“What the hell?”

Rose whipped around to see Claire’s dad in the doorway, his cellphone at his ear.

“Don’t you remember my dad walking in after?” Claire said. “That’s what I’d want to change.”

“I guess I forgot,” said Rose, “it was a pretty good kiss.” Sitting in the tea shop again, she took another thoughtful sip from her mug, looking once more at a point behind Claire. She set down the mug, not noticing Claire’s expression as she mused, “I think I’d want the same thing, actually, not to have my dad arrive right after–”

“Your dad?” said Claire.

Rose started. “Well yes, I mean, that had to be embarrassing, having a special moment and your dad walks in–”

“But not my dad,” said Claire. She was looking at her with an expression Rose didn’t recognize, but she thought Claire’s face had looked similar to this before. In the school washroom…

“I wasn’t your first kiss, was I?” They were standing in Rose’s old bedroom now, all of her old photos still on the walls. On the bed, Rose saw, lying with their hair tangled together, staring at the ceiling, were herself and Vanessa.

“So you’re not gay.”

“Well, no. I mean… no. I don’t know–I mean how do you know?” Vanessa said.

Rose turned to Claire. “Look, Claire, it’s not like–”

“It’s okay, Rose,” Claire said, looking at the bed. “I always knew I wasn’t… I mean it was pretty obvious. It was Vanessa, wasn’t it?”

Rose stood watching helplessly. On the bed, Rose and Vanessa kissed.

“But, there could be other universes, right?” said Rose. “Ones where we were each other’s first kiss.” Claire wouldn’t look at her. “And where our dads don’t walk in on us. Perfect first kisses, anywhere we want. On like a romantic, wind-swept bluff–” Rose stopped as her hair blew into her mouth. Her arms were suddenly freezing. “Or maybe not, that might be distracting. At the Scarborough museum?” She could smell the straw and cotton ticking on the day she learned what “sleep tight” meant. Of course– “Well, we wouldn’t want Kenny watching. How about on a ship? The sun setting in the background?” She leaned over the rail, looking into Claire’s shining eyes. Shining, with the tears Claire couldn’t quite shed. “What is it? What’s wrong?”