Page 49 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

Ellis doesn’t think he will either. Not yet, at least. His body is exhausted, but his brain won’t settle, constantly sending mini doses of adrenaline through his veins. He fiddles with his phone, so, so tempted to dial Gabriel’s number. To hear his voice. He knows Gabriel would listen, would know what to say to make Ellis feel better.

Just because he’d listen to your whining doesn’t mean he should.

He dials Jordan’s number. The call connects on the second ring.

“As I live and breathe,” Jordan teases right off the bat.

Glad that he decided against a videocall, Ellis allows himself to grin. “Go fuck yourself.”

“I was about to, but then you called.”

Ellis’ face contorts into a grimace. “I hate you.”

He can hear the smirk in Jordan’s voice. “You started it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Instant regret.”

“You’re so delicate. Something on your mind?”

Right. It’s not like Ellis to call for the sake of calling. While he knows that Jordan doesn’t mind being his unpaid shrink, it doesn’t make him feel any less of a dick. If only expressing his emotions didn’t take such monumental effort. It would be much easier if someone could just read his mind.

Golden-brown eyes flash in his mind, his heart giving a particularly powerful thud.

“You could say that. It…has been a day.” He gives Jordan a quick rundown on the situation.

“Fucking hell,” Jordan says after a few seconds of heavy silence. “As if getting in a car crash and getting your memory wiped wasn’t enough.”

“According to the doctors, the two are likely connected. I don’t mean the accident, but the surgery,” Ellis adds. “But I guess our great genetics don’t help either.”

Jordan hums thoughtfully. “And stress. Can’t be easy to try to fit into your old life while remembering nothing. At least Cal doesn’t have to worry about work now. The same can’t be said for you.”

“I’m fine,” Ellis says, not wanting the conversation to steer towards him.

“Right. That’s why you’re calling me.”

“I thought you’d like to be updated on all the drama.”

“That too. I hate that I can't be there for you. I hate that you’re so far away.”

The emotion in Jordan’s voice gets Ellis a little choked up, like there’s something he wants to say but when he tries to put it into words, they just lodge in his throat. He misses his best friend too, though he hasn’t had much opportunity to dwell on the feeling with everything that’s been going on since he moved here.

“It’s one hour on the plane. It’s not too bad,” he reasons. Not that he’d have time to fly down to Sydney anyway.

“It’s different. I was used to seeing you at work all the time.”

“Which I assume was the highlight of your day,” he mocks.

“It was,” Jordan says without hesitation. “I miss you. We should call more often.”

Ellis sighs, loving the idea, but knowing he’ll never stick to it. “We should.”

Jordan’s voice is lighter when he speaks next. “I’d suggest calling after work, but I’d hate to impose on yourGilmore Girlstime.”

Ellis groans, cursing his drunken ass for spilling that particular fact. “Sod off.”

“So sensitive.”

They don’t talk for long, Ellis’ eyes drifting shut intermittently. His responses must be slow because Jordan huffs, ordering Ellis to‘take his workaholic ass to bed and get proper sleep’.