Page 128 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“Hey, where did you go off to?”

“Ellis got stung.”

“Oh no.” She jumps to her feet with more grace than a fifty-six-year-old woman should, wrapping Ellis in a hug. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

“I’m fine,” Ellis says, clearly embarrassed. “They say there are mostly bluebottles here, so it’s no big deal.”

“That’s good. Does it still hurt?”

“Not really. They put vinegar on it.”

“Good, good. But you know, in case of an emergency, you can also pee on it.”

Gabe cackles.

Ellis does not.

The rest of the day passes without Ellis dipping a single toe into the water.

Gabe doesn’t blame him.

They have lunch at a cute local café serving out-of-this-world buddha bowls, though the coffee itself is subpar. Gabe starts to explain the importance of extraction times, freshness of the beans, and milk temperature. The amused smile Mum and Ellis share doesn’t go unnoticed, but Gabe ignores them.

“It tastes good to me,” Ellis says with a straight face, taking a sip of the underwhelming coffee.

Gabe doesn’t talk to him for twenty minutes after that.

After visiting a couple of waterfalls and a few more beaches—Ellis has stubbornly stayed out of the water—they finally make their way to the highly anticipated dolphin sighting spot. Since it’s the weekend, Point Lookout is swarming with people, mainly families with kids. They still manage to spot a whole pod of dolphins close to the cliff.

“Oh my god! Looklooklook!” Gabe tugs on Ellis’ arm, even though they’re looking in the same direction.

Ellis chuckles, the sound warm and affectionate. “I can see them.”

Gabe doesn’t bother taking pictures, wanting to enjoy the moment and not miss anything. Plus, the dolphins are too far to take a proper picture.

They stay there for a while, making one last stop at Amity Point where Ellis thinks they might see some more. They arrive just in time to see two dolphins circling the pier. Gabe is a little disappointed they’re not allowed to feed them, before remembering they didn’t bring any food anyway.

The ferry takes them back to the mainland around eight, so by the time Ellis parks in his building, they’re all bone tired and falling asleep on their feet. Especially Ellis, who looks like he’s about to keel over. Poor guy is probably not used to this level of socializing and physical activity—not to mention the vicious bluebottle attack.

“I’m going to sleep like a baby,” Gabe mumbles, burrowing himself under the covers.

Ellis answers with an agreeable ‘Hmnpf’ his eyes already shut.

Smiling, Gabe snuggles closer, pressing a kiss to Ellis’ nose. It feels very warm. “Thank you for today. It was beyond amazing.”

Ellis’ eyelids slowly flutter open. “I’m glad.”

“You had fun too, right?”

“I did,” Ellis promises. “But I might need to recuperate for a few days. Or months.”

Gabe stifles a laugh. “Well, you’ll get some reprieve tomorrow. In less than fifteen hours, Mum will be on her sweet way home.”

Ellis strokes his arm. “Are you going to miss her?”

“Nah.”

“Gabriel.”