Page 20 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

“I’m fine,” she answered. “You found the photo you needed?”

Her hands were on her hips, her voice measured and calm as she spoke to the tall, colorful woman as if nothing had happened.

But the heat under my skin, and the hint of pink scattered across her cheeks, forced me to admit I didn’t imagine it.

I had Mia Walker in my arms.

And I liked it.

Chapter 9

Mia

SOUTH BRONX CLASSICAL

Wednesday

“This is surreal,” Lilly agreed.

“No, it’s batshit crazy. That’s what it is,” I whispered.

We were alone in the staffroom, but after my near-miss with Kira at our door yesterday, I didn’t want to chance being overheard.

“What is happening here?” I asked, hoping Lilly had an answer.

“Well, we could look at the facts.” Lilly held up a finger. “One: You didn’t get along with the band over the summer fundraiser. Or Theo.”

A second finger went up. “Two: You ran into him weeks later at the bookstore while trying to buy one of the only available copies of a viral book, and it turned out to be for his daughter.”

A third finger lifted into the air. “Three: He showed up to class on the first day and badmouthed you to our boss.”

Her fourth finger joined the rest. “Four: He showed up last night to volunteer as the set designer and actually saved you from a falling wooden plank.” She wiggled her hand. “Is that everything?”

I nodded. “I run into him three times in a single week, and then he saves me? This isn’t how real life works.”

I had every right to panic at this point. One or two run-ins I could chalk up to coincidence, but three?

“I don’t know a single other person this has happened to,” Lilly agreed.

“So the universe has it in for me, right?”

Lilly gave me a soft, you’re-so-daft look. “We don’t believe in ‘the universe’, Mia.”

I threw out my hands, exasperated. “But what else could it be? This isn’t a normal thing that just happens. Is it?”

She had that cheeky gleam in her eyes as she said, “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But if it is the universe, it’s definitely punishing you.”

I knew she was teasing me, but still. “Why, though? What did I do to upset it?”

“Well…” She raised a brow and pretended to look thoughtful. “This started after you teased me about reading romance, so...”

I connected the dots as soon as she said the words, folded my arms, and glared at her. “You think I’m being punished by the universe for teasing you about your horny novels?”

She shrugged, but couldn’t fight her grin. “Maybe.”

“That’s a stretch, don’t you think?”

She was positively gleeful now. “It’s the universe, Mia. It’s all-powerful. If it wanted to throw you into an enemies-to-lovers plot as payback for mocking my favorite genre, what’s to stop it?”