Page 66 of Should Our Stars Collide

“Kieran, you’re a terrible liar.”

“Am not!”

“You just lied. Poorly. Plus, it’s more complicated than that.”

“Uh-huh, whatever you say.” Letting out an impatient huff, Kieran concedes. “Fine, when can we see them?”

“Whenever you want.”

“Good. Can’t really imagine anything more shocking than what I’ve already been through, though.”

Ash seals his lips together.

“What’s that face for?” Kieran instantly notices.

“Nothing. Don’t mind me.”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do this whole time? Aagh!”

The plane shakes. Not hard, just enough to be a little disconcerting if you’re not a fan of flying.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just a little turbulence,” Ash soothes him, ignoring the fact that his hand is being used as a human stress toy.

“That’s not turbulence. That’s death knocking.”

“Unlikely. Your future self would’ve given us a heads-up,” Ash points out, making a mental note to have his hand x-rayed when he gets home.

“Well, my future self is a dick. I wouldn’t be surprised if he forgot to mention that.”

“You shouldn’t speak negatively about yourself. I warned you about what happens if you do,” Ash reminds him.

“Shut up, that doesn’t count. I was talking about my future self, a completely different person from me,” Kieran argues, squirming nervously. He can definitely recall Ash’s warning.

“Not really,” Ash disagrees. The Kieran he knows is a happier, more confident version of this one, but at heart they’re both the same. Sharp-tongued, hot-tempered, and always two insults awayfrom melting into Ash’s arms.

“Remember when we first met?” Ash asks, both to distract Kieran from the ongoing turbulence, and to witness his annoyed expression.

He’s not disappointed.

“Are you trying to piss me off?”

“I thought you were the most intriguing thing I’ve ever seen.”

For a moment, Kieran sits dead still, barely breathing. Then he lets out a shaky huff. “Good to know you were already having fun at my expense.”

“Not at your expense,” Ash corrects. “But being around you was so refreshing.” Twisting until they’re almost facing each other, Ash runs the tip of his finger over Kieran’s wrist. “People always try so hard to be polite, even when they’re upset. They sugarcoat everything, smile when they want to scream. But not you.” He catches Kieran’s gaze, giving him a full-blown smile as he recalls the memory. “You couldn’t stand me, and you didn’t try to pretend otherwise.”

Under Ash’s fingers, Kieran’s pulse quickens. His lips twitch, like he too finds the memory hilarious now. “Why would I care what you thought? You were a stranger.” To himself, he mumbles, “With an annoyingly symmetrical face.”

“Well, Ithought…” Ash drops his voice low, like he’s about to share a secret. Without probably realizing it, Kieran leans into him. “That you were funny, and cute, and sexy?—”

“Dude.”

“—and one glare away from being thrown on a mattress.”

With an expression that would have a weaker man pray for his life, Kieran says, “Fucking pervert. We were at the movies. Dawson and your freaking cousin were there.”

“Is having an audience your only objection?” Ash grins like a Cheshire cat.