Page 80 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“It’s okay. I like it. A lot,” he promises. “I never have to guess with you. You just put all your cards on the table. You’re like no one I’ve ever met.”

Gabriel huffs a laugh. “I can believe that.” His fingers stroke Ellis’ chest through his shirt, making it really difficult to keep his breathing even. Yet, he can’t bring himself to tell Gabriel to stop.

“What about the messages on the cups? They felt personal.”

“They were,” Gabriel confirms. “They are. Sometimes I have a… I’m not sure I’d call it a vision. A compulsion, maybe. If there’s something a person needs to hear, I feel compelled to tell them. I don’t know where the messages come from. I don’t really care. I know they help, and that’s good enough for me.”

You deserve good things.

Ellis still isn’t sure it’s true. He’s done too many shitty things in his life to deserve anything good. But he desperately wants Gabriel, and Gabriel is so, so good. Ellis will do anything to deserve him.

“Jordan said you kept the cups with the messages I wrote you.”

Correction: Gabriel is very, very bad. And his glee is positively evil.

Ellis takes a slow, deliberate breath that does absolutely nothing to calm him down. “I’m going to kill him. Slowly.”

Gabriel lets him stew for a bit, taking apparent pleasure in Ellis’ discomfort. But then his hand is climbing from Ellis’ chestto his face, brushing his hair back. It feels so good Ellis has to try really hard to not make a sound.

“You do deserve good things, Ellis. It’s okay if you don’t believe it. I’ll just have to keep proving it to you.”

With his heart in his throat, Ellis manages to press out, “That could take a long time.”

“I’m more than okay with that,” Gabriel says, not deterred in the slightest. A cold gust of wind washes over them, and Gabriel shivers. “The wind’s picking up. Do you want to head back?”

No. He doesn’t want this to end just yet. “Okay.”

“Or…” Gabriel trails off, regarding Ellis thoughtfully. “We could go to my place? No funny business, promise,” he adds in a rush. “We’ll just talk or watch a movie. I don’t want to end the date yet. And we still haven’t touched the cinnamon rolls.”

Thank god.

“Sounds good.” Hopefully he doesn’t sound too eager. But if he does, it’s okay. This is Gabriel after all. “Your place.”

Chapter 16

“Here we are!” Twistingthe key, Gabe opens the door to his apartment. “It’s small, but it’s mine.”

Inside, he slips out of his thongs and props his scooter against the wall. He chuckles. Ellis’ reaction when Gabe told him he doesn’t drive but rides a scooter to work was priceless. It got even better when he suggested Ellis take a ride with him. The look of horror on his face was something he’d love to have a picture of.

Holding the bags with the picnic leftovers, Ellis sweeps his gaze around the apartment. He actually looks intrigued, and not like he’s only putting on a show. “I like it. It’s cozy.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Gabe takes the bags from him and carries them to the kitchen. “What?” Ellis seems to be looking for something.

“Nothing. I just assumed you’d have a roommate.”

Probably a nice way of saying: how do you afford this? Rentals on the Gold Coast are no joke. “This place would’ve been way more expensive, but the landlord has a soft spot for me.”

Ellis snorts. “Of course they do. But I meant, I’d expect you to have a roommate because you seem so…”

“Social?”

“Yeah.”

Ah yes. The common misconception.

Ellis’ eyes brighten when Gabe unpacks the cinnamon rolls and gestures to the sofa. They take a seat close to each other, and Ellis wastes no time digging into the box.

“Well, this whole empath business has one big downside; I need to recharge. Like, a lot. I love people, but my god, they can be draining.”