Page 133 of Should Our Stars Collide

“We were never close, though. I neverletthem get too close.”

He’d been coming to the café for years and his relationship with Gabe and Zeke never went beyond acquaintances. As for Dawson, he started fading from Kieran’s life, bit by bit, after meeting Dickhead. If Cal hadn’t got into an accident, Dawson’s life would still be hell, and Kieran would still be powerless and alone.

He shudders at the thought that he was so close to never having all this.

“You changed everything. You know that, right?”

Ash stares at him for a long moment, a hundred different emotions flickering in his eyes. “For the better?”

Kieran pretends to think it over. “Mostly.”

Ash pinches his butt as a punishment for the sass, then brings their foreheads together.

“You changed my life too, firecracker. There’s so much fire inside of you, it melted even my frozen heart.”

“What are you, Elsa? A tad dramatic, don’t you think?” The deflection comes naturally whenever he’s faced with an onslaught of emotion.

Ash doesn’t bite. “I’m not. It’s true. There’s no one else like you.”

Oof. He really went for the jugular.

“Well,thatI can believe,” Kieran says with a grin, which is quickly kissed away. Admitting defeat, he loops his arms around Ash’s neck and goes on his tiptoes. The kiss is slow but deep, just like the way Kieran has fallen for the man in his arms. Slow, deep,inevitable.

His head spins when they pull apart, but he has enough brain cells left to remember what he wanted to do after dinner was over.

“Your turn.”

“My turn?”

“I told you what’s on my mind, now you go. You were quiet the whole day before we got here. It’s not like you. Something’s happened.”

A shadow passes over Ash’s face. Then he grins and ruffles Kieran’s hair.

“Look at you, reading minds like a pro.”

Kieran catches his wrist and instead interlaces their fingers, keeping his expression solemn. “Ash…”

Ash sighs. “Tonight was nice. Do we have to ruin it?”

Okay, that doesn’t sound good.

“How is sharing what’s bothering you ruining anything? Isn’t it better to offload a little?”

“You’re all grown up,” Ash tries to deflect again. It’s prettyannoying; no wonder he gets frustrated when Kieran does the same.

“Dude.”

Ash turns his gaze heavenwards, staying quiet for what seems like a long time. It might be just seconds, but it’s enough time for Kieran to panic, bracing himself for some incurable diagnosis or whatnot.

“My parents are in town.”

Kieran’s knees almost give out from sheer relief.

“Okay?” Sure, parents are a pain, but just how bad can it be?

Look who’s talking,Kieran’s conscience reminds him. Yeah, okay, fair enough.

“They want to have lunch. It’s a thing whenever they come back from wherever it is they’re vacationing at the time.” Ash’s expression makes it sound like he's going to be tied to a chair surrounded by cockroaches and magpies while trying to eat.