Page 1 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

Prologue

“A fancy place yougot yourself here,” one of the movers—Craig or something—comments, ripping the protective plastic cover off the sofa.

Ellis sweeps his gaze over his new home critically. “Sure.”

It’s nothing special—white walls, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a modern kitchen destined to stay untouched, a balcony that will remain shut till the end of time because Ellis has no interest in inviting a swarm of bugs and flies into his home.

It’s just an apartment, a place to sleep. Mostly identical to the other three he’d seen before putting an offer in on this one—a decision based solely on the fact that this is the closest one to Cal’s. Since brother dear has managed to get his memory wiped squeaky clean after his drunken ass got behind the wheel, it felt imperative Ellis find a place close by in case he’s needed.

The sound of an electric screwdriver carries from the bedroom where his bed is likely being put back together. God, he can’t wait to get some fucking sleep.

“Where do you want this?” Maybe-Craig nods at the sofa.

Ellis gestures vaguely to his right. “Here’s fine. Facing that way.”

“You got it.”

Moving all his furniture to another state instead of simply buying new stuff seemed like an unnecessary hassle at first, especially when added to the already overflowing pile of hassles the universe has thrown his way in the short span of four weeks. Ellis wouldn’t call himself sentimental, but he has to admit it feels good to bring something from his old, relatively peaceful life into this new, chaotic one. To the one place he’d sworn to leave behind.

He should’ve known the peace wouldn’t last forever.

“This good?”

Ellis’ gaze flicks to the sofa sitting in the middle of the open-plan living room. He dips his chin in a nod.

“I assume you want the TV unit over here?” Maybe-Craig points at the wall the sofa is facing.

“Sure.”

“Cool bananas.”

Sighing for no particular reason—unless being done with life in general counts—Ellis turns around to look out at the balcony as the men work around him.

One of them whistles. “Nice view. Me and my old lady once stayed in one of those high-rises at Surfers. It was only one night, but the view was phenomenal.”

For sure. Sand, sand, and—oh, would you look at that—more fucking sand. And the ocean with its ugly, dangerous sea monsters. Ellis much preferred the view of the harbor from his old apartment. He never understood what all the fuss about the Gold Coast was about.

Stop it,he chastises himself. Whining will do absolutely nothing. His life in Sydney is gone. Now he’s stuck here, put in charge of the family business because his amnesiac brother is showing no signs of regaining his memory. Which, if he puts his bias aside, is a good thing.

For one, Cal’s no longer an abusive asshole—something that his husband definitely appreciates now that he doesn’t have to live under Cal’s thumb. Ellis doesn’t understand why Dawson would stay in a marriage with the person who used to beat the shit out of him, amnesia or not, but he’s given up on trying to dissect the reasoning behind it. With his own track record he can hardly judge, let alone give relationship advice. And admittedly, it's not completely terrible to have a brother who he can talk to without the conversation ending in a shouting match, or a silent treatment that would go on for months. Silver linings and all that.

All in all, Ellis is probably overreacting. Yes, the company is a mess right now, but that’s why he’s here. To fix it. And this apartment might feel cold and foreign, but it will eventually become a home. He will miss his best friend, used to seeing him at work every day, but Jordan has already threatened to call often, so there’s that.

Everything will be okay. Ellis is not a kid anymore, and his dad is no longer here to remind him how inadequate he is, how unimportant. The Gold Coast might hold all his crappy memories, but they’re just that: memories. The only reason why they’re so oppressive and heavy is because he’s back here after almost a decade, that’s all. In time, they’ll lose power, and all these feelings of loneliness and being stranded with nowhere to go will disappear.

They will. He just needs to be patient.

In the meantime, he has work to do.

Chapter 1

Five minutes before hislunch break is over, Ellis goes over his ‘speech’ for the last time, cringing at every word that comes out of his mouth. Of all the things he hates about his job, firing people is on top of the list. He has enough shit on his plate; why does he have to deal with guilt on top of everything?

Fucking Cal. This is all his fault. He caused this mess, and now Ellis has to clean up after him. But what’s new?

At 14:00 sharp, his intercom buzzes. “Your two o’clock is here, boss,” Amanda announces, a teasing lilt in her tone. Ellis should never have mentioned that he doesn’t like being called boss.

Straightening his suit, he presses the button on the intercom. “Send him in.”