Page 185 of Should the Sky Fall

After Kieran leaves, Dawson watches three more episodes before Donut begins demanding his attention.

“Wee time?”

Donut barks.

“Yeah, okay.”

Dawson’s spine pops as he stands up and stretches his arms overhead. Jesus, Kieran might be right. Dawson’s ass has already left an imprint on the sofa.

His phone vibrates in his pocket, causing his heart to skip a beat. His fingers twitch with the impulse to reach for it and pick up. He lets it go to voicemail, then finally dares to look at the caller.

He can’t even hide the disappointment when Ellis’ name glares at him from the screen. Fuck. Ellis. Has he talked to Cal? Or has he been trying to reach him and Cal wouldn’t pick up?

He gets his answer when Ellis sends him a text.

Ellis:Hey, how are things? I’ve been messaging Cal but he sounds weird. Is he okay?

Fucking perfect. Another thing to worry about. How does he explain this to Ellis? Actually, why should he? Why can’t Cal talk to his damned brother and tell him what he did?

Dawson opens a new chat with Gabe’s number. He does need to get out. He can’t stay here closed in with his racing thoughts.

Dawson:Hey. Has Cal been in today?

Gabe:Last time I saw him, he was with you. Everything ok? Did you lose your husband? xD

Aaand there he goes. Fucking crying again. Because he did, didn’t he? He did lose Cal. One day, everything was perfect, and the next…

“Come on, Donut.” He grabs Donut’s leash, clipping it to his collar. “Let’s see our friends.”

Donut’s been to the cafe enough times that he remembers the way. Despite his small size, he all but drags Dawson down the road, short of choking himself on the collar. It’s hard to say if the enthusiasm is because of Gabe and Zeke, or because of the doggy biscuits Gabe started to bake when he learned of Donut’s existence.

Dawson hesitates before pushing the door open, giving the shop a sweeping glance. It feels like ages since he’s been here by himself, taking a break from life. Now it just makes him feel lonely. At least he has Donut.

Gabe is behind the counter, chatting animatedly with a customer, as is his habit. Dawson goes to take his usual seat, but Gabe spots him, his ever-present smile widening when he notices Donut’s there too.

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

The person Gabe’s been talking to turns, flashing him a smile. “Hi. Fancy seeing you in the wild,” Ash says, his eyes lowering. “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. The scene is cute, but Dawson can’t even appreciate it anymore.

After all this time, it shouldn’t surprise him that Gabe instantly picks up on his gloomy mood. He rounds the counter, giving Donut a quick scratch before turning his attention to Dawson.

“What’s wrong?”

Instead of words, a wrecked sob escapes from Dawson’s lips.

Gabe’s eyes widen, and even Ash looks up.

Fuck, this was a mistake. He shouldn’t have come here. Of course, Gabe would notice. Of course, he would ask questions. What the hell is Dawson supposed to tell him?

“Oh, Dawson.” Gabe pulls him into a tight hug. For such a small person, he’s deceptively strong, and the physical contact draws another embarrassing sound out of Dawson. “Here, sit down.” He leads Dawson to a table far from everyone else. Thankfully, there are only a few customers, and nobody is paying them attention.

“I’m sorry,” Dawson says when they sit down, and hides his blotchy face in his hands. “God, this is embarrassing. I didn’t mean to come here and lose my shit.”

“It’s not embarrassing,” Gabe says. “And you’re welcome to lose your shit. We got you.”

Dawson forces a wobbly smile. He’s not used to this, to letting himself break in front of people. Kieran is his best friend and not even he has seen Dawson at his worst. Ash has seen a lot, but Dawson never cried in front of him, never let himself be that vulnerable.