Page 69 of Should Our Stars Collide

Ash smiles, looking forward to Kieran’s reaction when they finally arrive.

He doesn’t have to wait long.

By the time they pull into the underground parking garage, Kieran’s already suspicious. And once they walk into the apartment, he completely short-circuits.

“No. Fucking. Way.” He looks around in disbelief, nearly shutting the door in Ash’s face. “We live here?Ilive here?”

Ash shoulders his way into the apartment, hands full with their respective luggage. “Sure do.”

Watching Kieran’s face morph through five stages of disbelief is everything. Ash, being the big sucker for fancy things that he is, wasn’t much better when he first came to inspect the place. Open, airy, and drenched in natural light. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the endless stretch of the ocean, sun glittering off the waves.

The furnishings are what makes it look lived-in. The sectional sofa is big and comfortable, scattered with mismatched throw pillows that Kieran picked up from Kmart because he liked the comic book patterns. Each room is painted a different color, because Ash secretly believes in color therapy. A few framed photos are set along the TV unit and hanging on the walls. A plant in the corner—an unsolicited move-in gift from Zeke—has somehow survived a whole year (Ash is starting to suspect it might be enchanted). The kitchen is all black stone and steel, but the counter is lined with their favorite mugs and pots with herbs. It’s neat and organized because Ash would lose his mind otherwise, but it’s still warm and cozy.Theirs.

“How much was it?”

“A little over two mill.”

Kieran stumbles back, as if Ash is a wife who just informed her husband she spent thousands of dollars on a designer handbag.

“There’s no way I could afford to pay even a half of—oh my god.” Kieran’s hands fly to his hair, pulling in all directions. “Am I your kept man?!”

I wish.“How much do you think my job pays?” It does pay well, but not that well.

“I don’t know…”

“You paid for most of it.”

“There’s no way.” Kieran shakes his head resolutely. “Did I win the lottery or what?”

“You did,” Ash confirms, even though he’s sure the question was only rhetorical.

“Excuse me?!”

“I only put it together when I saw you react to the car,” Ash begins casually. Parking the luggage out of the way, he interlocks his fingers behind his back and pulls until his spine gives a few delicious pops. “You must’ve looked up previous draws and memorized them before returning to your time.”

He kept thinking about it while they drove here. They had been in a relationship for less than a year when Kieran brought up moving in together, but he was also adamant he didn’t want to just move into Ash’s place (Kieran’s apartment was out of the question anyway, since they’d never fit there). He wanted something that would be theirs, a place to start fresh and make into whatever they wanted, together. Ash was, of course, more than happy to oblige and began scouring real estate websites. Then one day, Kieran sent him a link to a listing for this unit, but looking at the starting price, Ash was convinced it was a joke. Told Kieran that, as much as he wanted to give into his every whim, they needed to keep it a little more realistic, unless one of them won the lottery. To which Kieran replied with, “Okay, I will.”

Two weeks later, he did just that. He explained it away with, “Law of attraction, baby! I had a dream about the lottery numbers.”

The little minx knew very well Ash is a believer in most things spiritual and supernatural, and used it against him! But still, it’s embarrassing how gullible Ash had been. Back then, Kieran had already learned to fortify his mind against intrusion, so Ash couldn’t even check if he was lying (not that he’d tried).

After taking a good, long while to process the news, Kieran shouts, “I’m a genius! Maybe this time-travel shit isn’t all bad!” Turning a cheeky grin on Ash, he says, “I guess that makes youmykept man.”

Throwing his head back, Ash laughs. “I guess it does.” He’ll happily take on that title.

His grin slipping, Kieran eyes him curiously. “How come you’re not reprimanding me?”

“For what?”

“I don’t know. You seem, you know…” He gestures vaguely in Ash’s direction. “The righteous type. You could give me shit for messing with timelines, or using this experience for personal gain.”

“That would be very hypocritical of me.”

“Huh?”

“I assure you, I’m as far from righteous as one can be.” Just thinking of all the times he’s used his powers for personal gain… As in, something he does every day. But hey, the world hasn’t ended yet, so all’s good. “And Kieran, you’re here for a reason. No one prepared you for this, and it’s naturally quite a mindfuck for you. You have every right to milk this experience for personal gain. Plus, I gained from it too.”

“You can be surprisingly reasonable,” Kieran admits, sounding like he’s not sure how to feel about it. In fact, he looks a little annoyed that Ash’s personality includes some positive traits.