Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

him.” And then, under her breath, “At least I hope you won’t.” She pushed
her way through the doors.
Wallace looked out the porthole again in time to see the woman—Nancy
—looking as if she were about to speak. She opened her mouth, and then
closed it. Her lips stretched into a thin, bloodless line. She stood abruptly,
the chair scraping along the floor. The din of the tea shop quieted as everyone
turned to look at her, but she only had eyes for Hugo. Wallace flinched at her
expression of rage. Her eyes were almost black. He thought she was going to
reach out and strike Hugo. She didn’t, instead stepping around the table and
heading toward the door.
She stopped only when Hugo said, “I’ll be here. Always. Whenever
you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
Her shoulders slumped as she left Charon’s Crossing.
Hugo watched her through the window as she walked away. Mei went to
the table, putting her hand on his shoulder. She spoke quietly, words Wallace
couldn’t make out. Hugo sighed and shook his head before gathering up the
teacup and putting it back on the tray. Mei stepped back as he rose, lifting the
tray with one hand and walking back toward the kitchen.
Wallace backed away quickly, not wanting to get caught spying. He
pretended to be studying the appliances as the doors swung open and Hugo
entered the kitchen. The noise of Charon’s Crossing picked up again.
“You don’t have to stay back here,” Hugo said.
Wallace shrugged awkwardly. “I didn’t want to get in the way.” He knew
how ridiculous that sounded. He didn’t know how to quite put into words
what he really meant, that he didn’t want people to be walking around (or,
heaven forbid, through) him as if he weren’t there at all.
Hugo set the tray near the sink. “This place is yours as much as it is ours
while you’re here. I don’t want you to feel trapped.”
“I am, though,” Wallace reminded him, nodding toward the cable.
“Remember? It was a whole ordeal last night.”
“I remember,” Hugo said. He looked down at the tea in the cup, shaking
his head. “But while you’re here, you can go anywhere on the grounds you
wish. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t.”
“Why do you care if I feel trapped?”
Hugo glanced at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He was so goddamn frustrating. “I don’t get you.”