Page 45 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“Yup,” Gabe lies, and plasters on a smile as he takes Zeke’s place behind the till.

He keeps sneaking glances at Ellis here and there, damn near swooning as he watches him do, well, pretty much anything; frowning at something he reads, wiggling his fingers before he types, licking his lips after taking a sip of coffee… Everything he does is so hypnotic. And cute. And sexy. And cute.

So. Fucking. Unfair.

And it gets worse when Gabe catches him looking back. When it happens, they both quickly look away like a couple of eighth-graders. How lame.

Ellis packs his stuff up a couple hours later, taking the empty cup to the counter.

“You didn’t have to,” Gabe says, though the thoughtfulness makes him a little giddy.

“No? Oh, okay, let me take it back,” Ellis says, pretending to take it away.

“No!” Gabe yelps, laughing, making a grab for the cup and accidentally getting Ellis’ hand.

Oh, this is bad. His skin is smooth and warm, and Gabe is overtaken by a strong urge to slide their palms together and intertwine their fingers.

“God, you’re such a smartass sometimes,” he says affectionately and slowly removes his hand, pretending he can’t see Ellis’ stricken look.

“Guilty as charged,” Ellis says. “I changed my mind. I’ll have a cinnamon roll. To go.”

“What happened to cutting down?”

“Sometimes you have to live dangerously.”

Gabe snorts. “I agree.” He puts a cinnamon roll in a takeaway box while Ellis pays and draws a little heart on the top.

“You don’t bother me,” Ellis suddenly blurts out, his expression pinched. “You never bother me. And I’m sorry if I made you feel like you do. It’s just…you can be a bit intimidating.”

“Me?” Gabe touches a finger to his chest. He’s been called a lot of things, but intimidating isn’t one of them.

Ellis avoids looking at him as he speaks. “I don’t know how to act around you. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

That, Gabe can believe. “I’m sorry that I make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay,” Ellis says, finally letting their eyes meet. “It’s notbaduncomfortable, if that makes sense.”

“It does,” Gabe says, thinking what to say next when Ellis suddenly laughs. “What’s so funny?”

“This isn’t my usual route.” He gestures outside at the street. “The first time I came here, it was because I was trying to avoid congestion. I saw this place and it just…drew me in.” He gives another soft laugh. “I almost changed my mind when I saw the queue.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” He doesn’t believe in coincidences and has no doubt that Ellis finding his way here was always meant to happen. He keeps that belief to himself.

Ellis’ smile turns shy. “Yeah, me too. I’m glad I found you.” His eyes widen. “The café, I mean. Obviously.”

“Obviously.” Gabe wills his thundering heart to calm the fuck down before it bursts out of his chest like it does in cartoons. “Hey, I know it’s hard to break a habit, but you never have to act around me. I like the person you are.”

Ellis’ reaction isn’t what he’d hoped for. The air around him becomes heavier, like a shadow has been cast over him. “How do you know what kind of person I am?”

“I told you.”

“Right. You can read people.” Skepticism is heavy in his tone.

“I can,” Gabe says firmly. He grabs a sharpie, his hands shaking when he thinks about what he’s going to do.

He flips open the box with the cinnamon roll and scribbles down his number alongside a short note and his initials. It comes out crooked but hopefully legible.

“Contrary to what you might believe, I’m not the only one who wears his heart on his sleeve.” He closes the lid and pushes the box towards Ellis, who takes it with a confused frown. “I’ll see you Monday?”