Butterfly Kisses

| chapter four |

In just a few short weeks — three to be exact — Taegan and Blake had become best friends; the two practically connected at the hip. They were known around school as T&B and labeled the cutest pair by both teachers and students alike.

Taegan could no longer deny that it was Blake who made her heart race, but she didn't know why. And she was scared to admit that maybe, just maybe she had a crush on the brown haired girl.

Was that allowed? She didn't know.

And that scared her.

"Mom."

Taegan's mother, Mikayla, smiled as she turned to face her daughter. "Yes- what's wrong?" her face dropped and she sat up quickly from her chair, rushing to the girl pulling her into a tight embrace. "Did someone hurt you?"

"N-no," the girl sniffed, "I-I'm confused and... and s-scared."

Mikayla pulled back, wiping her daughters tears with the pads of her thumb before leading her to the bed. Taegan crawled onto the soft mattress, sitting crossed legged before her mother, twiddling with her thumbs. "You remember Blake right?" her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, head down to avoid eye contact.

Mikayla nodded. "Your little friend? Did she hurt you?"

"N-no, never. She's so sweet and fun," she spoke honestly, smiling a bit. "I'm just... have you, uh-" she cut herself short, sobbing loudly.

Taegan had a secret. A secret she herself had not come to terms with, and to say it aloud... was frightening. She feared doing so would breath it into existence and that that would be her reality. She didn't want to change, she liked herself how she was now. She sniffed, wiping her eyes and bit her lip, slowly lifting her head to meet her mother's concerned gaze. The girl exhaled a shaky breath, pulling her knees to her chest and hugged herself tightly. She was going to ask.

"H-have you ever, uh, l-liked a girl?"

Mikayla's eyes grew to the size of saucers, the shock evident in her expression. Realizing what her daughter was implying her face softened, lips pulled up into a small smile. "No, I haven't... but do you like Blake, sweetheart?"

At the mention of her name heat ran up Taegan's neck and warmed her cheeks, butterflies tickling her insides. "How would I know?"

"Well, how does she make you feel?"

"Happy," she responded without missing a beat, a smile painting her lips. "She's so sweet and fun and when I'm with her I always smile, always laugh. I- I get this feeling in my stomach, like that d-drop on a roller coaster and... and my heart beats faster... my face gets warm. I'm just happy. S-sometimes I think of holding her hand, but get so flustered I can't."

Mikayla smiled, nodding.

"I'm confused, though because I like boys but I- I like her too." She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, staring at her mother with wide eyes. "I- I mean as a... a friend. That's it." she stuttered.

Her mother gave her a knowing look, and she sighed, biting her lip to contain her smile — no to avail. "I like her," she admitted, "I like Blake."

"And there's nothing wrong with that." Her mother finally said, pulling her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head. "I will always love you no matter what."