Page 68 of If the Stars Align

He briefly shifts his gaze to her. “Hey,” he says, his micro-smile disappearing.

“Hey yourself,” Sam replies in an unusually sweet tone. When I turn to look at her, she’s flushed.

“I, um, sold some of my old law treatises to this first-year downstairs, so I was in the building,” Jeremy explains as I turn to face him again. “Thought I’d stop by and see if you were back from Paris. And here you are.”

“Here I am,” I echo back. “Do you want to come in? Sam and I were just having some wine. You’re welcome to join us.”

I’d much prefer he didn’t, under the circumstances. But it was nice of him to stop by, so I feel bad not asking. Plus, Jeremy’s my closest friend in law school, and we study well together. I guess I’ll have to get over this guilty feeling eventually.

He shakes his head. “I gotta get going, but thanks. I’ll, um, see you in class? Monday?”

“Sounds good,” I say as he waves goodbye.

As soon as I close the door, Sam grabs my shoulders and spins me to face her. “Sunny,” she whispers. “What…the…fuck?”

I’m clueless. “Huh?”

She takes my hand and pulls me back to the couch. “That’sJeremy?” she asks when we’re seated.

“Yes…” I respond slowly. I still have no idea where she’s going with this.

She leans back against a throw pillow. “So you’re telling me that’stheJeremy who’s, like, a genius and stays up all night reading random textbooks?”

I chuckle. “That’s him. Why?”

She shakes her head. “Because I wasnotprepared for him to look like that.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I mean, the way you described him—smartest guy in the class, lives at the library, studiesastronomyfor shits and giggles—I just figured he’d be a total nerd.” She pauses. “I mean, we’re all nerds, I suppose. But I thought he wouldlooklike a nerd.”

I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. “And? What does he look like?”

“Are you kidding me, Sunny? He’s FUCKING HOT!”

I tilt my head. “Jeremy?”

“Oh my god.” Sam buries her face in her hands and takes a deep breath before looking at me again. “Are you blind?” she asks, now laughing at me.

I give a sheepish shrug. “I just don’t think about him that way, I guess.”

“How is that even possible? He is sexy ashell. You must have had blinders on while you and Dex were together.”

I frown. “Probably.”

She takes a sip of wine. “And theyarenight and day different. Jeremy’s more rugged. He looks like he has an edge to him. Like he’d bend you over a desk and?—”

“Okay, Sam—I get it,” I say, reaching for her hand. “I don’t need that image in my mind.”

She gives me a disapproving look. “What youneedis to get over Dex. And you can do that by gettingunderJeremy. I’m pretty sure I picked up on a vibe from him too.”

“No,” I say adamantly, searching for my wine glass. I find it on the floor, next to my feet, and take a sip. “There was no vibe. I think he was just thrown off by my straight hair. I’ll admit he was acting a little weird…but we haven’t seen each other in months. And Jeremy’s not really known for his social graces.” I laugh. “Most people in our class can’t stand him—they think he’s arrogant.”

Sam smiles. “Well, it looks like he’s got the goods to back it up. Just keep an open mind, Sunny, that’s all I’m saying.”

I breathe out heavily. “That’s not going to happen.Ever.For one thing, I’m not attracted to him. For another, he has a girlfriend?—”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course he does. They could break up, though…”