Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Mia had no clue that just by being her natural, unadorned self, she had caught the eye of her brother's classmates. Right now, she was wrestling with his complicated class schedule, holding her husband's phone in her left hand and a freshly downloaded translation app in her right.

As she strolled through the school grounds, glancing occasionally at the phone in her left hand while typing into the app with her right, her dedication stood out. Even her study sessions back in school didn't see this level of seriousness. Her chubby-cheeked son, Henry, watched in fascination, too afraid to disturb his focused mom, lest he get a playful scolding.

Andre, her husband, trailed along patiently, stopping whenever she did, never rushing her, and even keeping an eye on the path ahead. "Which word combo is tripping you up now?" he asked gently.

Mia leaned into him, her voice soft and teasing, "Honey, I don't get this. Why do they use so many abbreviations?"

Andre, always a sucker for her playful tone, cradled their child in one arm while wrapping the other around her shoulders. "Ethics or Applied Sciences in Engineering," he explained.

Mia sighed, "Why does it have to be so complicated?"

Pointing to another section, she pouted, "What about this one?"

"Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning," he responded.

She shook her head, "Might as well be Greek to me."

Andre glanced at her brother Cooper's schedule, nodding approvingly. "Cooper's got it figured out. The kid knows what he wants and doesn't need us setting goals for him." "How can you tell?" Mia asked, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks before her.

Eventually, she decided to stop overthinking it, figuring she only needed to remember what time Cooper finished school. The specifics of his classes were beyond her concern. After class, Cooper was usually surrounded by academic discussions. But since his sister's visit, everyone wanted to sit with him.

Cooper soon realized everyone was angling to be his "brother-in-law."

He explained tiredly, "She's my sister. She's married. And she has a kid."

His classmates were skeptical. "Are you trying to keep us away because you have a crush on her? Afraid we'll become your competition?" Exasperated, Cooper held his head in his hands. "Fine. You want to ask her? She'll be here to pick me up after school. Go ahead."

Sure enough, Mia stood outside the classroom, snapping a selfie to commemorate picking up her brother.

Back then, he'd dash to her after school, proud to have

those moments had ceased after she

pouring out of

"Okay,

Mia was bewildered. "What?"

a party tonight, and I'd

Mia: "..."

tall man stepped forward, "Hello, I'm from Spain, and

Mia: "..."

the two, eventually looking at her brother with confusion. "What are they saying? This is harder to understand than my son's baby

quipped, "This English isn't 'baby

two men continued to invite her

panic, her limited vocabulary failing

admiration for her

me out, please," Mia

to class, Cooper saw his chance for revenge. "Dream on. You think you're tough? Didn't foresee your English being inadequate, huh?" Before long, Andre arrived

drawn a crowd, especially the girls, who

was seen as a

shyness, hiding in his father's neck with

not one for the attention, carried his

floor, Andre spotted his

the rescue!"

had arrived. She waved at her husband and son, her gestures endearing. "Honey, come over. Help me

and the two interested classmates

Andre approached, "What's up?"