Page 125 of Should Our Stars Collide

“I’m on fire! Woohoo! This body is a machine!”

Instead of a relaxed jog, he had broken into a near sprint from the get-go. It’s a good thing his legs are so short, otherwise Ash would lose him. So far, he’s only had to speed up a little.

“You might wanna pace yourself!” he calls after him.

“Shut up, old man. I’m beating your ass.”

Ash snorts. He slows down to his usual speed, letting Kieran get it out of his system. If his calculations are correct, Kieran’s going to lose steam in about two minutes.

Ash finds him a few minutes later, flat on his back and wheezing. He comes to stand over his head, grinning down at him smugly.

“Done already?”

“Just…need…a moment.”

“Sure. Catch up when you can.”

Kieran’s legs flail as he heaves himself up. “You’re gonna leave me here?!”

“You left me behind too.”

“Because you were slow!”

“I was pacing myself. There was no rush.”

“Says the old man. Okay, wait!” Kieran yells when Ash starts running again. “I’m sorry! Just gimme a sec.” He scrambles onto his knees first, looking way too sexy in that position for his own good. And for Ash’s too. “How far are we going, by the way?”

“Mermaid Beach and back.”

“You nuts?! That’s 10k!”

“Eight. That’s why I told you to pace yourself.”

Stumbling to his feet like Bambi, Kieran brushes sand off his body and turns in the direction they came from. “Fuck it, I’m done.”

Ash hooks a finger into the collar of Kieran’s shirt. “Don’t give up yet.”

“Why not?” He crosses his arms. “What couldpossiblymake me want to annihilate my lungs first thing in the morning?”

“It’s ten o’clock.”

“Bye.”

“How about a reward?”

Kieran halts and turns towards Ash. “Can I choose?”

“I’ll choose.” No way is Ash letting this opportunity pass by. “But it will be something you like. A lot.”

Kieran snaps his fingers, then points one at him. “Thatis how you make me exercise, isn’t it?”

“I told you, you respond well to the reward system.”

Kieran’s eyes narrow, like he’s suspecting a trap, but curiosity gets the better of him. “It better be worth it. Come on, old man. Let’s do this.”

He takes off, very muchnotpacing himself.

Ash follows after him at a leisurely pace, smiling the whole time. This is gonna be fun.