Page 159 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“Uh-huh.”

“And now I need to shower.Again.”

“Cry-baby.” Gabriel gently smacks his asscheek. “Come on. I’ll give you a hand.”

“Not sure that’s a good idea,” Ellis grumbles, but takes Gabriel’s hand and follows him to the bathroom. He bites his lip as a trickle of Gabriel’s come slides down his thigh. His cock gives an interested twitch, so Ellis glares at it until it flops back down.

Despite being annoyed by having to take yet another shower, he has to admit it’s nice having Gabriel’s hands all over him, sudsing him up and massaging his tense muscles. That is, until one of those hands wanders between his cheeks under the pretense of cleaning him, but ultimately working two fingers inside him.

Ellis’ arm shoots out for support as his body gives a surprised jolt. He looks back to give the bane of his existence a glare. “Are you kidding me?”

Gabriel innocently flutters his eyelashes. “What?”

“You know wha— Fuck!” He gasps when Gabriel presses on his prostate.

“Yes?”

How is Ellis supposed to talk when Gabriel keeps rubbing the same spot?

“Don’t. We don’t—ah, shit—we don’t have time for this. We’re probably already late.”

“It’s okay if we’re a little late.”

“No. We—ah, yeah, there—we can’t be late. It’s Dawson’s f-first ever exhibition.”

It’s bad enough they had to leave early from Cal and Dawson’s wedding (although it was advertised asrenewal of vows), becausesomeonecame up with the brilliant idea of exchanging blowjobs in a public bathroom and ended up getting jizz on Ellis’ pants.

Gabriel lets out a wistful sigh, withdrawing his fingers. “Guilt-tripping isn’t fair game, you know?” He starts to wash the suds off.

“It’s the only thing that works on you, you maniac.”

“I’m only a maniac because you’ve been so busy lately.”

“We live together. You see me every day.”

“Doesn’t matter. I still missed you.”

Now who’s guilt-tripping whom? Though Gabriel is right—Ellishasbeen busy. He hadn’t realized how time-consuming it would be to prepare for the exams to become a licensed architect. It’s a lot harder than he imagined.

“I missed you too,” he admits quietly.

They switch positions, Ellis washing Gabriel this time. As he lets his hands roam over Gabriel’s soft, wet skin, his mind starts to wander. Back to the wedding. To the thought that had crossed his mind back then and hasn’t left him since.

“Hey, Gabriel.”

“Yes, dear?”

Ellis huffs, pinching Gabriel’s waist and getting his hand slapped.

“I’ve been thinking… I’d like to meet my mum.”

Gabriel stills, turning around in Ellis’ arms. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Gabriel tilts his head, probably trying to gauge Ellis’ emotional state. “What brought this on?”

It’s a fair question, considering Ellis hasn’t mentioned her in a year and a half.