The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 691: EMMA AFTER-PARTY (II)

KIRAN nearly choked on the canapé heʼd 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 didnʼt 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… wasnʼt expecting that,” he managed to say, shooting Lauren a mock glare.

Lauren raised both hands in surrender, a playful grin on his face. ”Hey, donʼt blame me if you canʼt handle my brilliant sense of humor.”

”If by ʼbrilliantʼ you mean ʼdirty,ʼ then sure,” Kiran muttered under his breath, though the corner of his mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile.

”Hey, I didnʼt 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 couldnʼt help but chuckle at Laurenʼs 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 Iʼm not talking about your careers—I already know youʼre all killing it. I mean, whatʼs 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, Iʼve 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 couldnʼt exactly bring that up in such a public setting. Maybe soon, when they were all somewhere private and didnʼt have to worry about eavesdroppers, heʼd share more. At that thought, a certain idea popped in his mind.

”The only new thing for me is that Iʼm moving into Asterʼs apartment building next week,” Kiran said, his tone bright with excitement.

Laurenʼs eyebrows shot up in surprise. ”Really?”

Kiran nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. ”Iʼve been thinking about moving off campus for a while now, and Asterʼs apartment building was my first choice.”

”Thatʼs 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 heʼd 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. ”Thereʼs one major thing that happened.”

Astrid blinked. Surely, no matter how carefree Lauren was, he wouldnʼt 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. ”Iʼm dating someone now.”

Okay. So, he definitely didnʼt have more sense.

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

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

Lauren waved a hand dismissively, his tone light and confident. ”Donʼt worry. Unless someone here has an SSS-level physique, they wouldnʼt have heard what I just said. And letʼs 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. ”Itʼs always better to be careful.”

”I agree,” Astrid seconded.

Lauren raised an eyebrow, leaning in again and whispering, ”Then I take it youʼre not interested in knowing who Iʼm 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 couldnʼt 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 brotherʼs 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. ”Iʼm sure you were. But itʼs better this way. At least you wonʼt 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 Kiranʼs shock. ”There are nights when I wonder why I even agreed to it. But I guess Iʼm 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 didnʼt need to know.

”Okay, why donʼt 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 donʼt we pick a date when everyoneʼs available and throw a housewarming party for him?” Astrid suggested. ”Itʼd be a good time for all of us to catch up properly.”