Page 135 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“He believes it,” Gabe corrects him. “That’s the problem.”

All of a sudden, Ellis takes off. Gabe’s on his feet in an instant, running after him. “Ellis? Ellis!” He catches up to him as Ellis is getting into his car. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” Ellis snaps without looking at him.

“Do you want someone with you? Someone to talk to?”

“No.”

Gabe’s stomach rolls, threatening to empty its contents.

“Ellis, you’re upset. You shouldn’t drive.”

“I’m fine.” He slams the door shut.

Gabe presses his palms to the window before Ellis takes off. “Can you please text me when you get home?”

Forget about everything else. He just needs to know Ellis arrived home safe. He’d never survive it if he found out something happened to him because of Gabe.

Instead of brushing him off, like Gabe half-expects, Ellis gives a curt nod. It’s not much, but Gabe will take it. As long as he knows Ellis is okay.

He’s far from okay, and it’s your fault.

He stands there helplessly as Ellis puts the car in motion and drives away.

Chapter 25

The ringing of theintercom jars Ellis out of the restless slumber he’s drunk himself into. He peels his eyelids open, groaning at the sudden blast of light that hits them. He blindly searches for his phone to check the time, ignoring all the unread messages from Gabriel.

20:17

The intercom rings again.

What a fucking joke. Clearly, he can’t even be granted enough time to grieve and process everything that’s been dumped on him.

He takes a swig from the nearly half-empty bottle of whiskey and stomps over to the intercom.

“What?”

“Hi. It’s me?” comes Cal’s distorted voice.No.Not Cal.

“Mewho? The reaper who killed my brother?” Ellis tries to sound angry, but the words come out slurred and pathetic, on the verge of a sob.

A stretch of silence follows. “Can I please come up?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my brother and I worry about you.”

Closing his eyes in pain, Ellis rests his forehead against the wall. It’s blissfully cold. “I’m not your brother.”

“Yes, you are,” Cal—fuck, not Cal!—says with the conviction of someone who’s never been wrong in his life. “Can I come up?”

Fuck. If he doesn’t talk to him now, he’ll have the whole cavalry on his ass soon. Better to get it over with.

Ellis buzzes him in.

Soon, way too soon, there’s a knock on the door. Ellis opens it.