Chapter 3

“Ow!” Samir cries. “What’d you do that for?”

“I’m not in love with the guy; let it hurt you.”

Samir has already peeled his face away from the window and turned toward Tournesol in defeat when they see Kerry scurrying up the snow-blown street in his short-sleeved work shirt. He’s wrapped in a scarf, tapping madly at the screen of a smartphone with one hand, sucking the last flake of tobacco out of a cigarette. Samir hasn’t smoked since college, and when Andy used to come to bed after a night out stinking like a booze-flooded ashtray, Samir would kick him to the couch. But this kid’s just a crush, and a beautiful blue-eyed one at that—Samir cares much less about what he might taste like than he does about getting to find out.