Page 46 of Should Our Stars Collide

What the fuck?

“What is it?”

He jumps when Ash sits next to him, looking over his shoulder.

“Do you mind?”

Ash ignores him, taking—stealing—the phone from him. “You sent yourself a video?”

“I didn’t send anything! I don’t know what this is.”

Ash looks at him curiously, then hands him back the phone. “Play it.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Kieran grumbles, before pressingplay.

That something isdefinitelywrong, if that wasn’t apparent before, becomes clear when he sees the face in the video. It’s his face but…different? His cheeks are fuller, his hair longer, eyes brighter. And most striking of all, he looks…happy? Damn, he had no idea he could look like that.

“Hey, jerk,”the person wearing his face says, grinning brightly. He looks pretty annoying, to be honest.“Welcome to the shitshow.”

What the fuck? Why can’t he remember recording the video? And why does he look different in it?

Wait. What if… What if he got amnesia? One of those kinds that Drew Barrymore had in that stupid comedy movie where her brain reset itself after 24 hours. And now he has to record videos for himself to stay updated.

If that’s the case, there’s still one thing he can’t explain: What thefuck is Ash doing here with him, acting like a concerned boyfriend?

“You don’t have amnesia. I feel like that’s the first thing I should make clear. It’s a tad more complicated.”

Not amnesia? Then what? Has he been drugged and experimented on? What on earth is going on?

“You’ve time-traveled into your future.”

“What?!” Ash and Kieran yelp in unison, Kieran being a little more dramatic about it.

Okay, a lot more dramatic.

This can’t be… Time travel is not a thing. Not yet, anyway. And even if it was, he’d never sign up for it. He’s seen the movies; something always goes wrong!

But when he looks at the facts…

He’s at a place he doesn’t recognize, with a guy he can’t stand, and the guy seems just as confused as him.

“Save the meltdown for after you’ve watched the video, will you?”

“Fuck you.” Wow. Future Kieran is a dick.

“Fuck you too. Anyway, two years ago, I was where you are. Woke up buck naked next to Mr. Asshole after getting sloshed the night before. It sucked.”

“You’re telling me!”

Next to him, Ash makes a noise of protest. “Oh, you little brat.”

“Shh.”

“Calm down. I’ll guide you through this mess. I’ve scheduled these videos to be sent to you at specific times during the upcoming weeks.”

“I’ll be stuck here for weeks?!” Oh, this is a sick, sick joke.

“Yes, weeks. Now stop interrupting. Don’t try to hack the account I’m sending them from, by the way. I’m telling you, you want to digest this bit by bit. It’s better if I don’t dump everything on you at once, because you’re about to learn some fucked up shit.”