Why am I too shy to say this?
“No.” He says it so firmly, I can’t doubt him.
Why would I doubt him?
August wouldn’t be leading me into some universe-ending catastrophe just because he fancies me, of course not. He’s literally me, and I would never do that to me.
I feel so stupid for having even thought it. Of course it’s the coffee thing. He told me weird stuff would happen with us both in this universe.
“And the shooter?” Like he’s going to have an answer for that, but as my trust’s restored, so is my faith that he’s both hot and smart and has an answer for everything.
“Ask your ex,” he defers, handing Jon his dream of a dangerous stalker on a platter.
But Jon seems to have only heard the final word in that sentence, and he focuses a hate-filled glare on August. “I won’t be his ex for long. We’re going to talk.”
“We will,” I tell him. Because we need to break up properly. And because I need my key back. Because we’re over. “But not tonight. August and I have work to do.”
“Work?” he rasps out. “What work can you possibly have to do at this time of night?”
“Science,” I reply. And I’m well aware there’s a touch of smugness in my voice when I add, “You can drop us at Imperial College.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
BAD AUGUST
IN AND OUT OF LOVE
It’s only a twenty-minute drive to Imperial College at this time of night, so the rundown on the situation that August forces me to give everyone is brief and candy-coloured. I don’t tell any of them their world’s about to end, or even give them the now glib seeming too-much-coffee explanation I gave August.
I want them gone, the lot of them, and I don’t want them hanging around asking questions.
Unfortunately, I also need to get rid of August. I need him safely away where he’s not going to get himself killed by hanging out with me. Because that gunman… It’s not the first time this has happened.
It’s been a while, a few worlds since, but now that he’s found me, he’s not going to stop.
Equally, if maybe not as compellingly, I’d really like it if it weren’t Jon taking August home.
His whole demeanour’s changed since August dropped the truth bomb, and I drastically preferred it when he thought we were related and he was being a mega prick. I think some part of me was hoping it would actually turn him off August, to imaginewe’re kissing cousins, but I’m beginning to see there isn’t much in the world that could do that.
The more August pulls away, the stronger Jon clings to him. That’s narcissists for you, I suppose. It’s both fascinating and galling to watch in real time. Anger, accusations, begging, guilt… But now that he knows we’re the same person, and I’m not just some random interloper, he’s staying very quiet, like he doesn’t want to piss me off either. Or like I might catch a misstep and psychically communicate my displeasure to August.
Also, it’s pretty clear he’s freaked out. His concert freezing, getting shot at, losing his ex to me… It’s a lot for a Bon Jovi cover artist to take in for one evening.
“So, that’s what I’m helping August with,” August announces proudly. And I feel proud seeing him claim this as his own. “There’s something we’re missing in the calculations, and if we can just figure it out, we can…” He can’t say get me back to my own world. It’s gone. But he finds a way to put a nice shine on it. “We can get August where he needs to go.”
“And where’s that?” Shashi asks.
For the fiftieth time tonight, I’m on my guard around her. She’s too bright, and she constantly seems a step ahead of me. I have no idea how—she can’t possibly know a thing about any of this.
Thankfully, Jon’s own brain is processing only what directly affects him. “Wait, so you’re leaving?” A big grin takes up half his stupid face.
As it’s the easier of the two problems to address, I say, “Not necessarily.”
His left eye twitches, which is deeply satisfying, but the sensation is short-lived when I catch the hopeful look on August’s face.
Why did I kiss him?
I know exactly why.
