For a moment; he’s frozen in shock. “I . . . oh wow. Okay, um . . .” He rakes his hand through his hair.

“You met him.”

“That guy?” He sounds appalled. “Are you guys even together?”

“It’s complicated. I haven’t told him. I haven’t really decided what to do yet.”

Blair goes quiet.

“It was an accident, obviously.”

“So are you going to . . . like, move here?”

“I honestly have no idea. I feel pretty lost at the moment.” As I say this my eyes well up, and before I know it a flood of tears comes pouring out.

“Come here,” he says. What have I done to deserve him? “Look, Katie. Obviously I want you to come back. But if you stay here, I’ll visit you every time I’m in the Southern Hemisphere, okay? Nothing is conditional with me, now or ever. If you come back as my friend, I’ll be a lucky man. If you come back as something more . . . there isn’t even a word for how lucky I’d be.”

“But what if . . . I mean, what about . . .”

“I love you,” he says, pulling back from me and moving my hair out of my face. “We’ll figure it out.”

Liz Is Not Liz

BLAIR LEAVES two days later and I say goodbye to him at the bus station, giving him a brief kiss and a long hug, promising to think about everything he said and call him soon. I ache watching him go.

I don’t hear from G for a few days after Blair leaves. I text him a couple of times, but he’s silent. He’s punishing me.

“That guy is an emotional terrorist,” Cali says when I tell her this. “Consider me officially Team Blair.”

“We’re not . . .” I say, “Blair and I . . . I mean, well . . .”

I feel my face get hot, and Cali laughs.

“Whatever you say, Blushy McBlusherson.”

“It’s just all so beyond fucked up, Cali. What? I’m just going to raise my love child with my ex-boyfriend’s brother and live happily ever after?”

She shrugs. “Life is weird. I mean, do whatever’s best for you and—”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I tell her before she can say the baby.

“What I’m saying is don’t get caught up in appearances. Who cares? If there’s any upside to being a pariah, it’s that we no longer need to try to live up to anyone else’s expectations.”

That night, we’re lounging by the pool at Edward’s, trying to figure out what to do with our evening, when Gemma convinces us to go into Puerto Madero. Anders is with us. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Gemma about it, but I gather maybe she’s decided to give him a real chance. Edward mentions that G said he’d try to stop by. I’m on edge hoping he’ll come, dreading it too.