There were only three social circles that had power in Greenwich: fun society girls who partied, which Beatrice herself led; a group she called the Three Cs for their obsession with church, charities, and college admissions, which was Anna’s boyfriend’s cohort. “And lastly…” Bea hiccupped, frowning. “I can’t remember the third, but there are three.”

“The third group are the rich boarding school kids who come back for holidays and the summer,” Vronsky added helpfully. He already knew about the three circles, having heard Bea pontificate about this before. Social politics was her favorite thing to discuss when stoned, and Vronsky had spent many such evenings with his hard-partying cousin.

“Yes, yes, very good,” Bea said, finding Vronsky’s impatience funnier as the minutes passed. “Anna is a fascinating case because she’s always floated freely between all three circles, never pledging allegiance to any one group. I’ve always found her to be a mysterious bird. She’s well liked but kind of a loner who spends all her time with horses and giant dogs. At school she usually reads through lunch. Books! Not her phone, even.” Bea hiccupped again.

Vronsky pushed a glass of ice water toward Beatrice, a not-so-subtle hint.

“You stinkstar!” she snapped. “If I didn’t adore you, I’d tell you to fuck off. Of all the girls for you to fall for, does it have to be Anna? Her boyfriend is no small obstacle. Even though he’s away, he still holds a lot of influence and the entire town thinks he walks on water. My dad once called him ‘the pride of Greenwich.’ This isn’t an Asian fetish thing, is it, dear cousin?”

Normally, Vronsky would have laughed off his cousin’s ridiculous comment, but tonight he wasn’t in the mood for her crass sense of humor. She saw his lips tighten and she placed her hand on his arm. “Sorry, that was gauche. I only said it because you do have a pattern. Your first sexual experience was watching Kiril and that Thai girl. And you have had more than your fair share of hotties from the Far East.…”

“Dammit, Bea, I’m not here to discuss the psychology behind my sex life! I’m here because I, I…” He stammered, realizing he hadn’t eaten very much and was now drunk himself. He gulped down his glass of water and wiped his mouth. “I’m here because I think I’m in love with her and I don’t know what to do about it,” he said, hanging his head, not in shame, but in relief. Honesty was difficult, but it was also exhilarating to say what had been on his mind for the entire taxi ride downtown. Vronsky knew without a doubt he had never been in love until he saw Anna K. step off the train a few hours earlier.