been a kiss. Just one kiss. But… but it had felt like more, hadn’t it?
BY LUNCHTIME, LILY had noticed.
"My office. Now," Lily said, appearing in Annabelle's doorway with a look that meant she wasn't taking no for an answer.
Annabelle followed her friend down the corridor and into the small office that smelled permanently of coffee and paperwork.
Lily shut the door and turned to face her, arms crossed. "Alright. What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on."
"Annabelle, you've been floating around like you've won a million pounds, but you also look like you might cry at any moment. So, what happened?"
Annabelle sank into the chair across from Lily's desk and covered her face with her hands. "I might have kissed her."
"Kissed who?"
"Raven."
"Might have, or did?"
Annabelle peeked through her fingers. "Did. Definitely did."
There was a pause. Then Lily let out a long breath and sat down. "Right. Okay. Tell me everything."
So Annabelle did. She explained about going over last night, worried when the house was too quiet. The tea and the vulnerability. Raven's story about the library and foster care. The moment at the door. The kiss.
"And then she basically shut the door in my face," Annabelle finished breathlessly."Which could mean she hated it, or that I had horrific breath, or that she doesn’t like girls anymore, or that she felt overwhelmed, or that it was so good that she couldn’t think straight, or—"
"Annabelle. Stop."
Annabelle stopped.
Lily was quiet for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "How do you feel about it?"
"Terrified," Annabelle admitted. "But also…happy? Is that strange?"
"It's not strange." Lily's voice was gentle. "But Annabelle, I need you to be careful."
"Careful?"
"Raven is still healing from what looked like a pretty significant breakup. She came here to escape, to figure things out. She might not be ready for something real."
"I know that," Annabelle said quietly.
"And you have a tendency to try to fix people."
Annabelle's head snapped up. "I don't—"
"You do," Lily said, not unkindly. "It's one of the things I love about you. You see someone struggling and you want to help. But you can't fix Raven, Annabelle. She has to figure things out on her own."
