Page 84 of Kissing is the Easy Part

She exhales with a frown. “You don’t appreciate the finer things in life. It breaks my heart.”

“That’s not true,” I protest. “I appreciateyou. You’re the finest thing in my life.”

“But this is part of me.” She gestures to the wine bottle. “As well as designer clothes, gourmet food, extravagant parties­—these are the things that matter to me.”

“Come on, you’re so much more than that. You’re not just about money.”

“No, it’s not about money. I knew you’d say that because you don’t get it. It’s about developingtaste,” she says, her frown getting deeper. “If you never try new things, you’ll miss out on a lot.”

Some of us don’t have the luxury to try new things all the time, and I’m still in high school. Besides, I’m so broke after Lindsey’s party, I can’t even afford to try old things right now. But why worry about money when Flora cares about my opinion? She just wants to share her interests with me.

“I’m sorry. Let’s try again. Tell me what’s so amazing about this wine so I can impress everyone at my next dinner party.” I make a big show of searching for a piece of paper, preparing to jot down notes. “Now, what’s this supposed to taste like?”

She rotates the glass counterclockwise, letting the dark-red liquid coat the sides before it runs down in slow stripes. “Chianti is like the little black dress of wine—elegant and timeless. The Sangiovese grapes give it acidity, which is why it works so well with tomato sauce. Do you get hints of flowers or berries or minerals? Think earth notes, like truffles.”

Truffles?Flora made me truffle cream sandwiches yesterday, and it was nothing remotely similar to this. “Are you sure you’re not just reading off the label?”

She narrows her eyes, even though her lips are curving up. “It’s not on the label. Don’t insult my extraordinary taste buds.”

“All right then. You mentioned flowers. What kind of flowers?”

“What do you mean what kind of flowers?”

“Can you be more specific?” I place the pen over my notes. “In case you don’t know, I’m a model student, and I need full comprehension.”

“This isn’t a written test. But if you must know, I’d say violets.”

I cross out the wordflowerand putvioletunderneath. “What kind of minerals?”

“You’re impossible.” She shakes her head and laughs. Her laugh is the part that sticks with me.

* * *

Josie is sitting by herself on the lawn when I arrive at school on Monday, headphones wrapped around her head. Instead of joining the other girls for their giant lattes, this is her version of breakfast. She feeds herself on enough rock and roll to get her through the day.

“I got invited to see this band, Birch Grove,perform at the Crocodile on Friday. You know, that grungy venue near Belltown,” she says when I sit down next to her. “Wanna come?”

I’m her go-to whenever Brian is busy at university. A week ago, I would’ve agreed right away, but now I hesitate. “Let me ask Flora if she’s up for it,” I say, even though it isn’t her cup of tea.

Josie doesn’t miss a beat, and the realization clicks into place on her face. She’ll stop asking me to hang out since I’m back in a relationship. “Of course, ask Flora to come! And congrats, by the way. Finally, the pair of you came to your senses.”

“Yeah, and now you know everything.”

“No need for me to point out the obvious. If you had confided in me,at all, at any point during junior year—”

I groan. “I get it. I brought this on myself. In the future, I’ll report everything to you firsthand. Want to subscribe to our newsletter?”

“No, thanks, I’ve got limited space on my email server.”

“I still can’t believe I have her back.” Flora was my first thought this morning and has stayed on my mind ever since.

Josie pats me on the shoulder. “She’s one step away from tattooing your name on her forehead. Glad to see you’re taking this seriously too. But also, you’re different people at the core, and it’s important to develop common interests—”

“We have common interests. You wouldn’t believe what I did this weekend. I was wine tasting. I’m now an expert on tannin and oak notes.”

“Well, I’m happy for you.” She couldn’t fake that smile of genuine approval even if she wanted to. Josie is the greatest friend I could ever hope for, even though I sideline her whenever I’m in a relationship.

“Let me know if you need my advice on anything. Picking out a baby name, for example.”