Page 82 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“I like coffee and sugar. Seemed like a logical step. Or you want the long-winded version?” he asks when Ellis looks at him expectantly.

“Yes, please.”

Sticking to the basics so as to not get sidetracked, Gabe starts, “I worked in a couple of cafés during my uni years. The first one was a chain, and I hated how impersonal the approach to the customers was. Everything felt so rushed and money-focused. But it was a good starting point, got me some experience which made it easier to look for another job. I ended up working in a family run café and loved it. I stayed there for another year after I finished my degree, and that’s when I met Zeke.”

“Was he a customer?”

“Yes…”

Ellis gives him a knowing look. “I’m sensing a pattern here.”

“Look, I don’t get out much, okay?” Gabe defends, folding his arms on his chest. He’s an extroverted introvert, so what?

“Fair. Neither do I.”

“See? Cafés are great for socializing.”

“And you two just hit it off?”

“Kinda? He was weird, so naturally I felt a deep sense of kinship. I was taking his order when I noticed him looking at me, like, super intently, and then he said, I quote—" He does the air quotes. “Your aura is very bright and powerful.”

“Okayyy,” Ellis draws out, confused. “Is he like, you know…”

“Nope. No superpowers. He’s just really into esoteric shit and is convinced that somewhere deep inside, he’s a latent witch.”

Zeke’s obsession has given Gabe a lot of gray hairs. Like the time the fire brigade came after a room cleanse gone wrong. Or one instance that resulted in Zeke nearly getting arrested for satanic practices when he was caught drawing protection sigils on the walls.

“Wow.”

“I know. Also, do not let him read your palm.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ellis promises, looking equal parts alarmed, confused, and intrigued. “So, what I’m hearing is he was weird, and you were weird, and you bonded over that and decided to open a café together.”

When put that way… “In a nutshell. He actually had a café already, but could barely break even. His social skills are a bit…” He makes a so-so gesture.

“No offense, but you seem weirder than him.”

Gabe gasps. “That’s just because you haven’t interacted much. Plus, I might be weird, but I make up for it by being adorable.”

Ellis makes a thoughtful sound. “Can’t argue with that, I suppose.”

“You’d better not. I could take it personally.”

“We wouldn’t want that,” Ellis says. He seems to be enjoying the banter as much as Gabe. “What were you studying?”

“Psychology.”

Ellis makes a confused-Pikachu face. “You studied psychology. And you work in a café.” He’s instantly apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Obviously I’m glad you work in a café. We wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

“I know what you meant. It’s okay. I went into psychology because my cousin did.” Giving a brief thought to how much he can share, Gabe decides to lay it all out there. If he wants a relationship with Ellis, he’ll end up telling him stuff anyway. “Ash is…he’s like me. Not exactly but…he has skills of his own.”

Ellis blinks. “It runs in the family?”

“From my dad’s side. For some reason, it only ever manifests in men.”

“So, your dad and Ash’s dad…”

“Were weird? Yeah.” He wrings his fingers. “I wanted to do something useful with my gift, like Ash has. Psychology was a logical choice. It’s not that I hated it, I actually found it very interesting and stimulating. But halfway through the course I realized I could never do it as a job. As a psychologist, you are a guide when people feel lost. You show them doors they never knew were there. You nudge them this way and that, but that’s it. That’s not me. I can’t just sit and hope people will find their way. I’m more of a grab-them-by-the-collar-and-drag-them-in-the-right-direction-kicking-and-screaming kind of person.” He bats his eyelashes. “I have a tendency to meddle.”