Page 61 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

Jordan barks out a laugh, then makes Gabe blush by saying, “I can see why he likes you. Be good to him, okay?”

“I will.” If he sees Ellis again at all.

“Later.” Jordan winks, sauntering away.

“Bye.”

Well, that’s a thing that happened. Could this week get any weirder?

A note for Gabe: do not challenge the cosmos.

Not a half an hour after Jordan’s left, Gabe gets a text from Dawson asking if he’s seen Cal. Jordan’s comment about Ellis’ family drama pops into his mind and his stomach clenches with a foreboding feeling. He resists the temptation to fish for details and just texts him back that no, he hasn’t seen Cal in days.

He gets a distraction from his worrying when Ash pops in shortly after, looking awfully satisfied for someone who looks like he woke up five minutes ago. Right. Last night was Friday night. That can only mean one thing.

“That smirk of yours makes me really uncomfortable,” Gabe grumbles as Ash approaches him, giving Zeke a hello. “Had a good night?”

“Oh, yeah.” Ash whistles. “You have no idea.”

Gross. “I have some and I don’t want any more.”

Ash smirks. “Had a good morning? You seem…better.”

Does he? He feels scattered and uprooted, but Jordan’s visit did pull him out of his misery. Speaking of…

“You’ll never guess who came in this morning.”

“It can’t be Ellis, because I would totally guess that.”

“His friend who’s visiting from Sydney.”

“Well, shit.” Ash laughs. “You can’t make that up.”

Gabe refrains from explaining how Jordan ended up in this café, figuring it’s not important. “That’s not all. He knew about me and my stupid crush.”

“Hmm. So your boy talks about you. Good.”

Gabe ignores the ‘his boy’ comment. “He basically asked me to be patient with Ellis. And to treat him right.”

Ash hums what sounds like approval. “I like the implications of that.”

“Me too,” Gabe says with a laugh. “I’m just a little nervous to…”

“Rekindle the hope? Yeah, I get that.”

“Jordan—Ellis’ friend—mentioned Ellis has been busy with family stuff. You hear anything from Dawson?”

Ash gives him a chastising look that falls flat since it’s accompanied by a smirk. “Patient confidentiality, Gabe. I do stick to the rules on occasion.”

“What use are you to me then?” Gabe grumbles, even though he understands. But Ash would tell him if something serious happened, right? Or at least, he’d hint.

As if summoned, Dawson walks through the door just then, Donut following dutifully next to him. No sign of Cal, though.

“Dawson, hey! We were just talking about you.”

Slowly, Ash turns around, leaning back with his elbows on the counter. “Hi. Fancy seeing you in the wild.” His gaze dips lower. “This must be the famous Donut. Hello, there.”

At the sound of his name, Donut’s tail begins to wag, and he pulls on the leash. Dawson goes with him, so Ash can get some obligatory pets and scratches in. It’s a cute scene, but Gabe is more focused on the dark cloud hanging over Dawson’s head.