“Damn, Jasper. Easy, tiger.”
He punches my arm—harder this time—grinning.
“I’m just saying that I doubt any marriage you’d have would end up like theirs. You’re too giving to be like your parents. Iris tells me that all the time.”
I guess I’ve opened up to him about my reservations about marriage before because he is far too comfortable giving me this advice.
But maybe he’s right.
One day, I could get married to her if I stopped running and let go of all the bullshit I watched my parents go through.
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
“Stop it,” I whisper firmly and knit my brows. I rub my temples to try to get this pesky little voice out of my head.
“Kai. What’s going on?”
If only I knew, brother.
I take another deep breath, centering myself, glancing up.
Hundreds of stars fill the sky above. I’ve always loved the stars. They’re particularly entrancing tonight. I can’t seem to look away. In fact, I don’t want to look away.
“I find it ironic—you, watching the stars so intently. The stars should be watching you.”
Starlight. The stars remind me of someone.
Someone special.
Then, I see her.
My angel.
“Cleo,” I gasp, clutching my chest as a wave of anxiety threatens to engulf me. Suddenly, I can hardly speak. “W-where is she?”
“I don’t know a Cleo.” Jasper shakes his head and pierces my eyes, his gaze laced with concern. “Who’s she?”
“She’s everything,” I whisper. “Everything.”
I stand up and begin pacing, tugging on my hair erratically.
Where is she? Where am I? What’s happening? I’m supposed to be up there with her. Why am I down here?
“I need to get back. I need to leave right now,” I say frantically.
“Wait,” he says from over my shoulder. I stop pacing. “What if I told you that you could stay here? What if this could be your reality? Would you choose to stay here and continue living yourlife? You’d have Iris, Katherine, and me to keep you company for the rest of your life.”
“What do you mean? Do you know what really happened, then? That I’m… dead.”
“Yes. See, I’m Jasper in every sense. Except this is an alternate reality. One in which you survived the accident and chose to get back together with Katherine. One in which Iris and I happened to meet and plan an Aged Emporium fundraiser without your meddling.” I can sense the smile in his voice. “This could be your reality, too. If you wanted it to be. You’d wake up right after the accident with no recollection of everything that happened in your afterlife.”
He makes it seem so simple. Had I been given this opportunity sooner, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat. Things have changed, though.
What do I want? What do Ireallywant?
