Page 52 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

Ellis stares at him as it slowly sinks in that his best friend left on a working day to come and see him. That being said, he’d have appreciated a warning. He’s too old for surprises—his heart may not be able to take it.

“At least you weren’t watching porn.”

Jordan blinks at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” Shutting the door, Ellis approaches him. “What are you doing here?”

Jordan shrugs. “The weather in Sydney’s shit. I needed some vitamin D.”

Yeah, right. Ellis might have believed it if Jordan wasn’t pasty white and would turn lobster-red after two minutes in the sun.

Jordan stands up, spreading his arms wide. “You gonna hug me or what?”

Lips twitching, Ellis steps forward and lets himself be pulled into an embrace. What’s with all the hugs lately? It must be the Gold Coast. It turns people mushy or something.

“Are you okay? You seem…off,” Ellis asks when they’ve pulled apart, noticing something strange in Jordan’s gaze, like his mind is somewhere else.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“I’m okay. Cal’s okay. Everything’s back to normal.” Which is good. Normal is good.

“I didn’t think that word was in your vocabulary,” Jordan teases.

Ellis punches his shoulder. “You really didn’t have to come all the way here just to make sure I don’t have a meltdown.”

“Maybe I just missed you,” Jordan says, smiling because the fucker knows how uncomfortable this kind of talk makes him.

“How long can you stay?” Ellis asks instead.

“Flying back on Sunday afternoon.” That’s only two days. Ellis tries not to let his disappointment show. “By the way, I need your keys. You don’t mind me crashing at your place, do you?”

Ellis levels him with a flat look, grumpily handing over the keys. “How nice of you to check in with me first.”

“If you don’t want visitors, why did you get a two-bedroom apartment? Not that it matters. I would’ve just slept in the bed with you.”

“The fuck you would.”

Jordan gives him a sly grin. He always loved winding Ellis up. “It’s your lunch break, right? Let’s go grab something. And then we can grab drinks after you’ve finished.”

“Sounds like a plan. What are you gonna do in the meantime?” Even if he wraps up work early, Jordan will have to entertain himself for at least five hours.

“Wander around. Explore.” There’s a glint in his eyes that Ellis knows too well.

“Have you been onGrindragain?” The business trip to Melbourne from three years ago is still fresh in Ellis’ mind. He’s never sharing a hotel room with him again.

“Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t.”

He’s sure Jordan’s just messing with him. Like, 98% sure.

“No fucking in my apartment.”

Jordan’s face falls. “Not even the sofa?”

“No!”

“You’re no fun.”

“And you have too much fun.” The tension that’s been building up throughout the week drains a little as they settle into the familiar banter. “I missed you too,” Ellis admits in a quiet voice.