Page 53 of Should Our Stars Collide

“Indeed. It wasn’t very creative on my part, but it fit the vibe. It symbolizes guidance, in life or through people’s minds. Showing them the way, helping them find and follow their North Star.”

“Cute,” Kieran comments. “Are you getting a part of it removed?”

Ash traces the pad of a finger over a patch of skin with broken ink. He needs only a couple more sessions before it’ll be completely gone.

“Yeah. It’s almost done.”

“What was it?” Kieran chuckles. “An ex-boyfriend’s name?”

Ash suppresses a smile. “Something like that.”

Kieran doesn’t seem happy. He mumbles something, then sighs. “So, two years?”

Despite being a little surprised by Kieran initiating this particular conversation, Ash humors him. “Indeed.”

Kieran answers with an ambiguous huff, his fingers drumming against the wooden armrests. Ash has seen him do it often enough to recognize it as a sign of anxiety.

“This is insane.”

“Are you talking about anything specific? Or the whole situation in general?”

“I mean…” Kieran shifts so he’s mostly facing him. “What could you have possibly done to win me over? So far, you’ve just been an annoying ass. And you’re a guy.” He slides the sunnies lower so Ash can get a full blast of his suspicious glare. “Maybe you blackmailed me.”

Ash’s lips twitch involuntarily. “Funny how you assume it was me who had to do any winning over.”

“Excuse me! You’ve been trying to s-seduce me since we met.”

And now he’s even tripping over his words. Damn, why is he being so cute?

“Uh-huh.”

“God, you’re irritating.” Twisting away from Ash, Kieran crosses his arms. His silence lasts for about ten seconds. “Hey.”

“Yes, dear?”

A few curse words and a handful of deep breaths later, Kieran speaks. “I thought you wanted to hit it and quit it. For sport, or something. How come we’re—” He gestures between them. “Like this, two years later?”

It’s tempting, it really is, to just spill the beans and give Kieran a full rundown of their time together. To see his guarded eyes grow increasingly wider, his skeptical expression replaced with disbelief and reluctant hope. To watch him try and fail to use logic to explain everything away, only to come to the undeniable conclusion that this,them, had always been inevitable. Their lives were always meant to collide.

It's tempting, but it wouldn’t be right. Kieran might know the endgame, might even see the path, but there’s no point if he’s not willing to take it. As cliché as it is, the journey is what counts here.

Ash just has to trust that Kieran will take it. That he'll take it withhim.

“You won me over. By being yourself,” he finally says.

Kieran scowls so hard Ash is slightly worried his face will get stuck like that. “Asshole. You’re so full of shit.”

“Mhmm.”

“Um…how did Dawson react when he found out?” Look at him soften when he’s talking about his best friend. Ash is almost jealous. Almost.

That being said,thisis information he is happy to share. “Let’s just say you’re never gonna live it down.”

Kieran’s nose twitches in displeasure. “That I’m now an equal opportunist, or that we’re dating?”

Ash smothers a smile. Truth be told, Dawson barely blinked at Kieran’s bi-discovery. Turns out he’s a big believer in fluid sexuality.

As for the news that his best friend is dating Ash…