Page 11 of Should Our Stars Collide

Dawson throws his hands up in the air in frustration. “I don’t know which ones count! Shut up,” he grumbles, even though Ash didn’t say anything.

“I admit, I’m surprised.”

Dawson grunts an agreement. “You and me both.”

“Last time we spoke, you had rather ambiguous feelings about the prospect of getting intimate with Cal again, after everything.”

“Yeah, well…” Loosening his death-grip on the plushie, Dawson brings his gaze down to stare at it. He runs a finger around the donut between the plushie’s paws, while a small, dreamy smile curves his lips. “Things happened that kinda put everything into perspective.”

Being the nosy bitch that he is, Ash fights the temptation to sneak a peek at Dawson’s thoughts. There’s no good reason why he should, seeing as Dawson is in a sharing mood today.

Instead, Ash leans back into his chair to make himself comfortable. “Tell me about it.”

Dawson’s teeth sink into his bottom lip. “Cal found the divorce papers.”

Ash winces in sympathy. “Ouch.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you manage to tell him the truth?”

A guilty expression passes across Dawson’s face. “I tried to sweep it under the rug, but…it became obvious I couldn’t keep it from him anymore.”

“How did he take it?”

“He signed the papers and told me he wanted me to be safe and happy, even if it meant being apart.”

Ash’s brows climb up so high he wouldn’t be surprised if they caught in his hairline. “That’s very…noble.” And the last thing he expected to hear.

Dawson makes an annoyed sound. “And the last thing I wanted. It’s fucked up, isn’t it? That all this time I wished for him to disappear from my life and now I can’t imagine it without him.”

If it were anyone else, Ash would be warning them against the number of red flags popping up left and right. But Dawson’s case? Ash is officially in uncharted waters.

“Fucked up or not, sometimes the best way to find out what we want is to face the very thing we don’t want. It’s like you said—perspective.”

Dawson nods, seemingly happy with the answer. Then, “He asked me to marry him.”

Ash’s gaze instantly travels to Dawson’s ring finger, which is bare. “Is that why you’re not wearing your ring?”

“Yeah. Starting fresh, you know?”

“That’s smart. Well, congratulations. I assume you said yes?”

“I said yes,” Dawson confirms with a short laugh. “You’re invited to the wedding, by the way. Whenever that might be. If that’s allowed, or whatever.”

Ash sends him a wink. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Okay, good. Now I just have to tell all the others.” A look of horror settles in Dawson’s features. “Oh god.”

“What?”

Covering his face, Dawson mumbles, “My sister will blow a fuse. And so will Kieran.”

Ash isn’t proud of how quickly his focus leaves Dawson and latches onto the mention of his friend. He takes a few seconds, making sure his expression and voice both remain neutral. “Not big fans of Cal, I see.”

Dawson makes a noise between a laugh and a cry and drops his hands in his lap. “Understatement of the century. Kieran all but ripped me a new one last time I saw him.” He gives Ash a firm look. “At the movies.”

“What happened?” Ash plays dumb.