When Miley Cyrus was caught packing on the PDA with Kaitlynn Carter, the internet went wild. For those who forgot, the two ladies were snapped kissing while on vacation in Italy together, just days before news hit the web that Miley and her husband, Liam Hemsworth, were getting a divorce. Now, the 31-year-old is finally spilling all the tea on what went down between her and the “Wrecking Ball” singer.

“This past July, I went on vacation with a female friend. The next thing I knew, I was in love with her. It wasn’t quite that simple, of course. But it also wasn’t very complicated, either,” the blonde beauty shared in an essay she wrote for Elle Magazine. “Until that trip, it had never crossed my mind that I was even capable of loving a woman the way I loved her.”

As fans know, Kaitlynn and Miley’s romance came just weeks after the social media star had split from her own husband, Brody Jenner.

“As my friend and I spent that August traveling through Europe together and trying to move past our respective break-ups, my first and only romance with a woman was born,” she continued. “I fell just as hard for her as I had the older man so many years before. It was that same familiar force of nature. I didn’t have to think about a thing or overanalyze. It just happened and it felt exactly right. Reflecting back on our three-year friendship, I realized I’d always been drawn to her in a way I wasn’t with other friends, but until that trip it had never crossed my mind to think of her in a romantic sense.”

Kaitlyn explained that it’s the person she’s drawn to — not the gender.

“I also find myself attracted to people in a way that seems disconnected from sex and physical traits, and more connected to a person’s mind. It’s not necessarily intelligence, although that helps, but it’s about how they think and operate, how they view the world. I guess technically I could label myself a number of ways. Or on second thought, not at all,” she added. “I believe it was all just a matter of chemistry that had nothing to do with gender. I still don’t feel like I’m in a place to label my sexuality one way or another, but I’m okay with that. It’s something I’m still exploring and figuring out. It’s been interesting to watch friends and strangers alike assume I’ll automatically revert to being attracted to men, as if they’re more familiar with my sexuality than I am. Even I don’t entirely understand what my experience this summer means for me going forward — and it’s my experience.”

Miley and Kaitlynn were pretty much inseparable for a few weeks, and they definitely weren’t afraid to show off their love. They couldn’t keep their hands (or their lips) off each other — and fans were living for it. But the whirlwind romance eventually fizzled out, and Miley moved on with Cody Simpson.

“While it was short-lived, I’ll remain eternally grateful to my most recent relationship for opening my eyes to this unexplored part of myself, and for inspiring a new level of self-discovery and wonder at all the possibilities of life. I’ve been forced to get to know myself in a far deeper way than ever before, and not just in terms of my sexual preferences. I’ve also been forced to reckon with who I am as a person,” the model concluded. “Although the relationship with my friend was often referenced in the media as merely a ‘summer fling’ or a ‘same-sex affair,’ it was so much more than that. This was a profound journey of self-discovery. For the first time, I listened to myself, forgot about the ‘norm,’ and lived. I hope that everyone, when given the chance, takes the time to understand who exactly their most authentic selves are, untethered from what we may have been taught to believe. Remain curious. Know that there are many layers within you—and they just might be the most invaluable ones.”

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