Page 16 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“Aww, he knows,” Ash says, voice a few pitches higher than normal. He slings an arm around Gabe’s shoulders, pulling him into his side. “Isn’t that right, pumpkin?” He lets his arm drop only to slap Gabe’s ass, pulling a horrified yelp out of him.

The girl giggles.

“I hate you,” Gabe hisses while Ash pays. “If you swat my ass again, you’re gonna lose that hand.”

“So violent.” Ash clicks his tongue in disapproval, pocketing their tickets.

Throwing a glance over his shoulder to make absolutely sure Ash’s hand isn’t in the vicinity of his ass, Gabe heads towards the snacks section. He gets a large popcorn and a soda for each.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s up, or do I have to drag it out of you?” Ash asks innocently.

Gabe whips around to glare at him. “You can’t just do that whenever you feel like it.” He braces himself just in case Ash does try to sneak around in his mind. Gabe has practiced blocking him out long enough that it’s not really a big deal if the fucker tries something, but it’s still annoying.

Ash grins. “Pretty sure I can.”

Gabe thrusts the snacks at him. “I can’t believe you’re a licensed professional.”

Ash hums, taking a sip of his soda. “Are you done stalling?”

Gabe gives a resigned sigh. “I met someone.” That’s overstating it, really.

Ash perks up like a dog with a bone. Then his eyes narrow. “Wait, you’re talking about a person, right? Or have you found another stray cat—”

“He’s a person,” Gabe grunts. So he has a weakness for furry faces. Who doesn’t? Animals are far less complicated than people, and that’s saying something considering Gabe can read anyone like a book with an extra-large font.

“And he’s ahe. Nice,” Ash says approvingly. His gay ass always gets more excited at the prospect of a penis. Which means Gabe is not getting out of this conversation unscathed. A note for the future self: next time, get obsessed with a female customer.

“Don’t start,” Gabe begs, knowing it’s futile.

“I’d ask how you met, but considering you live at the café—”

“I don’t live at the café.”

“He’s a customer, I assume.”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm.” Ash smirks. “Hot?”

Gabe opens his mouth, closes it and lets out another, wistful sigh. “Beautiful.” So beautiful he could cry. People like Ellis shouldn’t technically exist. Surely, there must be a law for how beautiful a human being can be.

“That’s what I said.” Ash rolls his eyes. “Show me.”

“What? No!” Gabe takes a step back, reinforcing the barrier in his mind.

“Come on.”

“I don’t want you to objectify him.”

Ash grins slyly. “I already am.”

Gabe makes a face. No, he doesn’t want Ash to objectify Ellis, but that’s not the main reason he doesn’t want to let him poke around in his noggin.

Aside from practically growing up together, Ash has dug around inside his mind often enough that there is virtually nothing he doesn’t know about Gabe. Most people would find that scary, but he finds it quite relieving. There’s something freeing about having someone who knows him to his core and loves him anyway. Naturally, it helps that Ash has mojo of his own, having inherited that particular trait from his dad. Which means Gabe can be open with him about his own powers.

But Ellis? Despite their short acquaintance, Gabe feels extremely protective of him. Having to listen to Zeke bitch about Ellis based on how he behaved the first time they met makes him grit his teeth. And Ash, being a therapist, loves dissecting people. Gabe isn’t comfortable with letting him do that to Ellis.

Unfortunately, since he knows Ash as well as Ash knows him, he also knows his cousin won’t leave him alone until Gabe breaks.