The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era [BL]

KIRAN nearly choked on the canapé he’d just eaten. His sudden coughing fit was obviously from what Lauren just said. Astrid quickly grabbed a glass of what looked like juice from a passing waiter and handed it to Kiran, who didn’t hesitate to take a few gulps to calm himself down.

“You okay?” Astrid asked, his tone a mix of concern and amusement. Although he really dislike seeing someone choke, the reason behind this one made him smile a little.

Kiran nodded, still catching his breath. “Yeah, just… wasn’t expecting that,” he managed to say, shooting Lauren a mock glare.

Lauren raised both hands in surrender, a playful grin on his face. “Hey, don’t blame me if you can’t handle my brilliant sense of humor.”

“If by ‘brilliant’ you mean ‘dirty,’ then sure,” Kiran muttered under his breath, though the corner of his mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile.

“Hey, I didn’t take you for such a prude, Kiran,” Lauren said, his tone exaggerated as he clutched his chest dramatically, pretending to be deeply offended.

Both Astrid and Snow couldn’t help but chuckle at Lauren’s antics, and even Kiran let out a laugh.

Lauren snagged a champagne flute from a passing waiter and took a sip before turning back to the group. “So, my friends,” he began, “what have you been up to lately? And I’m not talking about your careers—I already know you’re all killing it. I mean, what’s new in your lives?”

“Not much new for me,” Snow answered first, his tone as calm and matter-of-fact as ever. “Aside from my schedule, I’ve mostly been splitting my time between school and Polaris.”

“Same for me,” Astrid added.

There was, of course, the whole situation with his family, but he couldn’t exactly bring that up in such a public setting. Maybe soon, when they were all somewhere private and didn’t have to worry about eavesdroppers, he’d share more. At that thought, a certain idea popped in his mind.

“The only new thing for me is that I’m moving into Aster’s apartment building next week,” Kiran said, his tone bright with excitement.

Lauren’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”

Kiran nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. “I’ve been thinking about moving off campus for a while now, and Aster’s apartment building was my first choice.”

“That’s a solid choice,” Lauren said, nodding in approval. “The units might be a bit small for my taste, but the security there is top-notch.”

“And they have great soundproofing,” Kiran added in a satisfied tone. It was one of the main reasons he’d chosen the place.

“How about you?” Snow asked, turning to Lauren. “What have you been up to lately?”

“Oh, me?” Lauren said, a mischievous glint in his eye. “There’s one major thing that happened.”

Astrid blinked. Surely, no matter how carefree Lauren was, he wouldn’t just blurt out that he was now dating someone, right? Surely, he had more sense than that.

Lauren leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper that only the four of them could hear. “I’m dating someone now.”

Okay. So, he definitely didn’t have more sense.

Astrid shook his head, a mix of disbelief and helplessness on his face, while both Snow and Kiran’s eyes widened in surprise.

Kiran immediately glanced around, his expression turning nervous. “Are you sure you should’ve said that? What if someone heard you?”

Lauren waved a hand dismissively, his tone light and confident. “Don’t worry. Unless someone here has an SSS-level physique, they wouldn’t have heard what I just said. And let’s be real—why would someone like that even be here, eavesdropping on us?”

“You never know,” Snow said as he took a sip of his champagne. “It’s always better to be careful.”

“I agree,” Astrid seconded.

Lauren raised an eyebrow, leaning in again and whispering, “Then I take it you’re not interested in knowing who I’m dating?” His tone was teasing, but there was a clear challenge in his eyes.

Astrid stayed silent, already knowing exactly who Lauren was talking about. But both Kiran and Snow couldn’t hide their curiosity, especially Kiran. His expression shifted as he visibly debated whether to ask or not—and it was clear the “yes” was winning.

To quell their curiosity and, more importantly, to stop Lauren from casually dropping his brother’s name in the middle of the party, Astrid took matters into his own hands. He opened his Terminal and quickly created a group chat, adding Snow, Kiran, and Lauren.

“Check your messages,” he said.

All three looked at him in confusion, but still opened their Terminals.

Astrid: [Lauren here is dating Reas.]

Kiran read the message several times, his eyes widening before he turned to Lauren in disbelief. “Seriously?”

Snow, ever composed, simply raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, this is… certainly unexpected.”

Lauren pouted as he looked at Astrid. “I was planning to say it myself, you know.”

Astrid smiled, unfazed. “I’m sure you were. But it’s better this way. At least you won’t get scolded too badly by Chris when he finds out about this whole conversation.”

“If he finds out,” Lauren countered, a sly grin spreading across his face. “But yes, what Aster sent you is true.”

“Wow,” Kiran said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Just… wow.”

“I know,” Lauren replied, his tone dramatic, as if he could fully relate to Kiran’s shock. “There are nights when I wonder why I even agreed to it. But I guess I’m just a sucker for a pretty face. And a great body.”

The last part—something about the body—was mumbled so quietly that Astrid barely caught it. But he did, and it was enough to make him want to gag. There were some things about his brother he really didn’t need to know.

“Okay, why don’t we save the details for another time?” Astrid interjected.

“Agreed,” Snow said quickly, clearly eager to steer the conversation away to another topic.

“Since not all of us are free on the day Kiran moves, why don’t we pick a date when everyone’s available and throw a housewarming party for him?” Astrid suggested. “It’d be a good time for all of us to catch up properly.”