Everything else got blacked out for just a moment, there on the sidewalk—the other people, the faint sound of sirens, all of it. It was just me and Cary and my hands in his hair and his arms around me. I could feel him breathe—I could feel his heart beat faster as his arms tightened around me so that, for just a second, my feet left the ground.

He set me down and we broke apart, but still stood close, looking at each other, as the snow fell all around us, on his cheeks, on his eyelashes. “Well,” he said, smiling wide at me.

“Yeah,” I said, trying not to smile back but failing miserably. And why not? We’d just made out in front of Grand Central—there didn’t seem to be any point in trying to play it cool. “Wait,” I said, suddenly panicked. How long had we just been kissing? It could have been a minute. It could have been a blissful hour—though if that was the case, I might have started to lose feeling in my feet. “What time is it?”

Cary pulled his phone out of his pocket. “11:08.”

“I should go,” I said, glancing toward the building. I didn’t want to. I wanted to spend several more minutes—or days or weeks—kissing him. But if Stevie was there, I had to be there too.

“Yeah,” Cary said, smiling at me, looking a little dazed. He gave me one quick kiss, then stepped back, toward his bike. “I have to go too, actually. I’m late for work. You know my number, right?”

“I Cruise!” I called, and he laughed.

“You got it.” We just smiled at each other for a moment, New Yorkers passing between us, and then I waved at him quickly and made myself turn away. I looked back before I pulled the door open, and froze the picture in my mind—Cary, standing by his scooter in the snow, smiling wide, waving back at me. I gave him a nod, then pulled open the door and hurried into Grand Central, trying not to skip.

I picked up my pace as I hustled toward the main area. For once, I didn’t want to be late. I wanted to be right on time to meet Stevie.

Because she was going to be there, I told myself as I hurried toward the clock, half running.

Wasn’t she?

CHAPTER 27

Stevie

The taxi line outside Grand Central was deserted. I passed it as I hurried toward the door and pulled it open. I glanced at my watch, then started to walk faster.