“There you are!”

My brother threw open the front door the second I turned the knob. He still wore his street clothes, with no wetsuit in sight. I guess he hadn’t gone surfing after all.

“Where the hell were you?” he demanded. “I was about to call the cops.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Do you even hear how much of a hypocrite you’re being right now?” I shouldered past him and then stopped dead in surprise.

Connor was in my living room.

“Connor!” I yelped, rushing over to throw my arms around his shoulders in a hug. He had grown taller than I remembered—taller than Asher, even—with something about the set of his wide shoulders that suggested more growth was on the way. “Oh my god! I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”

He was my brother’s best friend—they’d known each other since first grade, actually. He used to eat dinner at our house more than at his own.

Then, the moment the world found out about Betty, his jerk of a father pulled him first out of school, and then out of the city completely.

“Hey, Astrid.” Whoa, his voice had gotten deeper, too. Someone had hit the puberty button. Connor drew away and grinned down at me with that dopey smile I had known since forever. “Sorry about that. You know…my dad.”

“Your dad’s an asshole, what else is new?” Asher snorted but then looked hard at me. “Seriously, Astrid. The cops had to shut down our neighbor’s street party. People are going nuts out there. Next time you take off, leave a note or something.”

I turned away from Connor. “Oh, like you did?”

“I came right back home. You were already gone.”

We must have just missed each other. Not that I cared. I noticed he didn’t ask me where our dad was, either. He probably already knew.

I knew Asher and Dad loved each other, but as Asher got older they butted heads more and more. I wasn’t about to let the same thing happen between us.

“You’re not the boss of me,” I told him. It was annoying to have to look up into my twin brother’s eyes. Nordic genes made me a little tall for a girl, but Asher’s stupid Y chromosome gave him an extra boost. “And for your information, I was perfectly safe.” I took the handgun out of my pocket and laid it on the kitchen counter.

Connor walked over, his eyes wide. “Do you know how to shoot that?”

“Yes,” I said.

“No.” Asher held up his hands when I glared at him. “A trip to the shooting range two years ago doesn’t count.”

Ohh. I was sick and tired of his attitude. I poked a finger into his chest. “You’re not Dad, and I don’t have to check in with you.”

To my surprise, Connor stepped up. “Guys, do you have to fight?”

Asher ignored him. “If Dad’s gone, that makes me the man in the house.”

I laughed right in his face. “And that means what, exactly? You can’t even drive.”

“Yes, I can. I just can’t drive legally. There’s a difference—”

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“You’re not driving me anywhere. You’re not my keeper!”

“Astrid, people are freaking out right now! Society is on the verge of collapsing. I’m just saying you should be careful.”

“Who cares? We’re all going to die in a year, anyway—”

“No one has to die,” Connor said.

We both turned to him.

“Um, Betty the asteroid? Remember?” I pointed up.

“Sorry.” Connor took a breath. “I meant…you guys don’t have to die. That’s what I’ve come to tell you.”

It was as if all the anger evaporated out of the room in an instant. Asher and I exchanged a long look and turned to Connor, a united front.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“My dad has tickets to the Central California SAFEsite—”

“Of course he does,” muttered Asher.

“—and he can bring your family along.” I could tell the words were for both of us, but for some reason, Connor was looking at me specifically.

“Buddy,” Asher said, “we look nothing alike.”

It was true. Connor had mid-brown hair, brown eyes, and a square-cut all American jaw. He looked like a football player or a younger version of a ‘join the military’ poster. Asher and I were lanky, and those aforementioned Nordic genes made for blonde hair and blue eyes. Great for the high latitudes, but meant a lot of sunscreen for living in California.

No one with eyes would ever think we were related.

Connor grimaced and rubbed a hand down his face. “This…this isn’t how I wanted to do it. Asher, could you give Astrid and I some space?”

“Ah, no.” Asher crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m thinking I want to see this.”

Until this point, I had the feeling I was missing something very big. I couldn’t figure out what it was…until I noticed Connor’s cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Then my own cheeks heated.

Oh no, he can’t be thinking…oh my god.

Taking a breath like a diver readying himself for a deep plunge, Connor pulled a ring from his jeans pocket. It was a beautiful piece, white gold with a simple, elegant diamond on top.

“My mother let me have it. She, um, she wants me to give it to someone special.”

Oh. My. God.

“What are you saying?” I squeaked. But I knew. Of course, I knew.

His eyes gazed into mine. “I like you, Astrid. I’ve always…” he trailed off and slid a glance to Asher. “God, could you give us some privacy?”

“Honestly, I’m trying to figure out if I should hit you or not,” Asher said.

Rolling his eyes, Connor reached out to grab my hand. I was too shocked to jerk away. My skin was cold, making his feel warm.

“I know this isn’t romantic. You deserve so much better, but the truth is that if you and I married, we could be family.”

All I could do was stare. “But what about Asher and my dad?”

“I checked,” Connor said quickly. “Your immediate family can come, too. No cousins, aunts, or uncles, though. I’m sorry. But Asher and your dad can join us.”

I stared and he gazed back with a startling amount of emotion in his eyes.

He really does like me, I thought. I had no idea. When did this happen?

Stepping forward, Asher laid a heavy hand on his friend’s shoulder. “She doesn’t have to answer right now, does she?” His tone implied that the answer had better not be ‘yes’.

Connor jerked, startled. “No, of course not. We have a few months before we have to head to the SAFEsite.”

Dropping my hand, he curled his fingers back over the ring and stuffed it into his pocket. “She can take all the time she needs.”

“Thank you,” I said.

Thank you?! hissed an enraged voice in the back of my mind. For what? Coming back after a year of falling off the face of the earth and dropping a proposal on me? Pretending to give me a choice when we both know I don’t have one?

Asher not-so-gently escorted his best friend out the door.

I was still standing there, a hand pressed to my stomach, stunned, when he returned.

“Astrid.”

My eyes jerked to him. I don’t know what the expression was on my face, but it must have been bad. My brother was not usually the touchy-feely type, but he stepped close and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Look at me. You don’t have to do this. We’ll figure something out.”

“Oh yeah, what?”

That’s all it took to poke a hole in Asher’s argument. He glanced away. “Maybe NASA’s plan will come through.”

“This isn’t a movie, Asher.”

It was as if we had switched sides. Normally, I had been the one to tell him that it was going to work out. Now, after the lottery, I was beginning to realize I didn’t have any idea what to do next. None.

“Connor’s not a bad person,” I said.

He hesitated. “No, he’s one of the best guys I know, but you should get married for the right reason.”

“Girls have been marrying for the wrong reason for centuries.” The words came from numb lips. And with that, I knew what my answer would be.

Asher looked like he wanted to argue, but wasn’t sure how.

“Don’t tell Dad,” I said. “I should be the one to do it.”

He opened his mouth, shut it, and then sighed and looked away. “If that’s what you want.”

I didn’t know what I wanted, but knew this: I wanted to live.